Women on Boards: A Guide to Getting Involved

Women, through participation on governing boards and in senior roles of organizations, have a significant impact on sport in Canada from the grassroots level to elite international competitions. However, women are often underrepresented in leadership at the board level, leaving a void in discussions, perspectives and decision-making.

CAAWS is dedicated to encouraging girls and women to both participate and lead in sport and physical activity. Women on Boards: A Guide to Getting Involved, produced by CAAWS in partnership with 2010 Legacies Now, provides both organizations and women who are interested in serving on boards, with practical resources to ensure strong representation and leadership from women at the board level.

• Describing why boards need more women;
• Providing advice on how to find a suitable board to join, and how to secure
  a position on it;
• Providing straightforward descriptions of typical board roles, terminology
  and processes;
• Identifying challenges that may be faced by women serving on boards,
  and proposing strategies for addressing them.

Download electronic copy of the guide here.
72 pages, 3 MB
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4 pages, 321 KB	4 pages, 108 KB	22 pages, 1 MB
30 pages, 1 MB	4 pages, 123 KB	8 pages, 142 KB

Background
The information was originally produced in Australia by the Department of Victorian Communities - Office of Women’s Policy to encourage and develop the capacity of women to serve on government boards. CAAWS received permission to revise this information to reflect a Canadian context.

It is our hope that this document will assist boards to recruit and retain women board members, and help women accept and fulfill the important role of serving on boards.

Testimonials

The CAAWS workshop “Women On Boards” gave great information on how to recruit more women to participate at the highest level in our organization. The information in the workshop was right on topic and I have already had encouraging results form the implementation of strategies outlined in the workshop. It was a great workshop – really inspiring.
Shelley Goertzen, General Manager - Kanata Soccer

I found the Women on Boards session hosted by CAAWS very useful from a NSO staff stand-point. It gave me numerous ideas and strategies for improving the effective recruitment and retention of volunteers to a board driven organization, which is always a challenge for a small National Sports Organization. The session was focused on women on boards, but the information provided could be applied to any person or group interested in a board position. I will without a doubt reference the Women on Boards: A Guide To Getting Involved resource booklet to improve our associations board development policies and procedures
Kyle Hunter, Executive Director - Badminton Canada

As a professional woman working in the sport environment, I found this to be an exceptional source of information. If you are thinking of working on a board or looking to recruit someone to yours - don't miss out on this resource. It spans the entire topic of working on boards, from identifying expectations to recruitment and retention. Written with women in mind this material is relevant to any and all board members."
Denise Pittuck, Executive Director - Sports Officials Canada

Print Copies
Limited numbers of printed copies may be requested from our office by emailing us at caaws@caaws.ca or telephone: 613.562.5667. CAAWS is also available to provide a short presentation on this material at some conferences or workshops. Please contact us if you would like to see about a potential presentation.