Most governance boards in the nonprofit sector do a lousy job of training board members for governance. Governors are expected to acquire skills like collaboration and strategizing through osmosis and a brief annual orientation. Perhaps that’s why participants in Peer...
In my work with civil society organizations around the globe over the past year, I can’t tell you how many times this statement about technology by Jonathan Peizer has come to mind: “It is not about choosing the right technology...
For an organization to be registered as a charity, its purposes must fall within one of four categories, one of which is the advancement of religion. Adam Aptowitzer, a lawyer with the Ottawa-based law firm Drache LLP, explains how "religion"...
I supervise a number of employees, and always try to help them develop skills relevant to their current work and their career. One employee requested training on project management, and we agreed on a course. She asked to take it...
Vital Signs® is an annual community check-up conducted by community foundations across Canada. It measures the vitality of cities, identifies significant trends, and assigns grades in at least ten areas critical to quality of life. This past October, the Community...
Many not-for-profit organization executives lie awake at night wondering what their members really want. Along with my colleague Jack Shand, CAE, I was involved in two projects recently where not-for-profit organization executives, and in the second instance major business leaders,...
For an organization to be registered as a charity, its purposes must fall within one of four categories, one of which is the relief of poverty. Adam Aptowitzer, a lawyer with the Ottawa-based law firm Drache LLP, explains the type...
The Pedorthic Association of Canada, a national organization with 500 members across Canada, doesn’t have an office, photocopier, fax machine or receptionist. In fact, it has no infrastructure at all. Yet, the association still boasts effective management, successful campaigns, a...
The members of the committee who disperse our Christmas packages for needy families refuse to tell our board who the recipients are, saying the families might be ashamed. I think some of the packages go to relatives of other board...
Karen has been serving with a governance board for two years. It’s been a wild two years! In her first year, both senior managers quit within six months of each other, leaving the board scrambling for replacements. Members of the...
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