The Feminist Governance Toolkit

The Feminist Governance Toolkit  

Help us create it...

We are thrilled to inform you that the development of the Feminist Governance Toolkit is underway. This toolkit will be specifically tailored for boards of Domestic and Family Violence (DFV), Sexual Violence (SV), and Women's Health and Wellbeing (WH&W) services in Queensland. 

Our approach to designing this toolkit has been informed by valuable feedback from the sector. We are crafting flexible, self-paced learning modules aimed at assisting board members in understanding the context of their work. 

The modules will help board members develop a clear understanding of the importance of risk management as well as the distinction between governance and day-to-day management. This understanding is crucial in ensuring adequate support for individuals undertaking the work, as well as the safety of women. Recognising the intersection between governance and the operational management of the service is vital for effective organisational functioning.

In addition, the modules will guide board members on where/how to access resources and training to enhance their specialist governance skills and ensure compliance with relevant governance requirements for not-for-profit services.

To ensure that the toolkit is relevant and useful for board members and services we invite the sector to join us in a co-creation process which includes: 

1. Development and testing: We will be testing the content with a diverse group of board members and CEOs.
2. Feedback and amendments: We highly value feedback from the sector and will incorporate it into the content where appropriate. 
3. Recording of interviews: We will conduct interviews with board members and CEOs to include in the final resource recordings. 
4. Final production: The three modules will be finalised, incorporating the content, recorded interviews and resources/references.

Once finalised the Feminist Governance Toolkit will support the recruitment, induction and upskilling of new board members and serve as a valuable resource for existing board members to better understand their roles and responsibilities. 

We invite interested board members, CEOs and leaders to register for the testing workshops in starting November and, if they wish, to participate in the development of recorded interviews in February 2024. Once this process is complete and feedback has been incorporated, the modules will be made available online and freely accessible to all services. 

The three workshops are: 

1. Self and Connection to Purpose - 21 November 2023
2. Board Member Capabilities - 28 November 2023
3. The Nature of the Work - 5 December 2023

Your insights and expertise are invaluable in shaping this toolkit for the benefit of the sector as a whole and we hope you can join us.   

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to advancing feminist governance in Queensland. 

*Please note that specialist NFP board training will be offered early in 2024. 

Event Details

Dates: 21 November, 28 November & 5 December 2023 (all sessions should be attended)
Time: 5.00pm – 6.30pm 
Location: Delivered online using Zoom

Who should attend

This workshop series is for board members, CEOs and leaders in the domestic and family violence, sexual assault and women's health and wellbeing sector.

About the facilitator

Gabrielle Borggaard Nicholson is an executive leader, an accredited family violence social worker and a mentor. Her 17+ year career spans the human services from the Domestic and Family Violence Sector, the Child Protection Sector, Family Support and Therapeutic Counselling and experience in the Disability Sector.

During the last 13 years, she specialised in the executive management of not for profit organisations with a strong focus on justice and equality for women and elimination of gender based violence. Gabrielle was formerly CEO of the Domestic Violence Action Centre, a position she held for more than 11 years, prior to establishing Inner Vision Consulting.