BOARD VERITAS exists to advance the effectiveness of boards and their leadership.
Governance Audits | Governance Reviews | Coaching / Training / Consulting | Certificate Programs | Retreats
SUBSTANTIALLY QUALIFIED, THOROUGHLY VETTED
- Accreditation including BoardSource CGT (Certified Governance Trainer – only 127 in the world), Standards of Excellence Consultant, and SMP (Strategic Management Professional).
- Deep experience and intimate understanding of the issues that typically plague national and international non-profits.
- Board members / leaders are typically from for-profit corporate world, and we speak their language too.
- Satisfaction and appreciation is about among the large family of past clients (operating as Taylor Strategic Parternships).
PROVEN CURRICULUM MEETS STEADFAST PRINCIPLES
- Leadership coaching is informed by research and honed by practice.
- Proven nonprofit governance theory fused with BoardSource research experience.
- Cross-pollination: our clients benefit from the wisdom we’ve gained across a variety of industries.
- Unique curriculum and approach designed to help turn pretense into productivity.
EMOTIONALLY INTELLECTUAL CANDOR
- Calculated administrators with a necessary degree of warmth and an overwhelming proclivity for cultural sensitivity.
- Facing it head-on:
- addressing the barnful of critical questions that aren’t being asked
- we won’t contribute to the mediocrity by beating around the bush
- Coaxing out critical issues requires finesse and tenacity.
- Ensuring effective implementation of difficult endeavors requires an astute messenger.
The central challenge in leadership of nonprofits is that mediocrity is survivable.
OUR STORY
Founder and CEO Lisa Anne Thompson spent 15 years working successfully in the nonprofit world. During that time she became aware that many boards don’t effectively or responsibly use the funds they raise to truly have an impact. They often become engrossed with events, activities, and work that they think needs to be done, but they don’t evaluate or make decisions based on the impact that is actually being achieved. In other words, many organizations settle into being very busy without achieving anything; “surviving the mediocrity.”
With the goal of helping organizations overcome this problem by recognizing how to achieve greater impact, Lisa Anne launched Taylor Strategic Partnerships in 2010. The concept was to develop stronger boards, who would in turn lead better organizations, resulting in greater impact. Through a decade of executing that model, Lisa Anne broadened the company’s reach by surrounding herself with a dynamic team. Their spectrum of expertise, experience, and varying cultural familiarity positioned them not only to serve a broader range of organizations, but also to identify additional facets of the mediocrity hamster wheel.
Enter BOARD VERITAS. Veritas is truth. Our team has developed progressive methodologies for getting the truth about an organization’s culture on the table. Using that as the basis for productive communication, we collaborate to design the optimal strategies that will result in your organization making significant and lasting impact.
Truthful assessments. Honest dialog. Powerful solutions.
LISTEN
PLAN
EXECUTE - EVALUATE - ADAPT
Since 2017, NFRC has benefited from the expertise and guidance of Lisa Anne Taylor and her colleagues. What started as a simple request for information about board governance best practices has evolved into an ongoing partnership with Lisa Anne and her team members Elliott, Linda, Michelle, Chris and Michael. Board Veritas has been instrumental in assisting me, as CEO, with board education/development, an examination of board functioning which resulted in a revamping of our board composition, and the very hands-on training of our volunteer leadership – extending from our board chair down to NFRC members.
Board Veritas provided the framework for our 5 year strategic plan. Lisa and her team facilitated working sessions with our board and senior staff, and assisted with moving the plan from theory and into practice. Lisa Anne is adept at providing a compelling case for good governance practices – which many non-profit boards find easy to ignore in a climate of competition and emergent issues. I found that bringing my board back to the concept of good governance actually equipped them with the know-how to tackle the big issues. Vision and strategy are fundamental expectations of any well functioning board, and NFRC’s has benefited mightily by the training received from Board Veritas.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with the Board Veritas team on several client engagements, and there are few people I would extend the professional trust I have in Lisa Anne. They are dynamic and highly versed in all matters board and governance; a great value-add and partner to my practice. I highly recommend Board Veritas for any organization needing a governance review or a strategic overhaul. Expertise, combined with wit and honesty makes her and her team a wonderful resource.
The Myositis Association worked with Lisa to create a comprehensive 3-year strategic plan. Lisa was integral to our success of going from a one page plan with no specific goals or metrics, to achieving quantitative and qualitative measurable strategic outcomes that our organization measures quarterly. Throughout the development process and Board strategic planning retreat, Lisa shared her expertise and unique ability to resolve complex issues and address problem-solving head-on, with her innovative and creative thinking that yielded bottom line results.
In addition to working with our Board, Lisa successfully worked with our organization leadership and staff working across organizational lines to bring people together and bring significant projects to fruition. She articulates a clear vision and has a disciplined and organized approach to keep projects moving forward through many obstacles. She is responsive, prepared and ready to make progress at every juncture. Lisa's guidance and encouragement have been instrumental in our growth at TMA. She is a trusted professional, mentor and leader!
When I served as CEO of WomenHeart, Lisa also worked with the Board and organization to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for an organization representing the leading cause of death of women. Lisa provided training for the Board on leadership, Board and CEO duties and responsibilities and other Board leadership training. She does an outstanding job of ensuring engagement from all individuals in the process and holds Boards and staff accountable for their responsibilities. This tough love to her approach working with non-profit patients groups is the very seed that is needed for healthy new growth! It is my honor to give Lisa the highest recommendation possible for working with non-profit organizations based on over a decade of working with her!
It was engaging and productive to work with Board Veritas. Lisa Anne and Chris were challenging with an eye towards success for myself and the Coalition. Their energy and questions helped drive my thinking but also allowed them to combine expertise to develop a tool that the Coalition needed. I enjoyed their professionalism, positive energy and keen intellect.
Lisa Anne gave a talk at a special dinner meeting of a group of high energy leaders -- and she absolutely captivated them! Throughout the talk she provided knowledge and insight that these leaders are already implementing to achieve improved board governance and engagement. It was only 30 minutes and she maximized the entire time and completely packed in useful nuggets of wisdom that was applicable across the very diverse life cycles of the organizations represented in the room.
You can't imagine the peace to the soul our conversations have. The logic-refined thought you offer allows the mind to focus on the essence of why we are here and passionate about things.
![Howard County (HC) Community Resources and Services [HCCRS], Board Veritas](https://www.boardveritas.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/BV_HCCRS_Medallion.png)
![DC, Maryland, Virginia (DMV) Food Truck Association [DMVFTA], Board Veritas](https://www.boardveritas.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/BV_DMVFTA_Medallion.png)
