Free kit · Board and governance
Board Self-Assessment Kit: free board self-assessment questionnaire in Word, Excel and PDF
Find out how well your board does its own job, and turn the lowest scores into two or three goals. Every voting member answers 26 statements unsigned, the executive director answers the same form apart, and a one-hour retreat discussion starts with how the board supports the executive director. The Excel workbook averages the answers.
Word, Excel and PDF · 11 pages · For board chairs, governance committees and executive directors
Your kit is ready
We also emailed these links to .
Your library is open on this browser.
Next: Board Recruitment Kit
What is inside
- Board self-assessment questionnaire. 26 statements in six sections, from mission and strategy to supporting the executive director, scored 1 to 4, and four open questions.
- Scoring sheet. Each statement's average, question marks and spread between members, the section results and three flags to carry to the retreat.
- Retreat discussion guide. A one-hour agenda that starts with the gap between the board and the executive director, and where low scores usually find their help.
- Action plan. Two or three findings turned into goals with an owner, a date and a resource the budget pays for, checked at every board meeting.
How to use it
- Four weeks before the retreat: the board chair sets the dates and names the person who collects the forms.
- Three weeks before: Form A goes to every voting member and, on a separate copy, to the executive director.
- One week before: the forms come back to the collector, who scores them and sends the board section results three days ahead.
- At the retreat: one hour with the discussion guide, ending in two or three goals.
- Next board meeting: the board approves the action plan, and the governance committee checks each goal at every meeting from then on.
Questions
Is the kit free?
Yes. Enter your name, email and organization once, and every kit in the library opens on this browser.
Can I edit it?
Yes. The Word and Excel files are fully editable: reword the statements to fit your board, set your own dates and replace the example answers in the workbook with your members' forms.
Does it work in Google Docs?
Yes. Upload the Word file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs; the tables and ruled lines carry over.
Can I share it inside my organization?
Yes. Copy it, adapt it and share it with your board and staff.
Read the guide
More kits for boards
Board Recruitment KitA composition matrix, job and officer descriptions, a board member agreement and the candidate conversation
Board Onboarding KitA 90-day checklist, welcome letter, check-in guides, announcements and a development plan
Executive Director Evaluation KitForms, a calendar and a development plan for one annual review
With a board self-assessment, the questionnaire is rarely where it goes wrong. The conversation is. A coach helps the executive director say how stretched the job really is, to the people who evaluate them.
Six sessions of executive coaching: $300, $400 or $600, set by your organization's yearly operating expenses.
