What could you achieve if your board got better?
Are board members disengaged? Focused on the wrong things? Not functioning well as a team?
The road to better board health starts with getting a proper diagnosis of the problem and learning more about how a healthy board could function. After that, if more help is needed, The Board Doctor can provide that, too.
DIAGNOSIS
The Board Doctor offers a variety of tools and prescriptions to help a board determine what, if anything, it needs to do to get better.
EDUCATION
The Board Doctor offers both free and paid resources to help you learn more about the board’s role and responsibilities.
PRESCRIPTION
The Board Doctor offers support for strategic planning or board development, document review, and customized workshops.
OFFICE VISITS
Schedule your
Tele-Board-Health virtual office visit with The Board Doctor today!
Meet Cathy Allen
“The Board Doctor”
We all want a doctor who will listen before telling us what to do, one who takes the time to get a clear and complete picture before racing in with a costly or disruptive fix. After working with all kinds of nonprofit organizations for many years, I believe most board members already know what makes their organization special and what challenges they face. Few have time and money to waste on a one-size-fits-all solutions.
That’s why the “diagnosis” and “education” parts of what I offer are so critically important. The tools you will find on those pages are designed to help board members assess their organization’s needs and maybe learn some things about good board governance that will allow them to bring about whatever improvements are needed. Of course, there are “prescription” services too, where I take a more hands on approach, working directly with your group as a guide, facilitator and trainer.
Even a very healthy board can get better if the members want to. I bring a solid grounding in nonprofit best practices and work hard to stay up to date in my field. Together, we can identify your growth path, choose a few strategies for improvement, and implement the changes. This website is designed to help you find ways to get started down the road to better board health.
Have a quick question?
Same day appointments are available!
Sometimes all you need is an hour with a The Board Doctor to pick her brain and get answers to your burning questions. Maybe you need a quick prescription to solve a crucial problem.
Use this option to schedule an office visit with Cathy. Come alone or bring members of the board—up to five participants total. Same day appointments are often available.
Check out the newest installment in the Governance Webinar Series!
Coming Up…
WEBINAR: FREE GOVERNANCE SERIES
Recruiting, Engaging and Maintaining a Great Board of Directors
Friday, November 19, 2021
Never Miss a Free Resource To Help Your Board
Once a month, The Board Doctor sends out an E-newsletter with announcements about upcoming webinars, workshops and other events. We like to include links and downloads with resources for nonprofit organizations, including thought leadership about trends in board development and governance. Constant Contact allows anyone to easily unsubscribe, though we hope you won’t want to!
What Clients Are Saying
“This new board self-assessment tool is great. I love the opportunity to say that a particular item is or is not an issue for us. Each organization has its focus and this gives the person taking the assessment the chance to articulate that. You have created a tool that will work with both new and experienced board members while offering the option to drill down on their responses and add additional comments. The Board Doctor’s Annual Checkup is without a doubt meaningful, thought provoking, and purposeful in its intention to build and strengthen a board so they can carry out their organization’s mission. Well done!”
Beverly DeMeyer
President and CEO, Serene Harbor
What Clients Are Saying
“Board strategic planning is not an easy task. It can be scary to evaluate yourself and make sound plans for a growing organization. However, The Board Doctor knows how to provide sound consulting and a relaxed environment for planning retreats. She made our Board feel at ease during a stressful time and helped us become more prepared for the future.”
Kendra Cope
Executive Director, Coastal Connections, Inc.
What Clients Are Saying
“Although I had worked in nonprofits for years, I was new to nonprofit management when I signed on as Executive Director five years ago after the organization had gone through a difficult period. One of our board members had met Cathy and brought her in for a board training session. Over the years she has helped our board mature and become more functional. They now focus on their governance role and leave operations to staff. The journey is not over, but The Annual Checkup has been a great way to get us back on track each year. Our organization has never been stronger, even during a pandemic. I’m not sure where we would be without Cathy’s guidance and coaching.”
Tracy Frampton
Executive Director, Florida Wildlife Hospital
What Clients Are Saying
“A few years ago, several of our founding board members retired after recruiting new board members. The new board members were inexperienced and unclear about exactly what we were supposed to be doing as a board. Our secretary arranged for Cathy to give us a presentation at one of our board meetings and we knew right away what we could do to improve! Over the next year, we developed our mission and vision, gained clarity about our board roles and responsibilities, and recruited several newcomers who brought energy and great ideas to the organization. We have also upgraded our financials, grown our membership, redeveloped our website, and hosted some fun events. We still have more work to do but we now have solid plans for our organization’s future.”
Dani Bowers
Board President, Friends of the Enchanted Forest