Good afternoon. Welcome to the hugely engaging, always fascinating, and profoundly inspiring topic of governance and policy.
My name is Aaron McRann. I am the ED of the Community Foundation of the South Okanagan. Our office is in Penticton, 1 hour south of Kelowna.
I’m very excited to be here at my first peer gathering. Over the past year, I’ve spoken with many of you via email and a few others via phone. Before I dive in I just want to say that I have been thoroughly impressed with community of community foundation leaders. The support that you provide each other, as peers and through CFC, is really incredible and I feel fortunate to be a part of it.
We don’t have a lot of time today so I am going to jump right in. But first let me clarify a few things:
I have exactly one year of CF experience.
I have, not five, but point five years of policy experience.
And I have written exactly ZERO policy documents.
So why me? Why would Jane ask me to lead this discussion? I’ve actually thought quite a bit about that and have spent a fair amount of time feeling entirely unqualified to be standing here. But then I figured it out. At least I figured out why I would have asked me to do this.
And it all stems from me being the new kid on the block. That makes me eager to please. Another point is that I don’t know much about this topic. After all, we only have an hour for this absolutely massive topic. Considering how little I know, keeping it to an hour will be relatively easy for me. And lastly, and at least in part because of my lack of knowledge, I don’t know any better. I haven’t dealt with these issues for years so I still find them quite interesting.
With all that in mind, it would be unwise for me to spend this hour doing all the talking. After all, this is a peer gathering and we’re all here to share ideas. So my plan is to give you a 2 minute intro to “the way I see it” and then I’ll move us into a facilitated discussion on the two key topics outlined in the session summary.
It took me a while to wrap my head around the ideas of governance and policy as separate, but related topics. I would be more than happy to be corrected on this, but I’ve distilled my misunderstanding down to this:
Governance is the act of governing, the process of implementing policy. Policy is the rule book, the framework that defines the organization and its values. Good governance and strong policy, working together, create the environment for effective leadership.
So to me, the relationship looks kind of like this. Governance and policy are the solid base upon which leadership can develop. The symbiotic relationship between these three things creates a sweet spot where we change the world.
Effective Governance & Policy serves to illuminate issues, strategies and opportunities.
Ineffective governance and policy can suppress our creativity, restrain our actions, and de-motivate us.
Effective policy brings light to the shadows, helping us navigate the risks and pitfalls of our work.
Ineffective policy and governance may intend to shine light; may actually shine light, in fact; it may even guide you down a clear and straight path only for you to discover a train wreck on the other side.
So today we’re going to focus on two pieces of the very large puzzle called policy and governance.
We’re going to look at where, when and why to start the policy discussion.
And we’re going to look at the most effective committee structures for a board.
So how do you start the policy discussion?
Being reluctant to start the policy discussion is understandable. You may feel, or your board may feel, that the entire discussion will be a black hole, sucking up all your time, energy and imagination.
But I think we’ll all agree the process is a critical one. So the question is how do we avoid the black hole.
In our efforts to shine a light on these topics, how do we avoid walking to our peril?
How do we avoid going around in circles and coming to a dead end.
I think the first key is to understand why the discussion needs to be started.
For some the need may actually be written into policy. For others, perhaps it’s a specific event or issue that brings it to the fore.
Does anyone have any examples of what made them charge forward on the policy front?
Now when I ask “where” I’m not looking for “Starbuck’s” as the answer. For example, does the discussion start at the committee level or at the board level? Does the discussion start at a board meeting or at a strategic planning session?
I’m looking for examples from you on this. What has worked well and what have you tried that has been a total flop? For the CFSO, for example, the detailed discussion is taking place at the committee level with amended policy being approved at board meetings.
Other examples?
What about when? When should the policy discussion start?
Let me ask, first, how many of you have a policy statement that clarifies when policy must be reviewed?
Is that effective? What are the pro’s and con’s?
How do you manage the calendar for that?
Does it cover the entire policy manual or specific sections?
Are all sections reviewed on the same schedule (annually, bi-annually)?
So let’s go back to our black hole analogy for a second. I think we can all agree that knowing why, where, and when to start the policy discussion can help us avoid a black hole of time and energy.
So now let’s look at the next piece of the puzzle: committees. Specifically, what committees work well for supporting your governance structure?
Now we’re not just talking about governance as it relates to policy development and review. More generally, what committees work well for the “act of governing” or running your foundation?
What committees have helped you navigate the mine field, avoid the black hole and get to the light at the end of the tunnel?
Get to the light at the end of the tunnel... Before the train gets there.
On the other hand, what committees haven’t worked for you? What committees seem to be working hard, seem to be shining a light, only to later discover that the light’s shining out their...
I’ll let you finish that one...
Anyway, let’s focus on the committees that really support the efforts of your foundation.
How many do you have?
Policy?
Executive?
Audit?
Investment?
