In a series of articles, we’re discussing What the Heck is Governance. As we do in all areas of our work, we draw on the knowledge and experience of experts. This week, we invited governance expert Alli Marshall to share her thoughts. 

Alli may be new to the CREB^® environment, but this is a Calgarian who has a proven track record supporting non-profits across Canada in effective and strategic governance teamwork. For more information and to join her newsletter: www.strix.ca/newsletter 

By Ali Marshall

For impact-driven organizations like CREB^®, “what the heck is governance” is a question that deserves ongoing attention. It speaks volumes that your community is engaging with this question now.

Considering your 83 years of success, I find myself wondering: how many members and board members before you have sat with the same question? Exploring something so foundational to a member-based organization is a genuine act of caring – a true gift to future members.

Here’s an important aha! moment your exploration might surface: the most common answer to “what the heck is governance” is actually incomplete.

Governance is typically defined as a set of rules and activities. Compliance. Policy manuals. Robert’s Rules of Order.

That’s the what and how – but not the why.

Why do boards exist at all?

That’s the more powerful question. Because at its heart, governance is stewardship.

A board’s most solemn responsibility is to protect the organization’s ability to not just survive, but to thrive – delivering value to members and communities – long into the future.

And the who behind governance – the volunteer directors who provide this stewardship service – don’t get nearly enough recognition. “Duty of care” is a legal term for something deeply human: the noble impulse to invest in, tend to, and safeguard organizations that exist to serve others.

Hope is not a strategy. But governance, done well, is fundamentally hopeful.

Volunteer directors who raise their hands to serve, listen and learn from each other, and engage with both big-picture uncertainties and short-term realities – all to ensure the organization can keep delivering on its mission – what could be more hopeful than that?

That legacy is something CREB^® members have tended to for over 83 years.

Thank you for the invitation to be part of this conversation – and for your continued commitment to effective governance.

If you have any suggestions for governance topics we should cover, email or text CREB^® President and CEO Alan Tennant at alan.tennant@creb.ca.