14
Congress Session Reviews
Raising board performance
Andy Burman, chief
executive, British
Dietetic Association,
looks at how
association board
performance can be
improved
Membership associations
rely heavily on members
and volunteers but rarely on
appointed, non-exec type, board
appointments. This brings a
real challenge to associations as,
unlike the business sector where
appointments are predominantly
competency based, membership
associations generally rely on
their members’ dedication and
commitment to board activity.
Enthusiasm and drive,
however, are not competencies
as defined by the Companies
Act. The Act requires directors
to act in the best interests of
the company and director
behaviour is recognised by the
sector as something which can
be disruptive to associations. The
Association of Chief Executives
of Voluntary Associations
(ACEVO) spends a considerable
amount of time supporting
CEOs who are in dispute with
their chairs or boards and the
evidence suggests that the vast
majority of cases are as a result of
poor behaviour, or a lack of skills,
abilities and competencies within
the member board structure.
Organisations such as
ACEVO, the Professional
Associations Research Network
(PARN), various companies
CN_02.16_AEM.indd 14
Andy Burman, right, picking up an award for his association