Increasing Young Women on Boards

A Case Study

YWCA of Adelaide Inc.

YWCA of Adelaide Inc.

Leadership Pathways

To meet our purpose, the YWCA has developed a pathway to illustrate how it will support the leadership development of girls and young women through a coherent program framework that starts in primary school and ends in the YWCA Boardroom:

BuildingBetterBoards

Organisation Purpose• Constitution – 30% women <30yrs• Mission – Leadership of Women and Girls• Strategic Plan – Young Women & Girls building skills &

attributes for Leadership

Governance Resource Building• Board Training• SHE Leads Program, career

development and mentoring• Nominations Process that values

quality and contribution• Meaningful opportunity and results

to members• Harnessing Interest• Traineeships• Committee Memberships

Board Culture Development• Create Safety

- Celebration and profile of new members- Establishing ‘group’ norms and values- Confirming knowledge and encouraging learning through induction

• Create Learning- Professional development needs identified- Learning from each other encouraged- “Buddy” Creation- Accessibility and Support of Chair - high profile, high achieving young women

“Walking the talk”- Ok to not know and ask- Holding each other accountable- Engagement with real business of organisation through key staff presentations- Staff/Board Forum

Process Drivers• Formal Induction – Sassy and

Savvy based Meeting Discipline

- Time Control- Agenda Development- Decision Focused

• Agreed Norms• Confidentiality Agreement• Allocation of time to safety

and engagement via “check in”

• Creating respect – bringing skills matrix alive

Outcomes for YWCA of Adelaide

Improved membership choice for Board• 2012 5 nominations for 3 Board positions

• 2013 14 nominations for 4 Board positions

Improved preparation for Board membership• 2012 10 of nominating women had completed or were

registered for Board training program

• 2014 14 applicants for one Board traineeship position

Improved support for Board membership• 2013 a group who participated in the session in October hit it off

so well that they now catch up for lunch once a monthDiversity Targets Meeting Skill Requirements• 2014 Quality Board 70% < 30 years old at appointment

Increasing Women on Boards in SA

Since attending YWCA Board Training I…...gained confidence to nominate for the Y Board of Adelaide and the IEU-SA state executive..have joined the board of a commercial bank (West Beach Community Bendigo Bank), a not-for-profit organisation (SASRAPID Inc.), and have joined an advisory board in a paid position for a privately owned family business in Sydney.. received a grant to undertake the Foundations of Directorship program through the Australian Institute of Company Directors. I completed that earlier this year and successfully passed my exam.. have joined my sons' Governing Council for his school and was elected to the South Australian Screen Industry Council...nominated for a further term on the Council of the Law Society of South Australia (“LSSA”) (at the time of the training session I was a junior member of the Council with my term due to end in late October).. have been appointed as the chair of the Education Subcommittee of the Women Lawyers Association of South Australia (I had joined the WLASA Committee only a few weeks before the training session). ..applied for the YWCA Board Traineeship position, which I was then invited to interview for in May 2014. Although I was not successful, I ultimately joined the YWCA Nominations Committee in May 2014 as a result. My aim at this stage is to apply for a YWCA board position later this year;And many more…

What Motivated you to join your board?

What forms of diversity are desirable on your board?

Strategy to recruit a diverse board

YWCA of Adelaide Inc.Building a Better Board by:• Diversity Objective established

e.g 30% <30 years

• Building source of applicants going where the leaders are?

• Promotion and transparency of application process

• Plan for transparent succession encouraging individual and collective planning

• Creating entrance pathways Internship Sub Committees Minute Taker

YWCA of Adelaide Inc.

Liz ForsythE: liz.forsyth@ywca.com.auM: 0439 896 478

Nicole SwainePresidentMD - Explore PotentialE: nicole@explorepotential.com.auM: 0413 519 139

If you would like:• A copy of this presentation• Board Skills Matrix• Board Recruitment Process Templates

Please leave your business card in the bowl provided and we will send them to you very soon.

Thank you