Board Annual Workplan Sample

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by Miles

Board Annual Workplan Sample provides a structured governance calendar for an organization’s annual cycle. It outlines board responsibilities across strategic planning and organizational performance, finance, audit and fundraising, executive director reporting and appraisal, board affairs including committee appointments and governance policy review, plus community relations and engagement. Activities are mapped to months (April through March) with an “as required” column, using committee responsibility legends and status indicators to support consistent monitoring and follow-up. It is adapted from a governance guide and revision history is included.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Strategic Plan and Organizational Performance

Review strategic plan and refresh

Review progress on specific strategic directions

Review organizational performance targets

Finance, Audit and Fundraising

Ensure preparation of annual budget

Approve annual budget

Determine compensation for the auditor

Approve audited financial statements

Evaluate auditors and recommend appointment

Review quarterly financial statements

Review financial policies and procedures

Review fund development plan and refresh

Executive Director (ED)

Receive report on operations from ED

Approve performance appraisal process for ED

Establish performance goals for ED

Receive report on completion of ED performance appraisal

Review succession planning

Board Affairs

Approve terms of reference and workplans for committees

Appoint chairs and members to Board committees

Receive reports from committees

Review governance policies

Approve governance policies

Set date for AGM

Review bylaw changes

Approve bylaw changes to recommend to members

Director recruitment and nomination

Appoint Board Officers after AGM

Conduct Board evaluation survey

Review Board evaluation survey results

Prepare and approve annual Board workplan

Board education sessions

Executive Committee meetings

Community Relations and Engagement

Review relationship with key stakeholders

Review position statements and refresh

Board Annual Workplan Sample Prepared by: Dionne A . Falconer, Consultant January 2014, revised September 2016 | Category | Item | Responsibility | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | January | February | March | As Required | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1. Strategic Plan and Organizational Performance | 1.1. Review strategic plan and refresh | Board | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1.2. Review progress on specific strategic directions | Board | | | X | | | X | | | X | | | X | | | | 1.3. Review organizational performance targets | Board | | | X | | | X | | | X | | | X | | | 2. Finance, Audit and Fundraising | 2.1. Ensure preparation of annual budget | Fin | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | | 2.2. Approve annual budget | Board | | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | 2.3. Determine compensation for the auditor | Fin | | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | 2.4. Approve audited financial statements | Board | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2.5. Evaluate auditors and recommend to members on appointment of auditors | Fin | | | | | X | X | | | | | | | | | | 2.6. Review quarterly financial statements | Board | X | | | X | | | X | | | X | | | | | | 2.7. Review financial policies and procedures | Fin | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | | | 2.8. Review fund development plan and refresh | Fund | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | 3. Executive Director (ED) | 3.1. Receive report on operations from ED | Board | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | | | | 3.2. Approve performance appraisal process for ED | Board | | | | | | | | | X | | | | | | | 3.3. Establish performance goals for ED | Board | | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | 3.4. Receive report on completion of ED performance appraisal | Board | | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | 3.5. Review succession planning | Board | | | | | | | | | | | | | X | | 4. Board Affairs | 4.1. Approve terms of reference and workplans for committees | Board | | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | Category | Item | Responsibility | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | January | February | March | As Required | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | 4.2. Appoint chairs and members to Board committees | Board | | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | 4.3. Receive reports from committees | Board | | | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | 4.4. Review governance policies | Sub | | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | | 4.5. Approve governance policies | Board | | | | | | X | | | | | | | | | | 4.6. Set date for AGM | Board | | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4.7. Review bylaw changes | Sub | | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4.8. Approve bylaw changes to recommend to members | Board | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4.9. Director recruitment and nomination | Nom | X | X | | | | | | X | X | X | X | X | | | | 4.10. Appoint Board Officers (at Board meeting immediately following AGM) | Board | | | | | | X | | | | | | | | | | 4.11. Conduct Board evaluation survey | Nom | | | X | X | | | | | | | | | | | | 4.12. Review Board evaluation survey results | Board | | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | | 4.13. Prepare and approve annual Board workplan | Board | | | | | | | X | | | | | | | | | 4.14. Board education sessions (schedule and topics should be in annual workplan) | Board | | X | | | X | | | X | | | X | | | | | 4.15. Executive Committee meetings | Exec | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | | | 5. Community Relations and Engagement | 5.1. Review relationship with key stakeholders | Board | | |

FAQs

What does the board annual workplan template include?

It lists board and committee responsibilities mapped to months, covering strategic planning, finance and audit, executive director oversight, board affairs, and community relations.

How are tasks scheduled across the year in the template?

Each item is marked under specific months from April through March, with an additional “As Required” column for ongoing or ad-hoc activities.

What do the responsibility legends mean?

They define shorthand roles such as Board, Executive Committee (Exec), Finance Committee (Fin), Fundraising Committee (Fund), Nominations Committee (Nom), and Sub-committee (Sub), clarifying who is accountable for each task.

What sources does the sample workplan adaptation reference?

The template states it is adapted from the Ontario Hospital Association’s Governance Centre of Excellence: Guide to Good Governance – Second Edition (Toronto: Ontario Hospital Association, 2011).

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by Miles