Governance in the Arts and Museums: A Practical Guide

The Clore Leadership Programme, an organisation based in the UK, has recently published a document entitled Governance in the arts and museums: A practical guide, which aims to become a toolkit of useful resources for Trustees and staff who work with boards. The guide is authored by Clore Leadership's Governance Associates Prue Skene, Tom Wilcox and Keith Arrowsmith. The document, freely available online, successively addresses the following themes:

• Structures, including governance, types of structures, the definition of an organisation's mission, etc.
• Roles and responsibilities, including the roles and responsibilities of directors, trustees and managers, relationships between them, roles of volunteers, etc.
• Finance, risk management and fundraising, including financial tools, audits, the role of boards in fundraising, etc.
• Board meetings and recruitment, including preparation of an agenda, minutes, recruitment of board members, diversity in boards, review, etc.

The pilot guide is based on the board development programme which the Clore Leadership Programme has run since 2007, working with boards and senior management of cultural organisations to improve understanding of the strategic and supportive leadership, and the necessary challenge that an effective board provides. On this basis, the guide offers a range of advice, templates and articles. The guide has been written particularly for arts organisations and museums based in England and Wales but most of its contents can be applicable to their peers in other countries. Authors argue that 'In these days of uncertainty and change, the governance of arts and culture organisations has risen in importance'. Initiated by the Clore Duffield Foundation, and sustained by the Foundation's generous support, the Clore Leadership Programme is the UK's first cross-disciplinary leadership programme for the cultural and creative sector. It was established as an independent organisation in 2004. Governance in the arts and museums: A practical guide is available as a free download at https://www.cloreleadership.org/Governance-in-the-arts-and-museums-practical-guide.aspx