Board preparedness tool

Being prepared does not mean predicting the future. It means strengthening the board’s ability to respond well when conditions change, while staying grounded in purpose and values.

National and global pressures such as cost of living, workforce shortages, climate impacts, social polarisation and political change are shaping the operating environment for most organisations. Boards cannot control these forces, but they can control how well positioned the organisation is to respond.

A practical way to build preparedness is to focus on three areas that sit squarely within the board’s role: people, planning and practice.

Prepared boards invest time and attention in the right relationships. This includes internal stakeholders such as the CEO, staff, volunteers and fellow board members, as well as external stakeholders such as funders, partners and communities.

Key areas of focus include:

- The quality of the chair and CEO relationship
- Clarity about the board’s duty of care and support role
- Awareness of wellbeing, accessibility and vulnerability
- Understanding how national and global pressures are affecting people connected to the organisation.

When people feel supported and listened to, organisations are more resilient under pressure.

Prepared boards plan for multiple futures, not just their preferred one. This includes acknowledging uncertainty and having options.

Key areas of focus include:

- Funding diversification and financial contingencies
- Succession planning for the CEO, key roles and the board
- Active identification of risks and opportunities
- Short-, medium- and long-term thinking
- Capability building through recruitment and training

Planning that reflects external realities is more robust and useful when change occurs.

The above help sheet and this tool are designed to be used together. They are not a compliance checklist or a one-off exercise. They are intended to support better board conversations, clearer priorities and more deliberate action over time.

Boards can use this tool in several ways:

• As a dedicated agenda item at a regular board meeting
• As part of an annual or mid-year planning session
• During periods of heightened uncertainty or change
• As a reset when the board feels reactive or stretched

The tool works best when boards commit enough time to have meaningful discussion, typically 60 to 90 minutes.

Before the meeting:

• Circulate the help sheet to all board members in advance so there is a shared understanding of the purpose and mindset.
• Clarify that the session is about preparedness, not operational problem solving.
• Ask the CEO to provide brief context on current pressures, emerging risks and assumptions, rather than detailed reports.

Board members should come prepared to reflect, ask questions and challenge assumptions, rather than defend past decisions.

Work through the three areas in order: people, planning and practice. Each section builds on the previous one.

As a board:

• Stay at a governance level. Avoid slipping into operational detail unless it is directly relevant to risk or oversight.
• Use the discussion prompts to guide conversation, not to cover every question exhaustively.
• Pay attention to where conversation becomes uncomfortable or avoided, as this often signals a real risk or blind spot.
• Focus on identifying one or two practical actions per section, rather than long lists.

The aim is clarity and prioritisation, not perfection.

Preparedness conversations often surface tension, uncertainty or different perspectives. This is a strength, not a weakness.

Boards should:

• Encourage respectful challenge and curiosity
• Separate questioning from criticism
• Acknowledge uncertainty rather than rushing to false certainty
• Name national and global pressures explicitly, so they are not treated as background noise

The chair plays a key role in modelling calm, constructive leadership and keeping the discussion focused.

At the end of the session, the board should clearly agree:

• The top preparedness priorities arising from the discussion
• Who is responsible for each agreed action
• Timeframes and review points
• How progress will be reported back to the board

Actions should be recorded in the board action register or work plan, not left in the minutes alone.

Preparedness improves when this tool is revisited regularly. Boards may choose to:

• Revisit all three areas annually
• Focus on one area each quarter
• Use a short version as a standing agenda check-in
• Assign deeper work to committees, such as finance, people and culture, or risk.

Used consistently, the tool helps boards shift from reactive governance to deliberate, confident oversight.