Terry can be opinionated about her experience serving on boards in the nonprofit sector. Most of Terry’s board work has failed to measure up to expectations, and some experiences were downright frustrating. At the last organization, board members were informed...
Congratulations. You have been elected or appointed to chair meetings. Here are some tips on how to do a great job. 1. Get materials to participants well in advance of your meeting Ensure that the agenda, the minutes of the...
Nonprofit organizations do better when their board members and staff collaborate effectively. One of the board's biggest responsibilities is strategic planning. In most nonprofits, creating the annual strategic plan is a very time-consuming (and painful) process. It starts with a...
Every charitable organization is governed by a board of directors, but these people aren't just figureheads. They are ultimately responsible for the success or failure of the nonprofit they serve. Adam Aptowitzer, a lawyer with the Ottawa-based law firm Drache...
The treasurer of my theatre company is a very close friend of the artistic director, and has used the finance committee to give the artistic director a huge raise. The executive director, who also reports to the board, will receive...
I think my membership organization needs change at the board, but there are no term limits so there are never any elections; people are comfortable and stay forever. At the last Annual General Meeting (AGM), I proposed a carefully worded...
When it is ethical to have 'in camera' sessions of the board, and what are the guidelines around tracking and communicating decisions made at them? First, just so everyone understands, 'in camera' and 'executive session' appear to be interchangeable terms...
What type of board do you want ‘yours’ to be? A nonprofit organization recently asked me to help them figure out “what type of board they wanted to be”. This reminded me of discussions with a colleague who suggests that...
Call to order! The chair has called order for the regular monthly meeting of your nonprofit board. You’re asked to speak to an item that you placed on the agenda - board assessment - a matter that’s been on your...
I hear a lot about conflict of interest at the board and executive level. Is it an issue below that? Conflict of interest is possible and serious throughout all levels of staff. The Code of Conduct for staff, and staff...
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