Fit for the Future
Anna Feuchtwang, Chair of Bond and Chief Executive of
EveryChild, outlines three crucial pieces of work that will strengthen the Bond
network over the next five years.
Bond's capacity to bring us all together so we can speak with a strong voice and challenge and hold to account those that can make a difference is critical. At 370 members, our size and our diversity make us strong but it is our ability to work together for a common goal that makes us irresistible.
It's been a tough year for my organisation, EveryChild. We have suffered the double whammy of a fall in our income and a fall in the buying power of sterling. We have had to make cuts but worse is the knowledge that the global recession is making life harder and more dangerous for the children that we work with.
This will be a familiar scenario for Bond members as we grapple with a harsh economic climate, a rapidly shifting political environment and diminishing public support for international development. So, it is even more important that we work collectively to ensure that issues of global poverty, inequity, injustice and climate change stay high on the agenda.
This year, three distinct pieces of work will strengthen Bond and set it on a clear and progressive path. Together they will determine the future for Bond so it is vital that where possible members contribute to their development.
Bond Strategy 2011-16
Many of you have contributed to developing the Bond Strategy 2011-16 by completing the consultation questions or taking part in one of the consultation events or special meetings.
The quantity and quality of engagement was impressive and many new ideas have been generated and common themes have emerged.
A first draft of the strategy will be tested with members in August - if you want to comment on it please email: consultations@bond.org.uk. We will also be producing a report which will give detailed feedback so that you know we have listened to what you have said and understand what we did with your suggestions.
In October, the final draft will be sent to members along with the AGM papers, and at the AGM on 4 November (details on page 10 and the website) we will discuss it further and take a vote on it. Inevitably there will be some aspects that you won't entirely agree with or areas you think should have had more emphasis but I am confident that there will be enough that we can feel positive about to pass it. Once adopted, it will be ready to implement from April 2011.
Governance review
The board and the way it works has changed a great deal since Bond was first set up. At the beginning, the board played a central role in the running of the organisation and, as the organisation has matured, the board has stepped back into a governance role but we have never carried out a review with members about how Bond is governed.
At last year's AGM, the trustees made a commitment to review the composition of the board to ensure that it meets the current and future needs of Bond in time for the 2010 AGM.
Following discussions, the Board have come up with a proposal on which we would like to consult the wider membership. With the provision to include 20 people, we think that our current board size is too big. Governance specialists recommend between 10 and 15, and we think 12 would be about right. We would also like trustees to be elected as much for their skills set and experience in governance as for the parts of the sector they come from.
We will be writing to the directors of all Bond members with the proposal and we will be encouraging members to give us their views so that we can recommend changes at the AGM.
Statement of Principles
When EveryChild joined Bond six years ago, I must have signed up to the Statement of Principles because it is a condition of membership, but I do not remember its significance and it certainly did not provoke any deep discussion within my organisation. Members currently are not required to be accountable to it and it has not been reviewed or discussed since it was introduced eleven years ago. So, it feels right to take another look.
The Statement of Principles is a way of showing that membership of Bond stands for something. It could also be a way of promoting and protecting our reputation as a sector. But to make it do these things, it needs to become an active part of membership.
At the 2009 Annual Conference and AGM, a group of directors from across the membership had a look at the principles and concluded that they should be reviewed and their use revised. We are taking this work forward in parallel with the work on the Bond Effectiveness Programme so we can build on learning, and will discuss it further in one of the afternoon sessions at the Annual Conference - see page 10 and the website for more information.
Anna Feuchtwang was elected Chair of Bond in November 2008 and has been on the board since 2005. During this time, she has been involved in reviewing and making changes to the way the Board works and has represented Bond on many occasions.
