Creation and Development of Impactful Board Policies

NLN has curated multiple resources below that showcases guidelines and resources for creating and developing impactful and successful board policies.

Policy can be the vehicle to further describe or define a board’s strategic vision and the approved plan. It may also be necessary for internal governance beyond personnel and bylaws. Perhaps a policy is needed to reinforce guardrails for innovation.

Whatever the objective, here are some items to consider when designing a policy:

• Impact on customers
• Impact on the American Job Centers, community providers, training providers, etc.
• Impact on performance
• Must be necessary, reasonable, allocable, and allowable, within compliance guidelines

Here are the trademarks for a policy that make an impact:

• Keep it simple, relevant, accurate, compliant, enforceable, clear on roles; and remember – less is more!
• Write to your audience – who truly needs this policy?
• Use plain, precise language, punctuation, and grammar, while adhering to your organization’s style guide
• Be intentional
• Be consistent in releasing policy by considering timing, distribution, and feedback

When is a policy warranted? When are existing directives from federal and/or state partners sufficient? If existing policy is sufficient, how can you ensure your board and ecosystem are fully informed and committed to implementing? We invite you to review the below resources for guidelines and tools to further educate boards on the policy creation process:

• Policy Design: Insights from Local Board Leaders on Impact and Implementation
• SMART 4.0 Grants Management Training
• Grants Management and Policy Resources

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2025
• Posted by: Damon Jones
• Posted in: Next Level Now