Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice annually offers a board online self-assessment to all local nonprofit organizations. The assessment was developed for the Foundation's Building Better Boards initiative. Read more below about this board assessment tool.

The board online self-assessment has closed for 2010.

What is the board online self-assessment?
Through Gulf Coast Community Foundation, your nonprofit organization will have access to a convenient online tool to assess your board’s structure, performance, and operations. You will receive a report of your organization’s results and comparisons to local peers. Your organization also will be able to retake the assessment in the future to review your progress. More than 80 local nonprofit organizations have participated in this board assessment. If your board has completed the assessment, we encourage you to retake it this year to learn how your board has changed. An independent evaluator will ensure that all responses are confidential: no one will be able to determine individual responses, and your organization’s overall responses will not be released without your permission.

The assessment will provide information for you to use in building your board and your organization. A board self-assessment is the best tool to effect change toward improving board performance. The organization report will show summary board responses and provide analysis so that you can identify areas to improve. For example, is your board very strong on financial oversight but in need of improvement in promoting your organization? Do board members report that they are not familiar with the policy on board attendance?

How does the online assessment work?
You will be provided with a Web link and a password for all board members. Each board member will be able to access the Web site, type in your organization user ID, and begin completing the assessment. Each board member and the chief executive will complete the assessment individually, in the privacy of their home or business.

What is the board’s role?
The board should discuss the opportunity to take the assessment. Board members should be made aware that every board member must participate in order to get accurate results. They also should understand that their responses will remain anonymous. 

When can we start?
When the assessment is again made available to local nonprofits, a commitment form must be signed by your organization’s chief executive and board chair and submitted with a small fee to the Foundation (if your board participated in the online assessment in the past, the fee is waived). As soon as your commitment form is received by the Foundation, you will receive step-by-step instructions on how to have each board member take the assessment online.