Governance Facilitation

As a governance team, how the board and CEO or Executive Director work together sets the culture for the entire organization. It shapes what decisions get made, how they get made, and whether the people at the top trust each other enough to make hard calls well.

This is too important to leave to chance.

I work with governance teams of not-for-profits, community-based organizations, and the public sector such as schools and libraries. My role is to create the conditions where purposeful, honest, and effective governance conversations actually happen, and where the people in the room leave with shared clarity, direction, and the trust to act on both.

Who This Is For

Working with me is the right fit when:

• Your board and CEO/ED want to reset expectations and ways of working, especially through leadership transitions or after a difficult period
• Board meetings are running well procedurally but the strategic and generative conversations aren’t happening
• The board is due for an assessment and wants a process that generates real conversation, not just a completed form
• Your organization is navigating significant change such as a new strategic direction, a restructure or a shift in community context  and the governance team needs to find its footing
• Some board members are engaged and others aren’t, and the whole group knows it
• You want to build the board’s capacity for advocacy and community leadership alongside the governance fundamentals

Areas of Work

Work with me and your governance retreat or workshop will be designed for your specific board, your sector, and your moment. Common areas of work include:

Governance team culture

• Defining how the board and CEO/ED work together: role clarity, responsibilities, and what governance accountability actually looks like
• Building trust across the governance team: the kind that allows honest conversation when something isn’t working
• Naming and working through the dynamics that slow the governance team down 

Strategic direction

• Re-engaging with strategic direction when change or uncertainty has left the board feeling adrift 
• Facilitating strategic planning processes that are inclusive, grounded in community need and aspirations, and produce a plan people actually use
• Helping boards move from predominantly fiduciary discussions to genuinely strategic and generative ones

Board effectiveness

• Facilitating board assessments and development plans
• Building the board’s advocacy capacity and external relationship building
• Supporting boards in taking ownership of their fiduciary responsibility and duty of care 
• Strengthening board skills in chairing and participating in fiduciary, strategic, and generative discussions

How It Works

I design each governance engagement around your specific board, its history, and what you’re working through. Before any session, I take time to understand the context: the organization’s stage, the board’s dynamics, what’s been said and what hasn’t.

I work in the not-for-profit and public sector specifically because these governance relationships are distinct. The board/CEO dynamic in a community organization or library isn’t the same as corporate governance, and the facilitation shouldn’t be either.

Sessions are typically half-day or full-day, designed for the full board and CEO/ED. I often include brief pre-session conversations with individual members beforehand; that’s usually where the most useful context lives. Governance facilitation is in-person; I work with organizations across Canada.

What Clients Say

“As a long-time city councillor, I have attended many governance workshops and retreats and this one with Babs was by far the most enjoyable, time-worthy, and inspiring. She has energy and calmness, knows how to read and manage the room, and expertly facilitates ideas, participation, and respect. In my experience, this is a rare combination and Babs is a rare being.”

— M., City Councillor, Metro Vancouver

“Many of our board members were familiar with strategic planning at their own organizations and were feeling a little jaded and uncertain about being part of a planning process that felt empty or performative. As well, our staff and community members were hesitant and nervous about how they might participate and if they would feel out of place. Working with, by, and for community is critical to how we do our work. Babs immediately understood what that would mean for our strategic planning and worked with us on designing an inclusive and relaxed process. Her way of holding space and connecting people and ideas resulted in a freaking awesome gathering and strategic plan. She’s freaking awesome.”

— T., Board Chair, and B., Executive Director, Non-profit Organization

“Our weekend retreat with Babs was magical. We had been through a tough time and were struggling with trust and safety. Babs held space and guided us through the conversations and healing in a way that was more than we could have imagined and exactly what we needed.”

— G., Executive Director, and D., Board Chair, Non-profit Organization

Ready to talk about what your board needs?

Email [email protected] to start the conversation. I offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation for organizations exploring governance facilitation.

Also Worth Exploring

• Leadership Team Workshops & Retreats
• Project Coaching 
• Courageous Leadership Talks