The Help-line (07 3891 2599) continues to provide support to the non-profit sector, with inquiries coming not only from Queensland but also from organisations in Victoria and Western Australia who came across BoardConnect on the internet.  This free service is invaluable for organisations that find themselves facing an issue or question for which they don’t have an answer.  We are fortunate to have the expertise not only of BoardConnect Director, David Fishel, but also of specialists from business advisory firms such as McCullough Robertson Lawyers, Cooper Grace Ward Lawyers, BDO and KPMG, who can assist organisations with support and advice.

Succession planning and recruitment for the board are issues that have been raised regularly with BoardConnect.  We recently held a workshop on Board Succession Planning in Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville. Four new Recruitment factsheets have been added to the website - click here to read more.   

Other new factsheets available from BoardConnect’s website include Choosing a Business Structure and Making Efficient Meetings. There are already more than 20 Fact Sheets on a wide range of board-related topics, with several more in preparation.  Keep an eye on the Resources page for new additions.

BoardConnect is proud to announce its alliance with Cooper Grace Ward Lawyers, commencing from January 2010.

Cooper Grace Ward is Australia's fastest growing law firm (The Australian, December 2009) and offers a comprehensive range of corporate and commercial services to Queensland and nationally based clients. The firm's clients voted Cooper Grace Ward as Best Australian Law Firm (revenue less than $50m) in the 2009 BRW Client Choice Awards. The firm has also been recognised as an EOWA Employer of Choice for Women by the Federal Government. These achievements reflect the value Cooper Grace Ward places on relationships with clients and team members.

David Grace and Carly Ashwood are the two primary contacts for the alliance with BoardConnect. Through BoardConnect, they will provide support on legal and corporate governance issues that are specific to the Boards of arts organisations. David is a pre-eminent lawyer in the area of corporate governance and compliance. He advises Boards and company directors on what they can do to create a culture of compliance within their organisations and how they can become more effective in managing risk. Carly works alongside David and has a wide variety of experience in assisting charitable and not-for-profit organisations to achieve their commercial objectives.

For more information on Cooper Grace Ward’s services in this area, please visit their website.

BoardConnect has embarked upon an in-depth development program with two arts organisations in Queensland.  Organisations were offered the opportunity to engage in a long-term process with the aim of enhancing the quality, effectiveness, enjoyment and satisfaction of board membership and in turn, the quality of the board’s contribution to the organisation.

Following an application and assessment process, two organisations have been selected to work closely over 12-18 months with BoardConnect -- Brisbane Writers Festival (pictured above) and Queensland Poetry Festival.

In addition, a key objective for BoardConnect is to identify the elements of the program which prove most useful and practical in strengthening the governance of arts organisations.  This will be invaluable in BoardConnect’s ongoing support for non-profit boards.

Considering the importance of an effective board, is this reflected in the annual budget?  Is there an expense line in the budget dedicated to board development? 

Does the board/management committee reflect on its own performance and whether or not there is anything more it can do to support the organisation?

Apart from the practical value of being able to invest in your board, the board budget line is an indication of the organisation’s appreciation of the work – generally voluntary – that is given by board members to support the organisation.

Which leads us to Board Pulse.

There was a flurry of activity around the Board Pulse towards the end of 2009 when nine organisations took advantage of this on-line assessment tool while it remained free of charge.  Organisations that participated have expressed great appreciation for the service provided, in many cases reporting that it opened up very productive discussions in the board room.

Since the beginning of 2010, the Board Pulse assessment and analysis has attracted a fee of $1,000 (to purchase a similar service commercially would cost approximately $5,000). 

For those organisations that have a commitment to board development and training as part of strengthening their whole operation and that are at the stage of re-assessing their direction, BoardConnect offers a more detailed in-depth assessment tool, called the Board Diagnostic.  Contact BoardConnect if you are interested – it’s a very worthwhile investment in your board, allowing board members the time to reflect on the board’s operation and how it could support the organisation most effectively, as well as offering direct interaction and discussion with BoardConnect staff.

In the survey conducted at the end of BoardConnect’s pilot program, one recurrent theme of the feedback was the need for the program to reach beyond the Brisbane metropolitan area.  Accordingly, Program Director, David Fishel, and Manager, Kirsty Veron, spent a week in a very wet North Queensland at the end of February (see picture right for a wet season downpour outside Cairns Regional Gallery).  A total of eight workshops/briefing sessions were held in Cairns and Townsville during the five-day residency.  The total number of participants was 181, representing 48 different organisations.  In addition, ten arts organisations took the opportunity to have in-house discussions with David Fishel, during which they were able to discuss particular issues and/or challenges facing their boards. 

We were very fortunate that Heather Watson, Special Counsel from McCullough Robertson Lawyers, was able to arrange a visit to North Queensland to coincide with BoardConnect.  Heather presented breakfast briefings on Legal Compliance in both centres.  These were particularly well-attended, not just by arts organisations but by representatives from the broader non-profit sector as well.  Our thanks also go to MacDonnells Lawyers in Cairns and Roberts Nehmer McKee Lawyers in Townsville for hosting these two sessions.

And thanks are due to Umbrella Studio (Townsville - pictured above left) and KickArts (Cairns) for assistance with venues and making our stay easy.

It is hoped to repeat the residency later in the year, resources permitting.  

As mentioned above, there are a number of events planned for the remainder of 2010.  They include round-table discussions, workshops and briefings on topics ranging from risk assessment / management and fundraising, to dealing with conflicts of interest within the board, and board/staff relations.

We will notify you of events as they approach, but you can also keep track of upcoming events on the website.

In the meantime, with Easter now just around the corner, have a relaxing break until we connect again.

From the BoardConnect team – David Fishel, Kirsty Veron and Joanna Maunder