CNPA Blog
Welcome to the Canadian Nonprofit Academy Blog
Why is Your Board Not Engaged?
Having a Board of Directors is Not Just About Putting Bums in Seats A non-profit organization’s achievement is built on the hard effort and commitment of the board members it is led by. That’s why when the board’s engagement falters, so does the board’s effectiveness...
Five Monkeys, a Banana and the Board
Do you have the feeling something is not right on your board? Do you have the sneaky pervasive feeling that you and your board’s processes do not allow your board to do its best work? Do you feel that your board culture is toxic and you don’t know how to change it? Do...
Why boards need training?
A not so innocent question The governance committee of a large agency spent months discussing and researching possible board training solutions for their board, committees, and staff. The committee, the Executive Director and the board president had all agreed that it...
The Why of Impact Versus Outputs
One of the greatest conundrums of the nonprofit world is how to measure success? Profit can be an ugly word within the nonprofit sector. Bottom lines and services sold just doesn’t feel right when talking about the difference that your nonprofit wants to make in its...
Volunteer Leadership
From Task to Vision In November 2014, I met some remarkable volunteer leaders. It was a great experience. The occasion was a workshop that I gave at the national conference of the Canadian Society of Association Executives on Volunteer Leadership. I love talking to...
Why Governance is different from Management
Many non-profit Boards of Directors are working boards. They must attend to the functions of governance and management. Sometimes the distinction between the two gets lost. One way to think about the difference is to look at the roots of each word. The earliest...
