Posts Categorized: Board

The Right Mindsight to Survive the Pandemic

The world will be a different place when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. But the world will still be here. At that time, there will be work to be done, needs to be met and new opportunities for all of us who don’t succumb to negativity, paralysis or panic. As one of the most successful species …

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Are Nonprofits "Follow the Money" Obsessed?

Have the leaders of nonprofits been overly incentivized to “follow the money,” resulting in a troubling shift in the composition of boards? The answer is yes according to a recent article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The trend may be “distort[ing] organization priorities” and may “dilute charitable values.” According to the author, Garry W. …

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Will the Real Directors Please Stand Up

December 22, 2014 Posted by Jessica Shofler in Board, Director Duties, News, Nonprofits

There is a lot of confusion among nonprofits with regard to ex officio directors. Who are they and how are they different from other directors? The term ex officio comes from Latin and means “from the office.” Thus, an ex officio director is a member of the board because he or she holds a specific …

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Former Executive Director Embezzles $900K from Charity

December 16, 2014 Posted by Jessica Shofler in Board, Director Duties, News, Nonprofits

The former Executive Director of We Stay-Nos Quedamos, a South Bronx housing and social services nonprofit, recently pleaded guilty to diverting nearly $900,000 from the organization. How did she do it? According to the New York Attorney General’s office, Yolanda Gonzalez paid her personal expenses, such as payments on her new car and trips to …

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Is Preventing Poverty Charitable?

September 4, 2014 Posted by Jessica Shofler in Board, Director Duties, News, Nonprofits

According to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the answer is No. CRA recently told Oxfam Canada that its mission to prevent poverty was too broad in that it could benefit people who are not already poor. The review was part of a standard filing to renew Oxfam Canada’s nonprofit status as required under a Canadian …

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Off-the-Court Conflicts for the U.S.T.A.

As the U.S. Open got started this week, The New York Times was more interested in conflicts off the court than on it. An examination of the United States Tennis Association (U.S.T.A.), the 501(c)(6) national governing body for the sport of tennis, revealed that several of the organization’s current and recent board members have benefitted …

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