Additional Training and Resources

Additional Board Governance Training and Resources

This module was designed to assist individuals with no, or little, board governance experience or those who are working with boards that have gotten a little off track. Each section provides activities and resources that will hopefully provide direction, but may also point to areas that need work.

It may seem overwhelming to do all the things suggested in each section, and at the end of the day the reality is that not everything is possible, especially all at once. Sometimes boards experience dysfunction but don’t recognize the warning signs. Going through several of the exercises in this module, particularly those in the Governance Structure and Evaluation sections, can highlight areas that boards need to work on to strengthen their board governance practices and create a more dynamic organization.

Your work doesn’t have to end with this self-study training module.

People who are interested in further training and resources on building organizational capacity in board governance have limitless options. There are many helpful and free online training courses, podcasts, wikis and webinars on the topic of board governance. As well, this issue is widely discussed on social media. In short, you can find a wealth of valuable information with a click of your mouse whenever you need it.

Following are just a few examples of additional resources:

Community Literacy of Ontario

• CLO’s Making the Magic Happen webinar will be of particular interest to Executive Directors and Board Directors of not-for-profit boards in Ontario or anyone thinking of running for a board position.

• CLO’s self-study resource guide, Board Governance Resource Guide, will help organizations further develop and strengthen their board governance practices.

• The guide, Road to Success – Volume 1, has some great and recent governance resources.

Imagine Canada

• A wide variety of online tools, webinars, podcasts and other resources are available through Imagine Canada. In particular, be sure to check out their ‘Sector Source”, which provides a goldmine of information for non-profit organizations: http://sectorsource.ca

• Facebook: facebook.com/ImagineCanada

• Twitter: @ImagineCanada

Imagine Canada’s Standards Program for Canada’s Charities & Nonprofits.

Volunteer Canada

• Website: http://volunteer.ca

• Facebook: facebook.com/VolunteerCanada

• Twitter: @VolunteerCanada

Better Boards

• Website: http://betterboards.net

Ontario Nonprofit Network

• Website: http://theonn.ca

• Facebook: facebook.com/OntarioNonprofitNetwork

• Twitter: @o_n_n

Charity Village

• Website: http://charityvillage.com

• Facebook: facebook.com/CharityVillage

• Twitter: @CharityVillage

National Council of Nonprofits

• Website: councilofnonprofits.org

• Twitter: @NatlCouncilNPs

• Facebook: facebook.com/NationalCouncilofNonprofits

Board Source

• Website: boardsource.org

• Facebook: facebook.com/BoardSource

• Twitter: @BoardSource

Non-profit Conversation is a blog that provides a forum for discussion, advice, observations and solutions for the non-profit community. http://nonprofitconversation.blogspot.ca

Nonprofits on Facebook is devoted to sharing resources and information to build capacity in nonprofit organizations. facebook.com/nonprofits

And, be sure to also follow Community Literacy of Ontario:

• Facebook: facebook.com/CommunityLiteracyOntario

• Twitter: @Love4Literacy