Literacy Basics - Community Literacy of Ontario

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                   BOARD GOVERNANCE

Board Composition and Stakeholder Representation

The number of board members required to be in place on an organization's board is specified in the organization's constitution and bylaws. This number can be changed with the approval of the board and the membership. Criteria around representation of stakeholders and clients are also laid out in an organization's constitution although in some cases there may be guidelines imposed by a funder. For example, according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) for funded Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) regional literacy networks, 50% of the board must be comprised of representatives of funded LBS delivery agencies.

A general rule of thumb for non-profit organization board composition is a minimum of five board members and ideally no more than 11. It is also recommended that a board have an odd number of members so that ties when voting may always be broken.

The Pros and Cons of Small and Large Boards
(Source: The Non-Profit Board Development Workbook)

Small Board

Large Board
  • Easier consensus on difficult or challenging issues
  • Less or no need for committees
  • Less or no need for executive members or an ‘inner board’
  • Requires board to function together in all decisions
  • Increases chances for greater diversity on the board
  • Increases opportunities for greater representation of the community or specific target groups of the community
  • Easier to establish quorum at board meetings
  • Opportunity for committees and for board members to specialize or hone skills

When seeking out stakeholders and/or clients of the organization to hold designated board positions it's important to have specific job descriptions and roles clearly identified. For example, is the person representing, speaking on behalf of, or voting on behalf of a stakeholder agency or as an individual?

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CLO gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided by the Ontario Government under Employment Ontario and the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) and the technical support provided by the National Adult Literacy Database in developing this web site.

All external links within this website were valid at the time of publication.
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