Meetings, meetings, meetings. A necessary part of any nonprofit organization, they are where ideas and issues are discussed, new initiatives are introduced, and action items are assigned. While they may seem cumbersome at times, a good meeting keeps your organization focused and goal-oriented. But how do you maintain the productivity of meetings – especially recurring …
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 …
Lois Lerner, director of the IRS’ exempt organizations division, says YES. Specifically, an IRS study (albeit a small one) found that if your nonprofit follows these 4 governance practices, it is more likely to also comply with IRS tax rules: 1. Have a written mission statement. 2. Compare your nonprofit to other nonprofits when making …
These days, every nonprofit seems concerned about conflicts of interest and appropriate conduct of its board members and staff. Hewlett-Packard, the giant computer maker, has a very simple “Standard of Business Conduct.” (http://bit.ly/lfnp78) It is simple: “Before I make a decision, I consider how it would look in a news story.” If your non-profit is …
