Insight Board Stewardship Workshop

A Half-Day Governance Alignment Experience for Nonprofit Boards

Strong organizations are built on strong governance.

The Insight Board Stewardship Workshop is a focused, high-impact half-day experience designed to strengthen board clarity, elevate strategic thinking, and build alignment between board members and executive leadership.

This is not generic board training.

It is a structured governance alignment process that ensures your board leads with confidence, accountability, and purpose.

Purpose

The purpose of the Board Stewardship Workshop is to:

Clarify governance roles and boundaries
Strengthen the board–executive partnership
Elevate the board’s strategic stewardship role
Improve decision-making effectiveness
Align the board around shared expectations and behaviors

Boards rarely struggle because of a lack of commitment. They struggle because expectations are unclear.

This workshop creates clarity.

Objectives

By the end of the workshop, your board will:

Understand what it owns, influences, and delegates
Operate with clearer governance boundaries
Focus more consistently on long-term strategy
Improve the quality and clarity of board discussions
Align around shared expectations and leadership behaviors

Program Design

The experience is delivered in two integrated components:

1. Pre-Work Learning (Delivered via Insight's BLOOM® Online Platform)

Board members complete five short learning videos (10-15 minutes each) prior to the workshop, each paired with guided reflection worksheets.

Topics include:

Governance vs. management
Strategic stewardship
Board–Director partnership
Decision-making and board culture
Community representation and advocacy

This ensures the in-person session begins at a higher level of thinking and alignment.

2. Half-Day Facilitated Workshop

The live workshop is a professionally facilitated, structured session that transforms reflection into alignment.

Through guided discussion and working exercises, the board will:

Define clear governance guardrails
Identify strategic priorities for board stewardship
Clarify partnership norms with executive leadership
Establish board behavior and decision-making agreements
Strengthen its role as steward of mission and public trust

What’s Covered in the Half-day Workshop

Module 1: The Board’s Role in a Nonprofit/Public Board

Pre-Video Focus

Governance vs. management (what boards own vs. influence vs. delegate)
Legal and fiduciary responsibilities
The board’s unique role as steward of public trust

Pre-Worksheet Prompts

What decisions must come to the board?
Where does the board currently drift into operations?
What oversight responsibilities feel least clear today?

Workshop Governance Clarity Lab (45 min)

Goal: Align on roles and boundaries

Activities:

Small-group discussion of Module 1 worksheets
“Ownership Map” exercise:
- Board owns
- Board influences
- Director owns

Output: Agreed governance guardrails

Module 2: Strategic Stewardship (Not Just Approval)

Pre-Video Focus

The board’s role in strategy: direction, guardrails, and accountability
Distinction between approving plans and shaping priorities
How boards support long-term sustainability in public institutions

Pre-Worksheet Prompts

What strategic questions should the board be asking more often?
Where do we tend to focus on details instead of direction?
What does “success” look like for the organization in 3–5 years?

Workshop Strategic Stewardship Session (60 min)

Goal: Shift mindset from operational oversight to strategic leadership

Activities:

Review strategic themes surfaced in worksheets
“Strategic Questioning” exercise:
- What questions should always be on the board agenda?
Identify 3–5 strategic priorities the board will steward

Output: Board-level strategic focus areas

Module 3: The Board–Director Partnership

Pre-Video Focus

Healthy governance relationships
Clear authority, trust, and communication norms
Supporting the Director without undermining leadership

Pre-Worksheet Prompts

What does the board need from the Director to govern well?
What does the Director need from the board to lead well?
Where do expectations feel unspoken or assumed?

Workshop Board–Director Partnership Alignment (45 min)

Goal: Strengthen trust and clarity

Activities:

Joint discussion using Module 3 reflections
Define:
- Communication norms
- Decision rights
- Support behaviors

Output: Shared partnership commitments

Module 4: Decision-Making & Board Culture

Pre-Video Focus

How boards make good decisions in public settings
Managing disagreement productively
Board culture, behaviors, and meeting effectiveness

Pre-Worksheet Prompts

How would you describe the current board culture?
What behaviors help decision-making? What gets in the way?
How comfortable is the board with constructive dissent?

