supporting, developing and representing community groups,
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering

Board Review Tool

A free, structured way for a board to look at itself: what skills it has and needs, and how well it works together.

Board skills audit

Every trustee rates their expertise across the skills a board needs (governance, finance, people, digital, fundraising and more, plus any specific to your kind of organisation) and says which they would like to develop. You get a skills matrix, the gaps against the skills you decided you need, and where the board relies on a single person. By name, because a skills matrix is a table of people.

Board effectiveness survey

How well the board works: purpose and strategy, roles, culture and behaviour, finance and risk, meetings and chairing, and what should change. Trustees say how far they agree with each statement and add comments. Anonymous: nobody, including the person running it, can see who said what, and results only appear once at least three trustees have answered.

Run one or both. Each trustee gets a personal link and can save and come back; you see who has finished, send reminders, and get the reports the moment it closes. Run it again next year and see what changed.

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How the tool uses data

Fife Voluntary Action (FVA) provides the tool and is the data controller for what it holds. The person who registers gives us their name, role and contact details, and their trustees' names and e-mail addresses, so that we can send each trustee their personal link and reminders. Skills answers are stored by name and shown to the coordinator. Effectiveness answers, the behaviours section and the About you card are stored anonymously: with no link to the trustee, and reported only in aggregate. FVA staff can see registrations, progress and the same reports as the coordinator, and use anonymised, aggregated results to understand board development needs across the sector. Data is kept for two years after a review closes and then deleted. Questions: [email protected].

How it works

  1. Set up a review: choose the surveys and the skills your board needs.
  2. Add your trustees and send the invitations. Each gets a personal link.
  3. Watch progress and send reminders. It closes itself when everyone has finished.
  4. Read the reports, share them with the board, and ask FVA for support with anything they raise.

Anonymity

Skills answers are by name. Effectiveness answers, the behaviours section and About you are anonymous and only reported once enough trustees have answered, so nobody can be identified.

Help: [email protected]