What Governance Means to NHA
At a Glance
In the simplest terms, Norfolk Housing Association is registered under the Society’s Act and exists for a benevolent, philanthropic, charitable and/or social purpose. So we have bylaws that outline how people are appointed to the Board, how the association is governed, and the fact that no one individual can benefit financially (staff being paid for work is different).
These are all important pieces of governance but don’t really share what governance means to us – and why we moved from an Operational to a Governance Board in 2013.
In the past we had iterations of Operational and Governance boards – the Society’s Act stipulates what the Board is tasked with, including that the Board can appoint management or an executive to execute their governance role and their fiduciary duty on their behalf.
In 2013, the Board decided to move toward a generative Governance structure so they would be better able to meet the needs of the organization as it prepared for big upcoming changes (such as the expiry of operating agreements which meant that the organization was about to become accountable to provide the mixed income model without any additional government funding).
The Role of NHA’s Volunteer Board
NHA’s Governance Board is ultimately responsible for crafting the big vision of the organization. They have generative discussions around what’s facing NHA in the medium and long term (staff generally handle the short term) and think about how they can use their role to support and direct the work of the staff and the organization more generally.
They are basically the operational insurance that things continue to run smoothly in the day-to-day, regardless of what happens on a resident or staff level and ensure the longevity and fitness of the organization.
Board members also take on a certain amount of risk – they have the ultimate duty to ensure the organization is adhering to the Society Act, the bylaws, and maintaining fiduciary oversight - meaning they’re ultimately responsible for the good practices of NHA. This creates and supports a clear line of accountability to residents AND the larger community.
How does governance at NHA look differently?
Governance at NHA was designed specifically to include residents. Members (which can include residents), not only the Board, can vote on the business of the association (the bylaws, specifically) at the Annual General Meeting.
Beyond the tactical, governance at NHA supports our values around community and inclusion. The current Board recruits Board members with varied and lived experience, assessing what competencies we do and do not have seated at the table – and that goes beyond professional parameters to include those life experiences as well. The Board also values pursuing gender parity and having a wide range of perspectives represented.
In fact, our current Board of Directors is so dedicated to NHA, that we won a Canada Volunteer Award for Social Innovation recently, showcasing how our volunteers truly do drive the big picture and have a tangible impact on the community, while also being deeply engaged in the lives and housing of others. And they do all that with their own families and jobs, to boot!
In fact, we think so highly of our Board, that we’ll be showcasing them on our social media accounts one-by-one in April to celebrate Volunteers’ Week – so keep an eye out for that!
Membership at NHA
Membership at NHA allows for residents and community members to direct the visioning and strategic priorities of the association and stay informed of the activities and plans of the organization.
But the membership also holds the Board accountable, ultimately, and ideally is also a representation of our community and those we serve. That’s one of the main reasons that residents have always been encouraged to become members of the association!
Members are also entitled to attend the Annual General Meeting – which includes an annual review of the Board’s activities, a review of the financial statements, and a presentation of the Annual Report – and they are entitled to vote on some of the business that the Board presents. Members of NHA generally have an interest in being at least informed of the activities and plans of the organization and they have the potential to sit on the Board of Directors if a position becomes available.
Interested in Becoming a Member of NHA or joining our Volunteer Board!?
Reach out to Fatime by emailing [email protected]