Workshop Board Culture & Decision-Making (40 min)

Goal: Improve how the board works together

Activities:

Culture reflection using Module 4 worksheets
Identify:
- “Keep doing”
- “Start doing”
- “Stop doing”
Agree on 3 board behavior norms

Output: Board behavior and decision norms

Module 5: Community Representation & Advocacy

Pre-Video Focus

Board members as ambassadors and listeners
Balancing personal perspectives with community needs
Advocacy in a public, non-political environment

Pre-Worksheet Prompts

How does the board stay connected to community voice?
Where could advocacy be stronger or clearer?
What community outcomes matter most for the organization?

Workshop Community Stewardship & Advocacy (30 min)

Goal: Clarify board role beyond meetings

Activities:

Discuss community representation gaps
Define advocacy and ambassador expectations

Output: Clear expectations for board engagement in the community

Workshop Commitments & Next Steps (15 min)

Goal: Ensure clarity and momentum

Individual commitments
Board-level next actions
How learning will be embedded (agenda design, annual evaluation, etc.)

Optional Add-On:
Board Fundraising & Resource Stewardship Module

This focused two-hour session clarifies:

The board’s appropriate role in fundraising
Ethical boundaries in public or nonprofit contexts
The role of fundraising for board members
Multiple participation pathways (beyond asking for money)
Board accountability for resource stewardship

Three pre-session videos and worksheet activities are included.

Topic 1. Fundraising in a Nonprofit/Public Context

Pre-Video Focus

Why fundraising matters (even with public funding)
Distinction between:
- Tax support
- Philanthropy
- Grants
- Friends/Foundation roles
Legal and ethical considerations for nonprofit versus public boards

Pre-Worksheet Prompts

What assumptions do you hold about fundraising for nonprofit and public institutions?
What feels appropriate—and inappropriate—for this board?
Where does/should the organization currently rely on philanthropy?

Workshop Clarifying Roles & Boundaries (30 minutes)

Goal: Role Definition for Board, Staff, Friends/Foundation

Activities:

“Where does the board add unique value?”
“Where should the board not be involved?”
“What boundaries need to be clearer?”

Outcome: Shared understanding of fundraising governance

Topic 2: The Board’s Fundraising Responsibilities (What It Is and Is Not)

Pre-Video Focus

Fundraising ≠ “everyone must ask for money”
Core board responsibilities:
- Championing the mission
- Opening doors
- Protecting donor trust
- Supporting fundraising strategy
Clear boundaries with staff and Friends/Foundation groups

Pre-Worksheet Prompts

What fundraising activities feel within your comfort zone?
Where would you need support or clarity?
What roles do you believe only the board can play?

Workshop Expanding the Definition of Participation (30 minutes)

Goal: Fundraising Role Menu

Activities:

Ambassador – Share the Library’s story
Connector – Introduce potential supporters
Advocate – Champion funding and community support
Thanker – Participate in donor appreciation
Strategic Partner – Support fundraising planning and accountability

Outcomes: Members identify which roles feel accessible and would make participation easier.

Topic 3: A Menu of Meaningful Board Fundraising Roles

Pre-Video Focus

Multiple ways to contribute:
- Ambassador
- Connector
- Advocate
- Thanker
- Learner
Aligning roles with individual strengths

Pre-Worksheet Prompts

Which 1–2 roles best fit you?
What specific actions could you take this year?
What support would help you participate more confidently?

Workshop Board Commitments & Expectations (30 minutes)

Goal: Choose one to two roles to commit to this year

Activities:

Clarify expectations:
- Time commitment
- Activities
- Support provided by staff

Outcomes: Annual board fundraising participation agreements.

Return On Investment

The return on investment of the Insight Board Stewardship Workshop is stronger governance clarity, reduced organizational risk, improved board efficiency, and greater strategic alignment.

For public and nonprofit institutions, even modest improvements in governance effectiveness significantly enhance sustainability, leadership stability, and community trust.

Reduce the indirect costs of executive conflict
Avoid legal and compliance issues via role clarity
Increase fundraising effectiveness
Reclaim significant leadership hours across your board due to strategic alignment

The Insight Board Stewardship
Half-day Workshop

Move your Board of Directors from well-intended oversight to strategic stewardship—clear roles, aligned decision-making, and confident leadership in service of the community.

A Half-Day Governance Alignment Experience for Nonprofit Boards

Purpose

Objectives

Program Design