Making board service effective is one of the biggest challenges facing funders. Alice Korngold shares four essentials to remember for effective governance:

1. Achievement: The role of the board is to achieve the organization's greater potential as well as its mission.
2. Accountability: The board's role is to ask: "How do we know?"
3. Ownership: The board understands that the organization's success is their responsibility.
4. Oversight: Board oversight is essential; it's also not enough.