Program areas at BoardSource
Sector leadership initiatives:boardsource's research and leadership calls attention to the importance of strong boards, creating awareness and action around challenges facing nonprofit leaders and identifying opportunities to unleash greater impact for the sector as a whole. Boardsource's leadership also focuses on identifying and interpreting trends impacting nonprofit leadership performance and effectiveness and generating evidence-based recommendations for board practice. Of particular importance is Boardsource's work to understand and address the lack of racial and ethnic diversity on nonprofit boards, which we believe is essential to the social sector's ability to advance the public good and create a more just and equitable society, and we continue to promote and expand these conversations. Boardsource believes it is time for real change in the way that boards understand and embody their leadership role, which has led us to do deep thinking about what it would take to change. We are amplifying our efforts to engage with audiences within the nonprofit community to circulate leadership practices that best meet the needs of each organization and the challenges they face.
Assessment services:boardsource's assessment services help organizations identify core issues in their board performance and development. In 2023, Boardsource delivered over 1,000 board self assessments and chief executive assessments.
Educational programs for members:boardsource supports the technical support and educational needs of nonprofit leaders, boards, and organizations through a set of membership programs designed for nonprofit organizations and individual leaders (including programs with group access to individual membership support for foundations, federated networks, and corporations). These programs provide open access to Boardsource's online library of board leadership and governance resources, as well as technical assistance from an on-staff governance specialist. Boardsource also offers the board support program, which provides more in-depth support for nonprofit boards including an annual board self-assessment and a board orientation certificate program.
Professional development:boardsource's professional development programs provide leadership development and learning programming for consultants to boards. Boardsource's professional development programs for consultants reached several hundred individuals in 2023.
Library of resources:boardsource's library of nonprofit board leadership resources includes publications and tools on a broad range of topics relevant to nonprofit executives, board leaders, and practitioners. In 2023, hundreds of thousands of nonprofit leaders from across the country and around the globe accessed information on boardsource.org as well as viewed and/or downloaded online resources.