Additional Resources for Board Improvement
Whether you're just starting your journey as a board member or stepping into a leadership role, we offer flexible, self-paced learning options to help you strengthen your governance knowledge and lead with confidence.
Courses
The Board Member 101: What Every Board Member Needs to Know
You joined a board. Did anyone explain the job?
Most people never get told. They work it out over a few months or even years, or they never quite do — unsure what they're responsible for, whether to speak up, and when that budget line should worry them.
This course fixes that.
Asynchronous. At your pace. About an hour a week for four weeks, or faster.
Four modules, eight short lessons, with handouts and resources you can share with your board.
Get your bearings — what boards are for, and the four responsibilities that belong to the board alone
Know the board's job — what kind of board you're on, its legal and ethical duties, and how it should work with the chief executive
Own your part — what you're personally answerable for, and why financial oversight isn't the treasurer's job alone
Leave it better — building lasting support for your organization and its impact, and keeping the board improving
For new board members, experienced members, chairs, and chief executives who want everyone to work from the same understanding.
The Board Leader Academy
Leadership Essentials for Board Chairs and Future Leaders
Step into your leadership role with clarity. This course is designed for board chairs, vice-chairs, committee leads, and aspiring board leaders. Learn how to set agendas, guide strategic conversations, manage board dynamics, and work effectively with your CEO.
Designed for: Board chairs, vice-chairs, committee leads
Downloadable handouts you can share with your board
Certificate of completion provided
Better Boards. Better Communities - Our Signature Program.
Improve Governance Practices, Lead with Confidence, and Make a Lasting Impact
Strengthen your nonprofit board with the Better Boards. Better Communities. Signature Program. This video training series is designed for board members, board chairs, and CEOs who want to improve governance practices, lead with confidence, and make a lasting impact in their communities.
Across the series, you’ll learn:
The four essential functions of nonprofit boards
How to define and measure your mission, vision, and values
Building an effective partnership with the Chief Executive Officer T
ools for more intentional board meetings (including consent agendas)
Best practices for advocacy, financial sustainability, and risk management
How to assess board performance and plan for succession
Use these videos at board meetings, in training sessions, or for self-study. Each episode provides practical strategies, key questions, and actionable steps to help your board perform at its best — because better boards truly do make for better communities.
Upcoming Webinars
Live and recorded events on hot topics in governance — like CEO evaluation, board recruitment, and strategic planning. Is there a topic you’d like to have covered in a live webinar? Send Ken your requests here.
Webinars & E-Books
Downloadable Resources
Check out our offerings available for purchase including downloadable resources such as The Consent Agenda, Top 10 Trends for Your Board 2026, SOPPADA Template,Guide, and Working Agreement Between the Board and Chief Officer.
E-books by Ken Haycock
10 Questions Every Board Needs to Ask - Available now on Amazon!
A practical guide to asking what matters and leading with clarity, purpose, and results.
Let’s be honest: your board might be busy—but is it effective?
Meetings feel routine. Roles are misunderstood. And impact? Unmeasured.
Ten Questions Every Board Needs to Ask Itself is your roadmap to renewal. These ten tough, transformative questions will change how your board understands its purpose, governs its mission, and defines its role. Each chapter offers clarity on strategy, oversight, and continuous improvement—without guilt, jargon, or fluff.
Written by governance expert Dr. Ken Haycock—a seasoned board chair, CEO, and professor with decades of experience in board development across North America.
Ken’s Governance as Leadership work has guided hundreds of boards—municipal, campus-based, sectoral, and membership organizations—toward greater impact and credibility.
Bring this book to your next board meeting.
Start a conversation.
Choose one question.
Begin improving today.