More and more I am witnessing the power that leveraging our strengths has in the nonprofit sector. This approach, which identifies what is working well within any given system or organization and builds upon this knowledge, is at the heart...
One of the most important aspects of operating a nonprofit is to have a board which can give direction to the organization. Without being comprehensive in terms of board duties, it must set policy, manage investments, handle personnel issues, raise...
This is the fifth in a series of six articles that discuss outcome measurement: what it is, how to do it, and most importantly, how it will help your organization. The content of these articles draws heavily on a framework...
It seems that a recurring frustration for volunteers and chief staff officers in the sector is governance — specifically, how to define the roles and responsibilities of the board of directors and staff, consistently follow what has been agreed to,...
It seems there are never enough volunteers to go around. It also seems that too often, people agree to take on volunteer roles without knowing what they’re in for, how much time it will take and the full extent of...
How ethical is it for a nonprofit health care agency to force employees to sign job offer letters saying they agree to let the organization terminate them for any reason and without cause, both during probation and after probation? A...
Late last year, Liberal MP for Mississauga East-Cooksville, Albina Guarnieri, drafted a private member's bill into parliament titled C-470. It passed first reading in October and last month went through its second reading in the House of Commons. While the...
This is the fourth in a series of six articles that discuss outcome measurement: what it is, how to do it, and most importantly, how it will help your organization. The content of these articles draws heavily on a framework...
Shouldn’t a good organization provide a committee chair with a graceful way to exit within a reasonable time frame? Most of our organizations are highly dependent on the contributions of skilled and passionate individuals, and our lives would be much...
Charities in Canada are not allowed to bestow undue benefit, a situation where an individual, corporation, or other entity receives a tangible benefit from their involvement with a particular charity. This is a very important issue for charities to understand...
