Governance Records Series
Board Annual Planning Workbook
A Year-Round System for Board Priorities, Governance Responsibilities, Committees & Recurring Work
A board year fills up quickly. This workbook gives the board one place to lay out priorities, recurring responsibilities, committee work, and review points before the calendar starts making those decisions for it.
Who this book is for
- Boards planning the year ahead
- Presidents, chairs, and vice chairs
- Executive and governance committees
- Committee chairs coordinating recurring work
- Organizations holding an annual board retreat
What problem it helps solve
- Board work becomes reactive instead of planned
- Recurring responsibilities are remembered late
- Committee work is disconnected from board priorities
- Reviews and milestones slip without a visible schedule
What's inside
- Annual priority and goal pages
- Recurring governance responsibility tracking
- Committee planning and coordination spreads
- Milestone and review scheduling pages
- Meeting-by-meeting planning prompts
- Year-end reflection and handoff notes
How to use it
- Start it at the beginning of the board year or at a retreat
- Review it briefly at each board meeting
- Use it to build agendas from planned priorities
- Pass it forward as part of leadership transition
