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An organization that contributes to the well-being of an urban neighbourhood is the first winner of the Manulife Governance Excellence Award.
The award, accompanied by a $5,000 cheque, went to the Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre at a reception Thursday (Nov. 19) in Waterloo.
Among other changes, the centre’s board moved from an executive committee model to a governance model, providing more opportunity for board members to participate in key decision-making. The centre also more closely aligned board committees with its strategic plan, a move that also puts staff and board members around the same tables.
“Each board member has to be involved in one of the committees, so you are hands-on with our priorities,” board chair Catherine Heal said in an interview. “And staff are involved on those committees, so we get interaction with the staff.”
Based at 44 Francis St., the centre provides a range of services, from primary health care through physicians and nurse practitioners, to programs on managing stress, diabetes and chronic pain.
It was formed 15 years ago to improve the quality of life in an urban neighbourhood that faces such challenges as caring for the homeless and settling immigrants and refugees.
The governance award is sponsored by Manulife and awarded by Capacity Canada. As of Thursday night, the award will be presented annually at the start of Capacity’s Manulife Board Governance Boot Camp, which brings together board chairs and executive directors for two days of training. The boot camp this year is Capacity’s seventh.
Capacity received more than a dozen applications for the award.
“Governance is extremely important for a range of reasons,’’ said Martha Hancock, Manulife’s assistant vice-president, philanthropy and sponsorships. “When we provide funding to an organization, there is a sense of trust that it can deliver on what it says it can do from a social impact point of view. Non-profits are often dealing with vulnerable populations, so it’s even more important that these organizations are well-run.”
Good governance, she added, is critical to organizations being innovative.
“It gives organizations permission to take risks responsibly,” Hancock said.
The changes the health centre made, said executive director Eric Goldberg, enabled board members to focus on governance, yet stay closely connected with the organization without getting immersed in the day-to-day operation.
“It improves staff buy-in and board buy-in,” added Jennifer Bechtel, vice-chair of the board. “You have more than just a board that sits at a high level — a mysterious group of people that shows up once a month. You get passion from the staff and passion from the board, and it all blends together.”
