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A board that never evaluates itself drifts. An annual self-assessment gives every director an anonymous, structured way to say how the board is really doing — on governance, engagement, and its relationship with the CEO — and turns vague unease into specific fixes.
Send the questionnaire to every director once a year, ideally before the annual meeting or a board retreat. Anonymity matters: directors are far more candid about the chair, the CEO relationship, and their own engagement when responses aren't attributed. A simple 1–5 agreement scale plus a few open questions is enough — you're looking for patterns, not precision.
Summarize the averages by section and, more usefully, flag the items with the widest spread — where directors disagree most is where the real conversation is. Share the summary with the full board and spend real time on the two or three lowest-scoring areas rather than skimming everything.
An assessment that produces a report and nothing else trains the board to ignore the next one. Close by agreeing on one or two concrete changes — a revised meeting format, a recruitment push for a missing skill, a committee that needs a charter — with an owner and a date. Revisit them at the next assessment.
BOARD SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE [Organization name] · [Year] Rate each statement 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Anonymous. GOVERNANCE & ROLE CLARITY ___ The board focuses on strategy and oversight, not day-to-day management. ___ I understand my fiduciary duties as a director. ___ Meetings are well-run and focused on decisions. ___ I receive the board packet with enough time to prepare. ___ We follow our bylaws and conflict-of-interest policy. ENGAGEMENT & COMPOSITION ___ Attendance and participation across the board are strong. ___ The board has the mix of skills and backgrounds it needs. ___ New directors are well oriented. ___ Every director contributes to fundraising as expected. ___ Committees are effective and have clear charters. CEO & STRATEGY ___ The board has a healthy, candid relationship with the CEO. ___ We evaluate the CEO annually against clear goals. ___ The board understands the organization's finances. ___ We have a current strategic plan and track progress against it. ___ Succession is planned for both the CEO and the board chair. OPEN QUESTIONS - What is the board doing well? - What one change would make the board more effective? - What issue are we avoiding? RESULTS → COMMITMENTS Lowest-scoring areas: __________________________________________ One or two changes we commit to this year (owner + date): 1. ____________________________________________________________ 2. ____________________________________________________________
Nonprofit Liaison builds the agenda, assembles the packet, and drafts the minutes for you — so the template becomes the workflow.