When Nonprofits Expand Their Reach, Governance Issues Deserve Attention

Chelsea Neighborhood Developers (CND) in Chelsea, Massachusetts, like many successful NeighborWorks organizations, is in the process of expanding geographically. As the expansion evolved, Executive Director Ann Houston and CND’s board of directors recognized the agency’s governance model would need to adapt.

Houston collaborated with Hilary Marcus, CND’s relationship manager at NeighborWorks America, to talk with peers and consultants while researching best practices in governance. You can see the results of their exploration in the report available on NeighborWorks' website.

CND's new governance model is still in the works. The authors note that many NeighborWorks organizations are facing expansion challenges and hope this report will spark discussion on this issue. The authors can be reached at ahouston@chelseand.org and hmarcus@nw.org.