In my office we have mixed opinions on what the organization should pay for when it comes to lunches with donors and staff meals/staff retreats. Should a nonprofit ever spend money on alcohol? If yes, what about for staff? It's...
My nonprofit had more people come forward to run for the board than the number of vacancies. The board recommended only certain candidates to the members, the same number as there were vacancies. Was it ethical to do that? It...
Can my nonprofit make me serve another without my consent? I'm the human resources officer of a charity with 44 staff. My boss doesn't think that should be full time, and plans to contract with another charity, with 13 staff,...
Our bylaws do not define a "member" and we have no membership fee. Is it ethical to just let all adult attendees at the upcoming annual general meeting vote? Or all volunteers? Should we let staff be members and vote?...
Some of the directors of my nonprofit want to be paid a per diem for board and board committee work. Is this ethical? There's recently been a lively online international discussion among governance professionals and senior staff on this very...
My organization just elected a married couple to its board. Is this ethical? In most circumstances it is ethical, but often unwise. I usually advise against it but I sit on a board myself that has not one but three...
I was invited to sit on the board of directors for a charitable organization. I am looking for work in the charity sector, including perhaps this very organization. Is it a conflict of interest for me to accept this invitation?...
In my organization, each chapter appoints a representative to the provincial board. But the one from my chapter has been voting against what the chapter wants. She says she votes for what's best for the province instead. How do we...
For the vast majority of Canada's 85,000+ charities, the work they do is often unheralded, workmanlike and of interest only to the stakeholders impacted by their cause. The organization keeps its head down, does the best it can on whatever...
I sit on the board of an organization that is greatly intertwined with a major funder. The board members of the major funder are also the only members of my organization. Their part-time executive director also serves as our part-time...

