I serve on a charity board, and I work with boards as a consultant. Most of the board members I meet care a lot and give their time for free. When a board isn't working, it is rarely because people don't care. It is usually the way the board has been set up to work.
Here are five signs it might be time for a reset.
1. Meetings are mostly reports
If most of your meeting is people reading out updates that could have been emailed, there is no time left to decide anything. Try sending reports a week before and spending the meeting on two or three real questions.
2. The same people do everything
When one or two directors carry the load, the rest drift. Give every director one clear job between meetings, even a small one.
3. Nobody is sure of their duties
Directors have legal duties. If your board has never talked them through, set aside twenty minutes at the next meeting to do it. It protects everyone.
4. The board and the staff live in different worlds
If the board rarely hears from the people doing the work, invite one staff member or volunteer to share a story at each meeting. It changes the conversation.
5. There is no plan beyond this year
Funding, succession and the next three years should be on the agenda at least twice a year. If they aren't, book a planning day.
Where to start
Pick the sign that stings the most and fix that one first. If you want a clearer picture, the free board health check in the TenXed app is a good place to begin.