This document provides five tips for boards to think strategically: 1. Recruit a diverse board with people who think differently to gain different perspectives. 2. Build trust between board members by getting to know each other and regularly reviewing relationships. 3. Create space in board meetings for generative strategic discussion rather than just governance. 4. Use staff expertise by inviting them to present on strategic issues and canvassing junior staff views. 5. Keep the board informed with quality information from external sources on factors like politics, economics and technology.

1. FIVE TIPS FOR THINKING
STRATEGICALLY AS A BOARD
28 JUNE 2016
DAN FRANCIS

2. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ‘STRATEGIC’?
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Strategy
A set of high level decisions about why your organisation exists, what it hopes to
achieve in the next few years, how it wants to achieve it and how it will deal with the
world around it.
Strategic Plan
A clear and coherent statement from the Trustees and senior managers about the
organisation’s strategy over a particular period, usually 3-5 years.
NCVO Tools for Tomorrow

3. FIVE TIPS FOR THINKING STRATEGICALLY
1. Recruit people who think differently
2. Build trust between the board
3. Create space for generative thinking
4. Use staff expertise and time wisely
5. Get advice and external perspective

4. 1. RECRUIT PEOPLE WHO THINK DIFFERENTLY
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5. BOARD COMPOSITION
Evidence suggests that boards recruit in their own image;
• 97% of trustee chairs are white and seven out of ten are men
• 43% women
• 0.5% of the trustee population is made up of 18-24 year olds
• 57 average age of trustees
• Disabled and black people are “scarce” on boards
• Over a quarter of charities feel that their leadership team lack
sufficient diversity
This is about the calibre and perspective of the individuals which make
up the board as a team
Image source: http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2016/jan/04/charities-trustee-diversity-board

6. HOW DIVERSITY HELPS YOU BE STRATEGIC
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• Drawing upon a range of experiences in understanding
opportunities, anticipating challenges and assessing risks
• Rarely does a right or wrong answer exist for strategic issues
• Multiple views on outcomes result in a more thoughtful decision-
making
• Lived experience – how are we going to deliver for beneficiaries
• A board needs to challenge itself to keep pace with the changing
world - through a robust dialogue of differing views
• Constructively challenging assumption and the status quo is healthy

7. RECRUITING DIVERSITY
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• Use alternative methods of recruitment reach into communities not
currently represented
• Use of specialist job boards targeted at local communities or minority
groups
• Think about practicalities of board meeting times and locations
• You should have a set policy in place for expenses such as travel and
childcare
• Make sure the venue in which you hold your board meetings is in a
location which can be easily reached
• Consider (and advertise) adjustments; interpreters, or provide audio,
Braille or large print versions of documents
• Healthy level of board renewal
• Celebrate trustees and raise the profile of the role

8. 2. BUILD TRUST BETWEEN THE BOARD
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9. 9
“For good ideas and true innovation,
you need human interaction,
conflict, argument, debate”
Margaret Heffernan

10. BUILDING TRUST AND CONFIDENCE
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Trust and confidence a key ‘behavioural driver’
Board that trust each other are able to:
• Discuss ideas which may not be fully formed
• Challenge each other
• Compromise on their views
• Be themselves and be creative!

11. BUILDING TRUST AND CONFIDENCE
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How do we build trust? An example.
• Get the basics right first. Trustees need confidence in
the structures and processes before they can build
relationships
• Allow trustees to get to know each other outside the
boardroom. Be confident in justifying this
• Meet in person and agree how to communicate
between meetings
• Make an effort to understand each other motivations
and personality types
• Ask how relationships can be improved. Undertake
regular reviews e.g. board appraisal or 360

12. 3. CREATE SPACE FOR GENERATIVE THINKING
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13. GOVERNANCE AS LEADERSHIP
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14. BEING STRATEGIC AND GENERATIVE
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• Important to strike a balance between modes of governing
• Create space on agenda and cycle of business for strategic
discussion
• A consent agenda for board items
• Have dialogue between meetings
• Away day and time outside of the board
• Pose questions to board members for consideration
• Theme meetings according to strategy

15. BEING STRATEGIC AND GENERATIVE
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16. 4. USE STAFF EXPERTISE AND TIME WISELY
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17. THE ROLE OF STAFF
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• As a key part of your internal analysis – A major stakeholder
group
• Use staff time wisely and draw on expertise
• Where senior staff are employed we expect them to have a
role in strategy development - more than just writing up the
outputs of the board
• Other staff will also have valuable input – policy, service
delivery
• How does do trustees want to know about this?

18. INPUT FROM STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS
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• Invite staff to present to the board on particular strategic
themes or challenges
• Canvass the opinion and input from of more junior staff
through surveys or staff days
Other things to think about doing…
• Task teams to lead on particular themes
• Present work in progress strategies for feedback
• Not only will this improve the strategy and boards thinking
but it will also lead to buy-in
• Don’t forget volunteers!

19. 5. KEEPING INFORMED: QUALITY
INFORMATION AND EXTERNAL
PERSPECTIVES
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20. INFORMATION AND EXTERNAL PERSPECTIVES
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• Trustees are often but not always subject matter experts
• Boards often rely on those around them to remain informed
• Trustees will have an interest and have a duty to keep up to
date
• Provide them with quality information
• Offer whole perspective so that the board can make rounded
and informed decision

21. KEEPING THE BOARD INFORMED
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• Invite trustees to meet with stakeholders
• Prepare additional wider reading in accessible format
• Bring external perspectives into meetings – even when you
may disagree with the point of view or approach!
• Consider what other organisations and bodies are doing
• Think about Political Economic Social and Technological
(PEST) factors which will help inform your board

22. INFORMATION AND SUPPORT
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• NCVO training:
• Charities Trustees Induction and refresher course
• The High Performance Board
• Financial Intelligence for trustees
• www.ncvo.org.uk/training-and-events/training
• NCVO Trustee Conference – 7 November 2016
• www.ncvo.org.uk/training-and-events/trustee-conference

23. NCVO champions the voluntary sector and
volunteer movement to create a better society.
We connect, represent and support over 11,500
voluntary sector member organisations, from the
smallest community groups to the largest
charities.
This helps our members and their millions of
volunteers make the biggest difference to the
causes they believe in.
• Search for NCVO membership
• Visit www.ncvo.org.uk/join
• Email membership@ncvo.org.uk
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