Pre-conference Workshop: Building A Board Development Plan

An INN Days 2026 pre-conference board development workshop for executive directors

Boards are critical to nonprofit resilience Yet for many newsroom leaders, moving their board to the next level to meet their needs is a lot easier said than done. The challenge is finding the time and space to step back, assess where your board actually stands, and identify realistic next steps you can act on in the near term. This pre-conference workshop is designed to help you cut through that, offering a practical framework to build a clear path forward.

Join us before INN Days on Tuesday, June 16 from 11 to 2 p.m. at the conference venue for this hands-on session led by Arizona State University’s Knight Center for the Future of News.

Register

Register by June 2, 2026. Tickets are $29 and include lunch.

This 3-hour workshop will guide leaders through a research-based framework of the three phases of board development. You’ll be able to identify which stage your board is in, what common challenges exist at each phase, and identify concrete steps to move forward across a series of topics.

• Ideal for: Executive Directors, Publishers, Board Chairs, and others responsible for managing or working with their organization’s board 
• Key Takeaways: Understanding of your board’s current stage of development, common challenges at each phase, tactics to work through them, and an actionable six-month plan
• Format & Experience: Research-based presentations, small group discussions, and a guided near term action planning
• Topics Covered: The three phases of board development, governance literacy and board composition, editorial independence and ethics, fiduciary oversight and fundraising, and enterprise risk management including safety, legal, financial, and AI-related risks
• Schedule: This workshop will be from 11 to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16. The INN Days conference will begin at 3:30 p.m.

This pre-conference workshop is separate from INN Days and requires its own registration. If you are planning to also attend INN Days, you must register separately here.

 A condensed version of this session with limited capacity will be featured as part of the INN Days conference.

For questions, please contact gatherings@inn.org.