For Companions

Why serve on an SPO board

You spent a career building things that work under pressure — businesses, functions, teams. Social profit organisations need exactly that experience. They run tight budgets, manage staff and volunteers, answer to funders, and sit under the same governance obligations that any commercial board carries. The difference is that they rarely have the budget to hire the people who have done it before.

That is where you come in, as a Companion.

A Companion serves on the board of an SPO pro-bono, usually as an independent non-executive director, sometimes as an advisor or observer. You bring your governance instincts, your functional depth, and your network. You get a front-row view of a sector that you probably didn't cross paths with in the corporate world, and you contribute to something whose value is measured in mission outcomes rather than share price.

Our Companions tell us the same two things, in different words. One: they learn more than they expected — about the sector, about different management styles, about governance. Two: it feels good to use their skills for something that matters.

What we ask of you

Being a Companion is not a figurehead role. Our credibility depends on every placement going well, and that starts with the standards we hold our Companions to.

Experience

You should have substantial senior management experience — ideally including prior board, supervisory board, or advisory experience — and be comfortable operating at governance level rather than at day-to-day execution.

Board education (strongly preferred)

In our established countries, roughly 95% of Companions have completed INSEAD's International Directors Programme (IDP) or IN-BOARD, or an equivalent board-governance programme. Extensive hands-on board experience can substitute; we assess case by case.

Time and follow-through

A non-executive role at an SPO typically involves a handful of board meetings a year plus preparation, occasional committee work, and being reachable when something important comes up. If your employer requires permission for external directorships, please arrange it before applying.

Values

Every Companion signs the BoardCompanions Charter. In plain language it asks you to:

• Contribute your experience and learn from peers.
• Act independently in the interest of the SPO and its stakeholders.
• Respect the SPO's purpose and culture; follow its governance rules.
• Hold yourself to a high ethical standard — confidentiality, no conflicts of interest, transparent where one could arise.
• Stay engaged with the BoardCompanions community: learning sessions, feedback, mutual support.

The Charter is short, and most of it reads like "what good directors do anyway". Signing it makes it explicit.

How it works, from your side

The journey from first interest to first mandate:

Step	What happens
1. Apply online	Fill out a short profile — background, expertise, availability, languages, sectors of interest
2. Get-to-know interview	A 20-minute conversation with the country team. Mutual: you ask us anything about the process, we check fit
3. Join the pool	You receive the Companion Welcome Pack and join the active pool for your country
4. Receive briefings	When a matching round opens, you see the organisations we are briefing for and can express interest in the ones that fit
5. Meet organisations	Through a matching event or a direct introduction
6. Decide and engage	If both sides want to continue, we confirm the match and step back — the relationship is yours to build

The pool is not a waiting list. Well-prepared Companions who actively respond to briefings tend to be matched within a few rounds; others wait longer. Responsiveness matters more than the size of your CV.

Support for placed Companions

The work does not end at placement. We keep our Companion community active through:

• Peer exchanges where Companions share what is working and what isn't on their boards.
• Reference material and templates on common governance questions.
• Access to the network for specific expertise — legal, financial, sector — that often already sits inside the Companion pool.
• Regular country-team check-ins so we know how placements are going and can help when something looks difficult.

What this is not

A few honest clarifications, because expectations matter:

• Not compensated. Companionships are pro-bono. Direct expenses may be reimbursed by the SPO; that is between you and them.
• Not instant. Matching takes time. We will not put you on a board that is a poor fit just to keep momentum.
• Not a stepping stone. Some Companions take on multiple mandates over time; others take one. What we care about is that the match works.

Apply

The intake form captures your experience and availability. You can save progress and finish later; we'll reach out within a few working days to schedule the interview.

Questions before applying? Reach your country team via the contact page.

BoardCompanions.org-level questions go to info@boardcompanions.be.