What If Our Boards Could Do More Than Just Govern?

Imagine this: you're seated in a boardroom, not for the first time. You've spent a lifetime supporting organizations—guiding them, building them, sometimes even rescuing them. You've worn many hats: strategist, fundraiser, connector, critic, cheerleader. You’ve seen nonprofits rise and fall, communities flourish and falter.

Now, you're on the board of a cause you care deeply about. It’s personal this time.

But as the meeting begins, something feels off. The questions being asked are familiar but shallow. The dashboards are full of metrics, but the meaning behind them is murky. You're expected to deliver stewardship, pastorship, fiduciary oversight—and sometimes, visionary thinking. But you're not sure you have all the right tools, or even all the right questions.

What does this organization really mean in the lives of the people it serves? Where is it going—and how do you know?

You look around and wonder:

What if we could have conversations that moved us beyond the usual governance script?

What if we could sit together and make sense of the data, instead of just reporting on it?

What if we could use those insights to generate proposals, in real time, to reimagine what’s possible?

What if we weren’t just reacting—but actually anticipating?

Too often, board meetings are designed to deliver answers, not uncover better questions. We ask, “How are we doing?” but not often, “What are we missing?” or “Whose voice isn’t in the room?”

But this moment in history—this era of disruption and potential—demands more from our governance. It demands imagination. Curiosity. Collective sense-making.

I’ve worked with several organizations to support exactly this kind of generative thinking—helping boards and teams move from just fiduciary decisions to transformational conversations. We have created spaces where people can wrestle with hard questions, make meaning together, and act with greater clarity and confidence. That’s the promise of generative governance—not just having better conversations, but asking better questions. Not just approving strategies, but shaping meaning. Not just protecting the mission, but evolving it with care and courage.

Imagine a board meeting where you can pull up data and ask, “What does this mean for our neighbors in East Baltimore?” Or, “Are we seeing new patterns in mental health requests—and what might that signal about what comes next?”

Imagine using AI not just to crunch numbers, but to surface tensions, provoke insight, and uncover possibilities. What if we sourced such tools and seeded culture that make this possible—like platforms that support collaborative reflection across program and board roles. That lets you see a story in the data, not just a number. That invites multiple truths to co-exist and converge into decisions that are both courageous and grounded.

Because board service shouldn't feel like watching from the sidelines. It should feel like co-creating something that matters.

So what if our board meeting became places where learning and leading go hand in hand? And asking questions is just as valued as making decisions.

This ethos—centering reflection, curiosity, and collaboration—is exactly what drives our work at Impactable.ai. Born from my 15+ years in the non-profit sector and partnership with trusted colleagues like Javier and Karthik, Impactable is a platform designed to help nonprofit teams and boards not just manage information—but make meaning from it.

We’re creating the tools I wish I had years ago: tools that break down silos, surface insights, and make data work in service of people and purpose. Because when sense-making becomes a shared practice, strategy becomes so much more powerful and so much more human.