What is the secret formula that makes governance at some clubs so seamless, consistent and effective? Club Benchmarking has been searching for the factors that drive success via annual governance surveys since 2017.

The purpose of our annual Club Governance Survey is to explore gaps in board education and alignment across the industry and report those findings in a way that will provoke thought, fuel productive discussions, and promote adoption of best practices. Our goal is to provide insight that helps boards and management teams work together effectively and ensures board members have the knowledge they need to succeed. Over the years, survey respondents have consistently identified nomination and succession, strategic planning, and board education as areas with considerable room for improvement.

We laid the groundwork for this year’s survey with a set of six Board Performance Outcomes that reflect healthy, positive governance culture. Respondents were asked to express a level of agreement with each of the outcome statements listed below, based on a seven-point scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The balance of the survey questions covered specific aspects of governance at the respondents’ clubs and those responses were weighed against the respondents’ expressed perspectives on board performance outcomes.