The Murdock Trust Board Leadership and Development Program equips nonprofit organizations to fulfill their unique missions by building board capacity.
Strong institutions are led by strong boards. This training program provides concrete, practical, and time-tested tools to equip executive directors, board chairs, and board members to address the most strategic issues, challenges, and opportunities of board leadership.
Since 2014, this program has engaged | 16 cohorts | 222 organizations | 1,033 participants
This program is now recruiting for the 2026 cohort. See eligibility requirements, application process, and key dates below.
Program Basics #
This unique training was researched and developed by a team of experienced coaches and faculty assembled by the Murdock Trust. Within six months, the program will better equip you to fulfill the unique mission of your nonprofit organization. Through in-person and virtual training as well as dedicated coaching, participating organizations will learn the four pillars of a high-performing board, clarify the board’s role and executive director’s role, identify top action steps needed to create a sustainable future, and more.
Additional learning outcomes include:
- Investing in a high-trust board culture and maximizing the most critical relationship: the board chair and the executive director
- Leveraging the four phases of board development—cultivation, recruitment, orientation, and engagement—and preparing for transitions such as leadership succession
- Establishing dashboard metrics to monitor the health and sustainability of an organization and fostering a culture of continuous learning
- Aligning your mission, vision, and values for strategic planning with measurable results and goals
What to Expect #
Organizations will receive three days of training over the virtual orientation in February and the in-person training in March, as well as approximately two days of customized coaching (including coach preparation time). Typically, this coaching allotment is comprised of calls between the coach and the organization before the virtual orientation, between the orientation and the in-person training, and a full day of coaching following the training, with options for virtual or in-person coaching. The Trust will cover all transportation fees of the coach to the organization for one trip.
- Prior to the Orientation: Registration, pre-program survey, and coaching connection
- Orientation (via Zoom): February 3, 2026 | 9:00am-11:00am PT
- Training (in-person, Vancouver WA): March 3-5, 2026
- Day 1: 11:00am-8:00pm PT
- Day 2: 8:00am-5:00pm PT
- Day 3: 8:00am-2:00pm PT
- After the Training: Completion of Top 5 Action Steps and virtual or in-person coaching
Participation Fee and Requirements #
A minimum of three and a maximum of four participants must attend the virtual orientation and the entire in-person training (full attendance at both is mandatory for all participants): the executive director/CEO, the board chair/future board chair, and one other board member.
To participate, your organization must commit to the following:
- Participants must attend both the orientation and the training and be available for sessions with your coach on mutually agreed-upon dates.
- Participants must complete all readings and assignments before, during, and after the orientation and training.
- Participants will be expected to complete three assessments related to the program: the first will be conducted prior to the orientation in February, the second will be completed immediately after the in-person training in March, and the third will be completed one year later (Summer 2027).
- A program fee of $1,500 per organization is due upon registration, which includes the personalized coaching, all materials for both sessions, and meals and hotel costs for the training in March.
How to Apply #
Eligibility #
Before submitting an application, please carefully review the following eligibility criteria:
- Organizations from the Pacific Northwest region (OR, WA, AK, MT, ID, BC) or national groups with a strong regional presence in our area are invited to apply. Although the board training program is not connected to our grantmaking, grantees working in the five sectors we serve (Artistic & Cultural Expression, Civic Engagement & Community Services, Health & Environmental Stewardship, Education & Leadership Development, and Scientific Research) will be given priority in consideration for this program.
- Organizations that are accepted into the program and that tend to benefit most from the training are often those with annual budgets of over $350,000 and more than one FTE, including a full-time employed Executive Director. In recent years, the median budget size of organizations in the cohort has ranged from $600,000-$3,000,000.
Application Process #
- Applications for 2026 are now live! Once you have reviewed the above eligibility criteria and believe this program is a fit for your organization, please apply using the button below.
- You can preview the entire application here. (NOTE: If you pause in filling out the application partway through, please be advised that the answers on any incomplete page may not save. However, answers you have entered on completed pages should remain intact.)
- For full consideration, please submit completed applications by the deadline of Friday, July 18. Due to limited capacity within our program, we are rarely able to accept late submissions.
- After the application window closes, submitted applications will be reviewed. Select applicants will be invited to interview in late July and August.
- Cohort decisions will be made and communicated no later than September 5, 2025.
If you have any questions about the program or the application process, please email Hannah Pick, Program Manager, at boardleadership@murdocktrust.org.