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Evaluating Councils . Judith A. Oulton March 2011 TNI. Evaluation defined. Evaluation is an intentional, deliberate, systematic assessment which a Council performs formally or informally, internally with just its own members or with an outside consultant, to determine its effectiveness.
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Evaluating Councils Judith A. Oulton March 2011 TNI
Evaluation defined • Evaluation is an intentional, deliberate, systematic assessment which a Council performs formally or informally, internally with just its own members or with an outside consultant, to determine its effectiveness. Public Library System Directors Organization • A key Board of Trustees role as part of Council Development
Evaluation - • Is a fundamental Council role; i. e. to set up the process, make sure it takes place, and ensure that the results are put to use. • any evaluation should be appropriate to the size and scope of the organization; and may focus on the work of the Council, the contributions of the individual directors, or the Council processes. • Evaluations consider both means and outcomes
WHY DO IT? • Continuously improve TNMC’s work • Improve Council processes • Identify growth areas for Council members • Ensure programs and services meet expectations and objectives • Be accountable to those served by TNMC • Meet the requirements of funders • Provide feedback to staff and volunteers • Renews commitment to TNMC and governance.
What to evaluate • the Work of the Council – are you adding value? How well are you performing your role? How well do you work as a whole? • the Contributions/capacities of Individual Directors – how well are you contributing personally? What competencies would you like to improve upon? How can others help you? What changes would you make to your profile? • Council processes – how well are the meetings run? Decisions made? What worked well? What would you change?
When to evaluate • There are no hard and fast rules • The important thing is to do so regularly • May use different tools at different times of the year or Council cycle Examples: Personal Assessment once/year Board as a whole once/year Board processes each meeting
How to begin • Agree to begin; sign on to the need • Decide whether to do alone or with help • Agree the process – lots of things available to adapt; “no need to reinvent the wheel” • Develop, test, refine tools • Administer the tools • Collate the data • Provide feedback anonymously • Decide on any collective or individual action.
Exercise/other points • Carry out a short evaluation • Evaluation is still not a routine part of many Councils/boards • In April 2004, the Institute of Internal Auditors did a survey of 109 organizations from various countries. When asked if the board assessed the performance of individual members, 71% said no Time to begin; role model for others.
Asante Sana Judith A. Oulton Oulton, Oulton & Associates 2 Ancien Port CH 1201 Geneva Tel: +41 22 731 3776 Cell: + 41 79 436 4316 JAOulton@gmail.com Photo: FNIF Girl Child Education Fund a nursing initiative for orphaned daughters of nurses