I am very concerned that the board of a charity to which I belong is not following its bylaws. I read the minutes and also hear about problems from staff and volunteers, and there are numerous ongoing violations. They appear...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
