BoardCompanions strengthens social profit organisations (SPOs) where it starts, at the board. We bring experienced executives, most of them INSEAD alumni, onto the boards of non-profits, foundations and social enterprises, pro bono, so that those organisations become fundable, work more effectively and increase their societal impact.
Our tagline, Purpose and Performance Start at the Board, is the shortest way to say what we believe. A well-run board is what lets a social profit organisation deliver on its mission year after year, and as funding becomes harder to secure, good governance is often what earns a funder's trust.
What we do
We work towards three results:
- Organisations that achieve more. Better governed, fundable, resilient, and more effective in pursuing their mission.
- Board members who keep growing. Across our chapters, Companions develop through knowledge sharing, mentoring and peer support, and bring that back to their boards.
- Impact that lasts. Among a thousand organisations, two or three grow to outsized impact, and we want to help them find their way.
Getting there takes the right people on the right boards. We screen Companions against clear standards (relevant senior experience, board education or equivalent, and alignment with our values), qualify organisations so both sides know what to expect, and match them through matching events or direct introductions, depending on pipeline and fit.
Once Companion and organisation are introduced, the relationship is theirs to shape. Some become full non-executive directors. Others take advisory or mentoring roles. We set the stage; they decide what to do on it.
How we are organised
BoardCompanions is an international movement that is deliberately local in operation. A small Foundation coordinates brand, values, training, and shared tooling. Each country runs its own chapter, anchored in the local social profit ecosystem and tuned to local language, legal context, and funding flows.
Country teams meet every two weeks for operations. The chairs of the country chapters meet monthly in an Executive Committee that keeps the chapters aligned on standards and strategy. The structure is intentional: governance advice that works in Brussels does not automatically translate to Frankfurt or Milan. Country teams know their context; BoardCompanions.org keeps the movement coherent.
Where we are
BoardCompanions launched in Belgium in 2018 (formally registered as an ASBL in 2019). The Netherlands followed in 2021, France in 2022. Germany and Italy have been building their chapters since 2025.
The most recent figures per chapter (sources: live websites boardcompanions.be and boardcompanions.nl, consulted September 2026):
| Country | Launched | Companions | Mandates | Organisations | Partner organisations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2018 | 240+ (incl. candidates) | 150+ | 200+ | King Baudouin Foundation, Impact Together (BNP Paribas Fortis), Women on Board, Toolbox, Club L Brussels, MLOZ |
| Netherlands | 2021 | 100+ | 75+ | 70+ | Het Oranjefonds, VSBfonds, SocialEnterprises.nl, Raad van Twaalf, Stichting Democratie en Media |
| France | 2022 | 20 | 20 | — | Passerelles et Compétences |
| Germany | early 2025 | growing | first placements made | — | — |
| Italy | 2025 | in formation | — | — | — |
Each country chapter is run by volunteer representatives — INSEAD alumni who organise the local matching effort. Each chapter's own page introduces its team.
The Belgian chapter originally recruited from the INSEAD alumni network and has since widened to other qualified pools (Toolbox, Women on Board, Club L, Bank Managers Alumni Association). The Netherlands recruits exclusively from INSEAD alumni (including executive education). France also recruits from INSEAD alumni only. Each country decides how to open its Companion pool as it matures.
How we work — Scale through Quality
We grow by doing good work, not by hitting targets. Our credibility lives on every placement; one badly-matched Companion can undo years of careful reputation-building with a foundation or a funder.
That translates into a few stubborn habits:
- We interview every Companion before adding them to the pool. It takes twenty minutes and it prevents bigger problems later.
- We qualify every organisation before briefing our Companions. If what they actually need is a volunteer or a consultant, we say so and point them elsewhere.
- We are willing to decline matches that look weak on paper, even when both sides are enthusiastic. A forced match that falls apart at month four is worse than no match at all.
- We keep supporting Companions after placement — through peer exchanges, reference material, and access to the wider network. Good governance is a skill that sharpens with use, and we want ours sharp.
Our values
Every Companion signs the BoardCompanions Charter, which makes four commitments explicit: contribute your experience, stay independent and act with integrity, show up and follow through, and carry yourself in a way that protects the reputation of the organisations we serve and of BoardCompanions itself. None of it is revolutionary. All of it is what boards ought to do anyway.
Who to talk to
For the right contact by country, see the country pages linked from the country selector on the home page. For questions that don't fit a single country — partnerships, press, BoardCompanions.org-level matters — info@boardcompanions.be.
