Recent California Attorney General (“AG”) audits should make every nonprofit board beware the Attorney General. This charity regulator appears to be doubling down on its scrutiny of director compensation. Under the California Nonprofit Corporation Law (the “Nonprofit Law”), the AG has the authority to look into virtually every aspect of a charity’s operations. This broad …
Posts Categorized: Director Duties
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. …
Telephone Townhall for Nonprofit Organizations
Do you have questions about the sales and use taxes that affect nonprofits organizations? Here is your chance to ask your questions directly to the California Board of Equalization. On February 19, 2015 at 10AM, California Board of Equalization member George Runner and the California Association of Nonprofits are hosting a live telephone townhall titled …
Will the Real Directors Please Stand Up
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 …
Former Executive Director Embezzles $900K from Charity
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 …
British Officials Fear Terrorists Hijacking Charities
The Charity Commission, a British government watchdog for charities, is formally investigating 86 British aid organizations to determine whether their charitable funds have been hijacked by terrorists in Iraq and Syria to finance military operations. The Commission fears that extremists are smuggling from the aid groups when the groups are distributing donated cash and equipment …