Throughout NeighborWorks America's history, one priority has been to ensure network organizations are governed by strong leaders who serve on their boards. This priority led to the development of NeighborWorks' Excellence in Governance (EIG) program, which is designed exclusively for community development and affordable housing nonprofits. EIG is a board leadership development program that works to elevate the standards of board governance and strengthen collaboration between members. The program is guided by six EIG Principles that boards can rely on to improve, guide their work and strengthen their relationships.
- Rooted in the whys.
- Priorizing culture, learning and development.
- Commitment to race, equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Constructive partnership.
- Fiscal oversight and sustainability.
- Spectrum of strategic collaboration.
Leaders from many NeighborWorks network organizations who have participated in EIG programming say the principles and training programs, such as last August's Excellence in Governance convening in Chicago, have helped their boards learn how to incorporate more strategic thinking and generative discussion. That means they can focus on driving the organization forward and streamlining some board activities that may have taken up additional time in the past. It also gives them a chance to become more familiar with their board colleagues. And it gives them a chance to learn from peers across the NeighborWorks network who may be going through – and conquering – similar challenges. "A lot of it is about people relationships," says Thomas Yu, executive director of Asian Americans for Equality in New York City. "The strength of organizations like ours in community development, the primary resource, is people and their brains and the things they bring to the job, so having these retreats or conferences and trainings to talk about how you improve that — the flow of information, the capital, how you interact with each other — that's what this is about."
Martina Guilfoil, president and CEO of Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise in Tennessee, says one
of her board members attended an EIG training and had an "aha moment" about why board governance is so important. "And she came back and took that on. That was her mission. It was board composition and the nominating process, board recruitment and holding people accountable to our expectations." That member recently rolled off the CNE board, but Guilfoil says the changes she made are still in place, including meeting agenda items such as icebreakers and a mission moment that connects the board to the organization's work. Ensuring that positive changes are institutionalized over the long term is a key NeighborWorks' goal.
"We want board members to transition. We know that CEOs transition," says Jen Christian, senior director of network leadership development at NeighborWorks. "We don't want this information to just stay in the hands of those who go through the program but really be woven into the DNA of the organization, into the DNA of the board. And that takes the time investment and bringing people along."
This year, NeighborWorks will launch the EIG Academy, an 18-month hybrid program, based on promising practices learned from previous virtual and in-person programming. EIG Academy will include an in-person kick-off, live virtual seminars, small peer groups that bring together board members with shared experiences, technical assistance, and other resources. EIG Academy will have tracks for current board members, chief executives, and board support staff.
"We want to help folks bring intentional strategies and practices into their boardrooms so they can become and sustain the board that is best for their organization and the communities their organization serves," Christian says.
Now in its 45th year, NeighborWorks America has witnessed the strategies that best create a strong board. Requiring network organizations to have one third of the board of directors represented by resident leaders in the community the organization serves, for instance, creates strength because residents best see the problems and solutions for the places they call home. And creating a culture of continuous learning and training helps board members strive for what they collectively want for their communities: the very best.
For more information about EIG Academy, visit EIG or email [email protected]. Applications will open April 22 and the program will kick-off late August.
