The best nonprofits are led by engaged boards. 

We provide expert training and advising to help nonprofit leaders govern with confidence, manage risk, and drive your mission forward.

Your board members are passionate about your cause. They volunteer their time, talent, and resources because they believe in your mission.

But passion alone does not create effective governance.

Many well-intentioned boards struggle to find their focus. They get stuck in the weeds of operations instead of focusing on strategy. Worse, they may be unaware of their full legal and fiduciary responsibilities, exposing your organization to significant risk.

An untrained or disengaged board can slow your progress, frustrate your staff, and endanger your mission. When your board is active, engaged, and motivated to play its role, your organization benefits immensely from the board's oversight and guidance. Board training is a great way to increase and capture the discretionary effort of your board members.

Building High Performance Governance

Montana Strategic Consulting partners with nonprofits to build a strong, confident, and effective board. We demystify the complexities of nonprofit governance and provide the clear, practical frameworks your board needs to excel.

Our services are customized to your organization's specific challenges and maturity.

Core Board Training & Workshops

This is not a generic "rules of order" presentation. We design dynamic, interactive workshops (from a 90-minute refresher to a full-day retreat) that tackle the most critical issues in nonprofit governance.

• The Fundamentals: Roles, Responsibilities & Fiduciary Duties

  • Clarifying the board's role vs. the staff's role ("Noses In, Fingers Out").

  • A deep dive into the three legal duties: The Duty of Care, Duty of Loyalty, and Duty of Obedience.

• Legal Compliance & Risk Management

  • Protecting your 501(c)(3) status: A practical review of conflict of interest policies, whistleblower protections, and document retention.

  • Identifying and mitigating strategic, financial, and reputational risks.

• The Board's Role in Strategy & Fundraising

  • How to partner with staff to set—and monitor—a powerful strategic plan.

  • Moving from "fund-avoidant" to "fund-ambassador": Activating your board as passionate advocates and fundraisers.

• High-Impact Leadership

  • Hiring, supporting, and effectively evaluating your Executive Director.

  • How to run efficient board meetings that move the mission forward.

Strategic Governance Advising

Sometimes you don't need a full training, but you do need an expert partner. We provide on-call advising and facilitation for specific governance challenges.

• Facilitating your annual strategic planning retreat.

• Reviewing and strengthening your bylaws and governance policies (e.g., Conflict of Interest).

• Mediating board-staff conflict and clarifying roles.

• Guiding an Executive Director search or transition.

• Coaching for new Board Chairs or Executive Directors.

Why Partner with Us?

Your mission is too important for generic advice.

When you partner with Montana Strategic Consulting, you are not just hiring a facilitator—you are retaining a strategic advisor with the insight of a General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and Yale MBA.

We understand nonprofit governance from every angle:

• The Legal & Risk Lens: We provide authoritative, practical guidance on fiduciary duties and compliance, helping you protect your organization's reputation and legal standing.

• The Strategic & Financial Lens: We apply rigorous strategic and financial frameworks to help your board make sound, sustainable decisions.

• The Practical Lens: We have managed the real-world complexities of mission-driven organizations. We provide tools that work, not just theories, to make your board more effective, efficient, and engaged.