BoardPro Podcasts

Should not-for-profit boards pay their directors? It’s a question we are hearing more than ever.

With rising living costs, is volunteering becoming a privilege only some can afford? Could paying directors improve diversity, inclusion, and the skills around the table,  or would it change the culture of volunteering altogether?

Why come along? In this 45-minute webinar, we’ll explore the key questions boards are grappling with:

• Fees, honorariums, or simple reimbursement?
• How cost-of-living pressures shape who can serve
• What funders and stakeholders might think
• And whether payment strengthens or strains good governance

If this is a conversation your board needs to have,  or you’re unsure how to navigate it,  join us on this webinar for a practical, thoughtful discussion.

The journey to the Boardroom is a strategic roadmap, not a game of chance; by starting on the right foot and mastering the specific steps Boards expect, you can navigate your path further and faster.

Stop guessing your way to the Boardroom. Learn the essential steps to start your Director journey on the right foot and move further, faster toward your first appointment.

The path to your first board role often feels like a maze that you’re trying to navigate in the dark, but it doesn't have to be. This webinar provides the clear roadmap you need to navigate the journey to the Boardroom with confidence. We will break down the specific steps required to move further, faster, while revealing exactly what Boards are searching for in candidates today. Join us to ensure you're starting on the right foot and building a journey that leads you directly to the Boardroom table

Board meetings shouldn’t feel rushed, reactive, or unfinished.

Yet too often, valuable time is consumed by routine reporting, minor updates, and items that don’t require full discussion. The result? Strategic conversations get squeezed, decisions feel hurried, and meetings run over time.

The consent agenda is a simple but powerful governance tool that changes that dynamic.

By grouping routine or non-controversial items into a single approval motion, boards can:

✔️ Protect time for meaningful debate
✔️ Reduce unnecessary repetition
✔️ Improve the quality of decision-making
✔️ Finish meetings on time — without rushing critical issues

When used well, a consent agenda doesn’t silence discussion — it sharpens it. Directors still have the opportunity to “lift” any item for deeper consideration. The difference is that attention is directed where it truly matters.

Imagine board meetings where:

• Strategic issues receive the focus they deserve
• Directors feel heard and confident in decisions
• Agendas flow logically and efficiently
• The meeting ends on schedule

This free webinar will show you how to implement a consent agenda practically and confidently — so your board spends less time managing the clock and more time shaping the future.

If your meetings regularly run over, this is a conversation worth having.

Most directors know AI matters. The challenge? Convincing your Chair and peers to prioritise it now, not “someday.” That’s what this session delivers. 

Every director knows AI is coming—but few know how to push it onto the agenda. Boards dismiss it as premature, irrelevant, or a management issue. This webinar equips you with a persuasion toolkit: five compelling arguments, tested rebuttals to objections, and a practical next step. In half an hour, you’ll leave ready to frame AI as a governance necessity, not a tech distraction—ensuring your board takes action before competitors, regulators, or crises force it.

This isn’t about turning directors into AI experts—it’s about equipping them to persuade. With five tested arguments and objection handling, participants gain a clear pathway to move hesitant boards into meaningful AI discussions.

Are you navigating tensions, differing perspectives and competing priorities around your board table? This webinar will help you distinguish healthy challenge from harmful conflict, and create the conditions for robust, respectful debate that strengthens governance.

You will gain practical tools for managing unproductive behaviours, addressing personal tensions and encouraging the kind of challenge that improves decision-making.

Whether you’re a chair, director or executive, this session will equip you to turn conflict into a strategic asset and build a board culture where disagreement leads to clarity rather than division.

Scheduling a board meeting can feel like a Herculean task, especially when you're racing against the clock to finalise decisions or wrap up tasks that were sidelined in previous meetings due to time constraints.

An annual board work plan can enhance your governance strategy and streamline board operations. A meticulously crafted board calendar is crucial for ensuring that meetings are balanced, comprehensive, and smoothly executed.

Tailored to fit the unique needs and evolution of your organisation, the annual plan facilitates effective governance by offering a clear roadmap of responsibilities and key focus areas for the year.

Not only does it empower board members to align personal schedules with their board duties, but it also minimises repetitive discussions and ensures all tasks are thoughtfully addressed. Drive strategic progress and organisational success with this indispensable planning resource.

Join us for this free webinar and discover how the board annual work plan can elevate and streamline your board discussions.

Learn from three of Australasia's top governance professionals and why the preparation of board minutes is a vital component of directors’ responsibilities and what good minutes contain.  

Includes: Bonus minute taking guide, and minutes template for attendees.

Are you taking the preparation of your minutes seriously and do you know why you should?

Inquiries into organisational misdeeds and collapses invariably point to the shortcoming in board meeting minutes that might otherwise have explained and justified the decisions directors had taken. That scenario underlines only one of the reasons for the importance of having a thorough record of the board’s deliberations.

Join our webinar to discover how meticulous board meeting minutes can safeguard your organisation and ensure transparency in critical decision-making processes. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your governance standards!

Time is running out to re-register by April 2026 under the new Incorporated Societies Act 2022. Join us for this practical webinar.

We will guide you on the new compliance obligations your society must meet, including updates to governance structures, officer duties, constitutional requirements, and how this may impact operational activities.

Whether you're part of a sports club, cultural group, community organisation or any other member based association, the webinar will help you understand what’s changing, what’s required, and how to prepare with confidence.

Learn how to run a half-day strategy review that is focused and strategic with some of Australasia's leading experts in business strategic planning and governance.

No plan survives contact with reality   

The best strategy is one where there is a fearless discussion with directors and senior executives about what's not working and what we have missed.

Join us for insights on to how to use each Board meeting as a mini review of the strategic plan and strengthen the strategic focus of the Board (and possibly making your Board meetings shorter). And techniques for an annual review (also short and focused with the Board and senior executive) which can be both an opportunity to reflect on the strategies, and a great induction opportunity for new Directors.

Learn how to develop and structure a strategic vision and board agenda that keeps the board focused on the important matters during the meeting.

Focus only on those strategic items that matter

Do your meetings tend to get unfocused or off-track, or are they a sound use of time, focusing on strategic items that move your organisation forward?

Provide your directors with clarity on what they should do with each paper, and reduce the amount of time wasted on ineffectual discussions. 

Resources include a strategic board meeting guide and a strategic agenda template