More than good intentions

It takes more than good intentions to sit on a board, and building capability and knowledge at the table is key to an organisation's survival and growth. For those on not-for-profit boards this is increasingly important when faced with myriad challenges, including a cost-of-living-crisis.

“You not only need to give your time to do the work, but you also need to give your time to make sure you're doing it right,” says Chair of Pregnancy Help, Rachel Vicars MInstD, who was a recipient of the 2023 IoD Scholarship Fund.

Vicars has been on the Pregnancy Help board for two-and-a-half years. With no previous board experience, she was drawn to the organisation after the birth of her son when the reality of parenthood hit home. Taking a step back, she considered the obstacles at play for families who don’t have access to resources and information – joining Pregnancy Help was her way of giving back.

“It was kind of a shock for me in terms of how much of a support network you need around you when you have a baby . . . it’s really hard. I didn't have the same family support that I would have had if I was back in the UK,” Vicars says.

Pregnancy Help assists families with very young children – and those expecting a baby – to access a range of service providers, including practical help and support to set families up in the early stages, which ranges from providing nappies, clothing, bedding and safe sleeping spaces for babies.

“We often get referrals from midwives or healthcare professionals who refer families that need a bit of extra support and people can come to us directly,” Vicars says.

But like many businesses, the not-for-profit sector is under pressure. And so too, in a cost-of-living-crisis, Vicars has seen an even greater demand for services provided by Pregnancy Help.

“The demand for our service is going up, but increasingly over time, everyone's tightening their purse strings, so the chance of successful funding goes down,” says Vicars.

Pregnancy Help has six board members, all of them women, and Vicars says diversity would benefit the board.

“We would love to have a man, but we tend to get applications from women – families come in all shapes and sizes, and we believe it’s important to be inclusive of everyone, so ultimately we would like our board to represent that.”

The board is also made up largely of volunteers with little governance experience, so Vicars is also keen to make sure everyone is up to speed and gains as much governance training as possible.

“It's great to have volunteers on the board with good intentions, but how do you get people with board experience? And how do we make sure we get our board that kind of training and education they need, so they really understand their responsibilities?”

Being in the same boat, prompted Vicars to apply for IoD’s scholarship fund where she opted to attend the Finance Essentials course, which she described as “eye opening”. 

“The course facilitator was amazing. She talked about finances as not being about whether you can do maths, but about the story and what those numbers are telling you.”

Vicars says although the default for the board is to rely on the treasurer to provide information and attend to the finances, making sure others understand where the financial health of the organisation sits, is beneficial. As a national board, Pregnancy Help holds the legal and financial responsibility for the entire organisation, which includes regional branches that sit under its umbrella. 

“Obviously numbers have to add up and you need to have a positive bank account, but if we can't get that financial health of our organisation right, then the rest of it isn't going to continue to exist,” Vicars says.

With a newfound understanding of the financial side of governance, she says much like professional development in a career context, continued learning and expansion of knowledge is essential in any governance role.

“I fully understand my responsibility, including to make sure that others on the board understand it, too. The other thing the course gave me was a bit more confidence, in that, just because you don't have an accounting based skillset it doesn’t mean you can't look at the accounts, and go, ‘this doesn't make sense, I don't understand this,’ then we can start to dig into it a bit more as a board.”

Vicars says the diverse mix of people on the course was also beneficial. Attendees came from a range of backgrounds and experiences across different types of organisations and companies, yet all were asking the same questions and dealing with similar issues.

“It was a really good mix of people and that was quite encouraging to see that they are all upskilling . . . certainly didn't go into the room thinking, I shouldn't be here.” 

Find out how you can apply for the IoD Scholarship Fund here.