It’s been about three months now, since Canada elected its new government. What will this new federal government mean for Canada's nonprofit sector? What policy shifts can we anticipate? How will funding be affected? And what should nonprofit leaders be...
This column was written with the assistance of Ryan Turnbull, Director of Ethics and CSR, Eco-Ethonomics. Our charity needs to start a social enterprise to fund programs operating at a deficit. Do we need to replace the board with business...
If a board is responsible for articulating the ethical values of their organization, how would they know what those are? The board is responsible for articulating the ethical values as they want them to be, not as they are. It’s...
I read articles for and against term limits for nonprofit directors. How would my organization decide what’s right for it? In Canada, most nonprofits now must have or implement term limits. The new legislation for both federally incorporated nonprofits and...
I lead a federally incorporated nonprofit. What I should be doing now to prepare for the Canadian Nonprofit Corporations Act (CNCA) coming into effect? Please note I’m not a lawyer and you’ve asked about a legal matter. Even though the...
I’ve read about the importance of board member solidarity with board decisions, but aren’t there times a board member should blow the whistle? Absolutely there are times when a board member should blow the whistle on their organization. Most of...
Should a charity divert monies from its programs to attempt to influence public policy? A charitable mission is about making some aspect of the world or community better. If a current or proposed public policy works against that mission, the...

