Propel Strategy Partners offers engaging, practical governance training. Whether supporting a newly formed board, facilitating an annual retreat, or addressing a specific governance challenge, trainings equip board members with the knowledge and tools needed to govern strategically and effectively. Sessions are interactive, customized to the needs of each board, and grounded in governance best practices.

Training topics include, but are not limited to:

• Board roles and responsibilities

• Governance vs. management

• Effective board meetings and strategic agendas

• Roles and responsibilities of board officers

• Board chair leadership and facilitation

• School leader evaluation, support, and succession planning

• Strategic planning and board goal setting

• Committee structure, alignment, and effectiveness

• Financial oversight and fiduciary responsibilities

• Board recruitment, onboarding, and succession planning

• Risk management and legal responsibilities

• Board culture, norms, and effective governance practices

• Open meetings, ethics, and governance compliance

• Governance during organizational growth, leadership transitions, or school renewal

Trainings range from one-hour workshops to full-day retreats and multi-session governance academies. Every session is tailored to the organization's mission, governance structure, and current priorities, ensuring board members leave with practical strategies they can implement immediately.

Launching a new organization with a new governing board is an exciting time. Establishing strong foundations early creates the conditions for long-term success, clarity, and sustainability.

Propel Strategy Partners supports new organizations and boards to design and develop the core governance structures and tools that will guide effective operations over time. Each deliverable is tailored to your organization’s unique model, mission, and goals.

Examples of foundational supports include:

• Board annual work plans and calendars

• Board handbooks and governance frameworks

• Policy manuals and core operating policies

• New member onboarding and development plans

• Executive leader evaluation systems

Hiring a new executive leader is one of the most critical decisions a governing board makes. Setting that leader up for success in the first year is essential to long-term organizational stability and performance.

Propel Strategy Partners works with boards to define clear success criteria, establish aligned expectations, and develop a thoughtful support and evaluation plan. The result is a strong foundation for a productive partnership, ensuring both the board and the new leader are positioned for a successful first year and beyond.

When a school is engaged in improvement efforts, the role of the governing board becomes even more critical. Effective boards increase their focus on monitoring key indicators to ensure progress is aligned with improvement goals and long-term sustainability.

School improvement is complex and spans multiple domains, including instruction, talent, finance and operations, leadership, culture, and governance. Without a comprehensive view, it can be difficult for boards to fully understand progress or identify emerging challenges.

Propel Strategy Partners partners with boards to identify and monitor a meaningful set of metrics that provide a complete picture of school performance. We also build board capacity to interpret data, ask high-quality questions, and connect insights to strategic action, ensuring oversight is both informed and impactful.

Propel Strategy Partners partners with charter school authorizers to strengthen governance across their portfolio of schools through objective observations, targeted coaching, and capacity-building support. Services are designed to help authorizers monitor governance quality while providing governing boards with practical, improvement-oriented feedback. Support may include board meeting observations using aligned rubrics, governance reports and compliance documentation, identification of governance strengths and areas of risk, and recommendations for support. Propel also provides governance coaching for new and developing boards, board chair mentoring, leadership transition support, governance orientations for newly authorized or transferred schools, and customized interventions for boards requiring additional assistance. By serving as a trusted partner to both authorizers and governing boards, Propel helps promote strong governance practices that support school quality, accountability, and organizational sustainability.

Don’t see exactly what you’re looking for? Let’s connect. Propel Strategy Partners offers tailored support designed to meet the unique needs of your organization.

Whether you need guidance for a new board chair on agenda development and effective meeting facilitation, support in designing a model-specific leader evaluation system, or objective board meeting observations for governance and compliance, we’re here to help.

Other services include basic board training, board retreat facilitation, and charter renewal support.

At Propel, we prioritize relationships first. We take the time to understand your context, goals, and challenges so we can provide thoughtful, customized solutions that move your work forward.