Comparative Board Report
The Comparative Board Report (CBR) gathers feedback from individual board members and is the only board self-assessment tool designed exclusively for philanthropic funders.This process offers boards, and the CEOs who work with them, an opportunity to examine their performance in terms of:
- Board dynamics
- Range of capabilities and expertise of board members
- Board role in grantmaking strategy development
- Board relationship with the CEO
- Overall effectiveness
The CBR Process
The CBR process takes about three months, starting when surveys are sent to board members and concluding when CEP staff members present findings and facilitate discussion with board members and pertinent foundation staff.CBR Data in Action
- The Ontario Trillium Foundation used the CBR to significantly improve its board’s functioning. The Foundation’s Board Chair and CEO shared lessons and advice with peers.
- “CEP’s Comparative Board Report offered an extremely useful launching point for an in-depth discussion with our board regarding effective governance. In addition to providing a vehicle for board members to offer confidential feedback on perceptions of the board’s performance, the survey was especially helpful in contextualizing that data within a broader universe of other foundations.”
–Jim Canales, President and CEO, The James Irvine Foundation
Some Questions the CBR Can Help You Answer
Your board members should respect each other, but does their desire to be polite prevent rigorous debate? Do your board members hesitate to disagree openly with each other or with your staff?
In what areas is your board particularly strong? What skills could new members add to your board?
Is your board thinking critically about your foundation’s strategy? Are you giving them adequate opportunity to help you develop a powerful strategy and to assess your current work?
