Economic uncertainty, increased demand for services and concurrent decreases in funding,  as well as calls for greater accountability create an increasingly complex and challenging environment in which boards must lead and govern. Board members are responsible for exercising sound judgment and acting in the best interests of the organization while serving their communities effectively. In this context, what are the key governance responsibilities of boards and board members?

When we watch a debate between political candidates on television, we know the purpose. Each side is trying to win. Each wants to sway the public to see his/her side of the issues. The candidates spar, trying to score points and undermine their opponents. They are certainly not trying to find common ground! Deliberative dialogue, on the other hand, is a distinct way of conversing that asks us to put aside our inclination or desire to win, to be right, or to have the other person be wrong. It is a method by which we can learn from one another and search for the common ground on which solutions often grow.

Many people involved in the non-profit sector are passionate about providing services and enhancing the lives of people they know or people they may have never even met. Whether as staff or volunteers, they get involved in an organization to “do good,” to make positive change in the community. Boards contribute to the mission of an organization by governing it. Carter McNamara, an American management consultant and founder of the Free Management Library who writes extensively about non-profit boards says, “The phrase ‘governance’ often refers to the Board’s activities to oversee the purpose, plans and policies of the overall organization, such as establishing those overall plans and policies, supervision of the CEO, ensuring sufficient resources for the organization, ensuring compliance to rules and regulations, representing the organization to external stakeholders, etc.”

As TS Eliot wrote, “There is no life that is not in community.” Our definition of community, though, is fluid. Today, it is not just the people in your neighbourhood. Your community might include members from across the country or across the world. At the same time, the idea of community in terms of the place in which you live, the geographic location you call home, is still very important, particularly as we face complex social issues and concerns. When we are engaging community, which “community” are we talking about? How do we use technology to facilitate our goals most effectively, and when is the best technology the social technology of a face-to-face meeting?