Board Governance Series: Building Impactful and Inclusive Boards

The Board Governance Series is for teams of board members, executive directors, and senior staff interested in deepening their understanding of nonprofit governance to heighten diversity, equity, and inclusion, strengthen board engagement, and maximize its impact.

The series is divided into five, two-hour sessions on critical governance topics.

• the role of the board and board member responsibilities
• governance versus management
• board composition, recruitment, and succession planning
• board meetings and committee structure
• financial leadership

Click here for the full session descriptions. This spring series also includes an optional meet and greet before the sessions start.

Participation Requirements

Organizational teams of 3-4 consistent participants including the executive director, other organizational leaders charged with governance, and a minimum of 2 board members are required to participate in the series. Individual board members not registered for the full series may attend a particular session due to interest in the topic. For example, the Treasurer might attend the workshop on finance, but not participate in the other sessions.

Materials

Before each session, participants will be able to access the self-study packet via an online platform (Kajabi). The packet will include an overview of the session, exercises, and resources in their toolkit. During the sessions, participants will dive into the self-study packet with peer groups, share insights and ideas, and action plan. After the series concludes, participants will have access to the series materials for two years.

The online learning platform will provide participants the ability to connect with other nonprofit organizations in the series, to ask questions, and to share resources on governance topics. This platform is like a Facebook group or Blackboard.

Cost

The fee for the series is $450 per organization. We never want funding to prevent participation. We have a small pool of funds available to partially offset the program costs for qualified participants. Please email Kristen Craig at kristen@gnof.org for information.

Schedule

There are two different cohorts—one in the morning and one in the evening. Organizations will be able to select one cohort only when registering. The last session in each cohort will be held in-person at the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the others will be held virtually.

We are also hosting an optional meet and greet session on Thursday, March 16th from 3:00-5:00 pm. This will be an opportunity to network and build relationships with other organizational leaders and board members in a casual setting before embarking upon learning together.

Cohort A will be held from 10:00 am-12:00 pm and Cohort B will be held from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm on the following dates:

• Thursday, March 23rd (Virtual)
• Thursday, April 6th (Virtual)
• Thursday, April 20th (Virtual)
• Thursday, May 11th (Virtual)
• Thursday, May 25th (In-Person)

Click here to register for the Board Governance Series. Space is limited and registration will be accepted on a first come first serve basis until the cohorts are full. The ability to attend all of the sessions and fully participate in the program is required. It is expected that participants will calendar the sessions at the time of registration. The deadline to register is March 17, 2023. Payment is due at the time of registration. If you have any questions, please reach out to Kristen Craig at kristen@gnof.org.

Meet the trainer: 

Marla Cornelius, MNA

Consultant: Nonprofit Leadership, Management, and Board Governance
www.marlacornelius.com
Marla Cornelius has partnered with the Greater New Orleans Foundation for several years as the lead trainer for our popular Board Governance Series and several of our leadership programs. Her deep understanding of nonprofits and governance, the challenges facing leaders, and the way that power plays out in organizations enables her to create environments where clients can explore new realities, learn new approaches, and achieve their goals. Click here for a list of Marla’s writings on governance and leadership