Articles written By Better Boards

Risk Appetite & Effective Decisions

Practical techniques on agreeing, as a board, on suitable Risk Appetite and Risk Capacity levels for your organisation, so you can limit the risk of over- and under-investment in controls. Without clear Risk Appetite and Risk Capacity statements and related Risk Acceptance Criteria, staff in your organisation are ‘flying blind’ without understanding which mitigations are required at minimum versus ’nice to haves’. This also creates a situation whereby management cannot be confident that money is spent well on reasonable treatment options.

Dealing with Difficult Directors in the NFP Boardroom

Being a board member of a not-for-profit can be a rewarding experience, working with fellow members who are passionate and mission-aligned. But in any work environment, you will likely come across members who are challenging to work with and who make the experience and the delivery of outcomes difficult. If you are experiencing dominant voices while others remain silent, intimidation or a member not fulfilling their responsibilities, then this session is for you.

Welcoming and Initiating New Board Members

Board transitions are a great opportunity to renew and invigorate a board. New board members can bring enthusiasm, a fresh perspective and new ideas to the table. Yet joining a board can be a daunting experience and transitions are most successful when boards properly orientate their new directors to the cultures and practices of their organisation. The difficulties of attracting new board members has been widely written and spoken about in non-profit governance discourse but securing a desirable candidate is only the first step in the process of renewing a board’s membership.

Navigating the Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is a key fixture in any not-for-profit organisations calendar, but all too often it is treated as a tick the box exercise. But how can we turn the AGM from a box ticking exercise into an opportunity? How can we set ourselves up for AGM success? How can we avoid both common and unexpected AGM issues or challenges? This panel, chaired by Garry Barnes from Vital Advisory, will explore these questions and much more, including:

What is a board?

“Board” is one of several names used to signify the group of people assigned the responsibility to govern an organisation, company or other similar entity. A board is a legal requirement of a number of different forms of for-profit and non-profit organisations. Your organisation’s board might be called the board of directors, board of trustees, committee, management committee, council, governing body, responsible entity, or one of a variety of other names, depending on your organisation’s legal form or constitutions.

Better Boards Conference 2022

The Uncomplicated Guide to Getting Board Reporting Right

Many non-profit executives and directors may dread writing board reports, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Arnold Wong, a Fellow and National Treasurer of the Australian Computer Society understands the foundations behind effective board reporting. He discussed the basic skills required through a helpful lens in a recent webinar with Better Boards. We’ve compiled some key points here in this brief article to help you approach your board reporting with confidence.

Building Better Business Cases for your Board

In this panel Gavin, Alison, Alex and Cathy will explore how best to build a business case with your Board including: The strategic framework that helps set the scene for investment and growth How to make the case in the language of Boards The measures and parameters to support decisions Using case studies from experience Covering a range of investments areas including business development and revenue sustainability Panellists Gavin Coopey – Director @ More Strategic (Panel Moderator)

What Makes a Great Company Secretary?

What Makes a Great Company Secretary? At one of our recent webinars on the Role of the Company Secretary, Kristy Huxtable, Head of Company Secretariat at Australian Retirement Trust, shared insights from her experiences in the role. We’ve gathered together some key points from the webinar into a brief article to assist those donning the Company Secretary hat. A boardroom can be an intimidating setting. For it to be less so, each person involved in an NFP’s management and its board should understand the intricacies of their given role.

Climate Risk Governance - NFP boards & directors' duties

In this presentation attendees will gain a contemporary understanding of climate-related financial risks (and opportunities) which is a necessary foundation for a robust system of corporate governance. The presentation will cover: the evolution of climate change from an ’environmental’ issue to one that presents material financial risks (and opportunities) over mainstream investment horizons; physical and economic transition (including policy/regulatory, technology and investor/customer preference shifts), and litigation risks for NFP boards; the corporate governance ’new normal’ – heightened expectations of both regulators and other stakeholders on climate risk management and disclosure; and recommended ’next steps'.