Governance and climate change. More attention is being given to the interplay of these seemingly unrelated issues, including at the upcoming 2024 Stanford Social Innovation Review Nonprofit Management Institute – What’s Next for the Social Sector? This year’s conference, taking place on September 17-18, is organized as a hybrid, allowing...
BOARDS / GOVERNANCE
An engaged board can be one of the most important organizational assets of a nonprofit. But nonprofit boards are often underutilized and are not always effective in significantly advancing an organization’s mission. Educating boards and executives about their legal duties, practical steps to take to effectively meet those duties, and best practices in mitigating exposure to organizational and personal liability/harm is key to establishing board engagement and effectiveness.
Nonprofit Radio: OpenAI and Nonprofit-Money Collaborations
I recently spoke with Tony Martignetti, host of Nonprofit Radio, about the OpenAI nonprofit-for-profit joint venture drama making headlines and some lessons to be learned about nonprofit collaborations heavily influenced by money. You can join the 13,000 weekly listeners and catch the Nonprofit Radio podcast here. As general background, you...
An OpenAI-Inspired Nonprofit Law Story – Part Two
This post continues the story from Part One and is inspired by some of the drama involving OpenAI. In Part One, the board of a nonprofit that also served as the manager of a joint venture (JV) with several investors was dealing with a dilemma. On one hand they...
An OpenAI-Inspired Nonprofit Law Story – Part One
Imagine a charitable nonprofit whose mission is to educate people on the dangers of vaping. The board members, including the founder, want to advance the mission by producing and distributing a documentary film. An individual who recently lost their child to throat cancer wants to donate $2 million to...
NAAG/NASCO Charities Conference: Purpose-Driven Board Leadership
One of the outstanding presentations at the 2023 NAAG/NASCO Charities Conference focused on Purpose-Driven Board Leadership (“PDBL”), a governance framework that I think has groundbreaking potential. Dani Robbins, BoardSource’s Director of Strategic Governance, delivered the presentation which provided attendees, including many state charity regulators with much food for thought....
Lessons in Nonprofit Governance from the Screen
I’ll be presenting a session at the 2023 NAAG/NASCO Charities Conference this Wednesday, October 11. The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) and the National Association of State Charities Officials (NASCO) are holding the Conference virtually this year. You can register through Monday, October 9, here ($100). You’ll need...
2023 NAAG/NASCO Annual Charities Conference
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) and National Association of State Charities Officials (NASCO) are holding their 2023 Charities Conference virtually on October 11-12, 2023. The conference is unique in its targeting of attendees representing government regulators, nonprofits, and professional advisors. The cost of registration is $100. Register...
California Law: Removed Director of a Nonprofit and Standing to Sue
On August 3, 2023, the California Supreme Court unanimously held that a director of a nonprofit public benefit corporation who brings a lawsuit pursuant to Corporations Code sections 5142, 5233, and 5223 does not lose standing to continue litigating the suit if the director subsequently loses that position. Turner...
Fiscal Sponsorship and Board Governance
On July 11, 2023, Fiscal Sponsor Conversations (“the weekly form for fiscal sponsors”) focused its discussion on governance for fiscal sponsors. What role does your Board of Directors play in your organization’s fiscal sponsorship work? How is it working? What could be improved? As with most things in fiscal...
Starting a Nonprofit: Designators and Board Member Selection
One of the first decisions a founder of a nonprofit corporation must make is who selects the board members. Initially, that’s usually the founder or the founding group. But what happens after the initial board has been selected? Self-Perpetuating Boards Most nonprofit boards are known as self-perpetuating boards. In...