Sample Board Discussion Guide

Once individual board members have asked some of the organization’s members for feedback, submitted the feedback to be included in a summary report, and read the report to become familiar with the input gathered by other board members, the next step is for the board as a whole to discuss the findings and identify any appropriate action steps.

Board Discussion Guide

1. Work in pairs. List 3 things in the owner feedback report that surprised you.
   • Have each pair share one thing. Record the comments on a flipchart. After each pair has shared one idea, ask if there are others and record them.
   • Discuss the relevance of each item. What did you learn about the owners’ expectations and understanding of the organization?
2. Alert board members to the need to differentiate between personal interest or customer/service user perspectives that may show up in the survey responses and which comments are directed more towards the big picture with a long-term impact for the benefit of all. In membership organizations it is common for members to be more concerned about how the organization’s programs impact them personally than they are about the overall impact of the organization. To direct the organization in the interests of the owners it is important for the board to stay focused on matters that have overall impact.
   • Ask for 3 or 4 examples of things in the report that are important to the organization as a whole. (These are things the board should address.)
   • Ask for 3 or 4 examples of things in the report that represent the survey respondent expressing something about how he/she personally is served by the organization, not how the organization as a whole achieves its purpose. (These are things that staff or program volunteers should address.)
   • Ask the board members to focus on the bigger picture items and leave the handling of the operational matters to staff and other volunteers.
3. Work in threes. List 5 owner expectations or ideas that deserve board consideration. Have each group record their points in large print on a flip chart page.
   • Post the flip charts and ask board members to identify a common thread which appears on multiple charts. Discuss that theme and its relevance for the organization.
   • Ask for another common thread to be identified and discuss. Continue until most of the points have been reviewed.
4. Brainstorm ideas of what the board should do to better meet owner expectations.

Be sure to record the notes from this discussion and keep them with your board records so you can consider these ideas during your next strategic planning session. Also, you’ll likely want to refer to your list of insights frequently so you can truly exercise your role as trustee for the owners’ interests.