I chair a board, and one of my board members has committed an unacceptable act. Can I ethically hold a board meeting without that director to discuss it? Yes, you can, and it is more ethical to have a formal...
We found out at our AGM that one member had quietly been collecting proxies. Her 71 proxies gave her complete control over the director election, as there were only 43 members present and 9 other proxies. We lost some good...
Directors serving on a board of directors of a Canadian nonprofit are subject to Canadian liability laws, and as such, must understand their rights and responsibilities to ensure that they comply with current legislation. This extensive article covers a variety...
How financially competent is your nonprofit team? If yours is similar to many small nonprofits or charities, the board, management and staff are likely struggling to address financial challenges arising from the battered economy. Given these pressures, the treasurer's role...
Operational (primary focus: operations) The board does the work of the organization and manages as well as governs it. This is typical of a board in the "founding" stage of an organization and of boards in organizations, such as service...
When the topic of recruitment is raised at board meetings, it is often met with sighs of despair or a blanket of silence. Directors rack their brains for potential candidates and inevitably someone decides to approach a friend out of...
If I have a dilemma in my role as board member and want to make sure I do the right thing, who can I ask for advice and how do I decide who to ask? What a great question! You...
This is the fifth in a series of articles focusing on key steps in building a solid not-for-profit organization. As referenced in the first four articles, we have relied on the excellent information offered in the Government of Canada's Primer...
From an ethics perspective, what rights does a member have? Membership concerns have been a very common topic recently in queries to me, web-based forums, and conversations with colleagues. If the issue were easy, there would be far fewer discussions....
This is the fourth in a series of articles focusing on key steps in building a solid not-for-profit organization. As referenced in the first three articles, we have relied on the excellent information offered in the Government of Canada’s Primer...
