Insights

Anglican Development Services South Rift (ADSSR) is one of the NPI EXPAND grantees in Kenya. The organization was registered in 2015 and established its first board in 2017. The organization changes its board on a 3-year cycle, during which a third of the members retire and are replaced with new ones. The boards of many faith-based organizations, including the ADSSR board, face similar challenges related to their composition, functions, and involvement in the organization. Board members of local faith-based organizations tend to rely on trust rather than rigorous exercising of their oversight roles with the belief that the managers they know will always do the right thing.

Through an organizational capacity assessment facilitated by NPI EXPAND, ADSSR identified that the board lacked a number of policies and systems that are considered best practices for board management. ADSSR lacked membership criteria for the board, including gender balance and skills mix, and the roles and responsibilities of board members were not clear. Additionally, board members’ tenure was not specified, the process for succession planning was not guided, and there was no code of conduct for board members.

NPI EXPAND supported ADSSR to update the board manual to address these gaps and trained the board about their oversight role and responsibilities in the organization. The manual revisions and training addressed gender, disability, and professional representation. After these interventions, the ADSSR board met the one-third gender rule as required by the Constitution of Kenya for the first time. The board manual also clearly defined the term limits and transition procedures. With the expanded board, the organization was able to form sub-committees to whom the board delegated some of its functions and responsibilities. The board functions were also clearly stipulated, leading to the formation of board committees to improve its functions.

The support from NPI EXPAND has significantly improved the board’s understanding of its roles and responsibilities. The board is now more engaged in the organization’s activities. For example, board members have taken the initiative to guide and support management in identifying potential donors and linking the organization with funding opportunities, a role they had not previously undertaken. The board members have also shown increased commitment to their duties. For instance, the board’s Finance Committee board conducted a training on Compliance and Risk Management for the ADSSR finance staff. This training led to a reduction in audit issues, particularly those related to compliance. Under the board’s leadership, ADSSR successfully held its Annual General Meetings in June 2024, a compliance requirement that the organization had previously struggled to meet.

ADSSR’s management is optimistic that with the improved board structure, commitment, and engagement, the organization is poised to achieve more. The organization’s success in addressing its governance challenges with the support of NPI EXPAND positions it as a potential model for other local faith-based organizations facing similar issues. ADSSR’s journey serves as a testament to the transformative power of effective board management and the potential for positive change within faith-based organizations.