What is governance?
'... the systems and processes concerned with ensuring the overall direction, effectiveness, supervision and accountability of an organisation.' 1
Governance of a voluntary and community organisation includes:
- Creating a clear, shared vision.
- Formulating plans and policies to bring about the organisation's objectives.
- Maintaining a sense of urgency about the vision.
- Recruiting and supervising the chief executive officer.
- Ensuring compliance with policy and the law.
- Keeping within budget.
Governance is about the whole system that enables an organisation to make effective decisions.
The board of directors (or trustees) has ultimate responsibility for these areas, to ensure the organisation delivers good outcomes for the people it has been set up to serve.
The senior officers of the organisation are charged with carrying out the operations, measuring and demonstrating the impact of services and actively reporting this back to the board.