Are you interested in joining a nonprofit board of directors? Serving as a board member of a nonprofit can be tremendously rewarding and valuable, both to the organization and to you. But there are some things to consider before you join. About You It’s important to be honest and introspective in carefully considering the following: […]
governance
Nonprofit Directors and Officers – Not the Same Thing
Many nonprofits fail to respect the differences between directors and officers. When an individual holds both the position of director (i.e., board member) and an officer position (e.g., chair of the board), we often see such individual elected for only the officer position. It is then assumed that such person automatically also becomes a director, […]
Governance and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – JFKU
I’ll be presenting on Governance and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for The Sanford Institute of Philanthropy and The College of Law at John F. Kennedy University on Thursday, May 2. Recent movements have energized the drive towards greater diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across our society. Nonprofits have played a major role in these movements, […]
Webinar: Practical Strategies to Increase Board Diversity
I’m honored to be co-presenting a live webinar, Practical Strategies to Increase Board Diversity, with Vernetta Walker for Lorman Education Services on Monday, March 25, from 10 – 11:30 am PT / 1 – 2:30 pm ET. UPDATE: This webinar is now available on demand and you can get a 50% discount on the webinar […]
Nonprofit Radio: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Nonprofit Governance
I’ll be on Nonprofit Radio this Friday, February 22, at 10:30 am PT / 1:30 pm ET talking with host Tony Martignetti about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and a nonprofit’s governing documents. This follows up on part one of our discussion on DEI and nonprofit governance from February 15, which is now available as a podcast here. We’ll […]
DEI and Bylaws: Board Composition
As we’ve discussed in a previous post, one way to anchor diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) as a core value of an organization is to include DEI principles and language into an organization’s Bylaws. A common starting place for nonprofit corporations is the composition of the board of directors. Each organization should determine for itself […]
Governance Documents: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Nonprofits
The Center for Effective Philanthropy reports that 70% of organizational leaders in the nonprofit sector consider staff diversity to be of great importance, yet only 36% believe they have actually achieved it. Nonprofit organizations that fight to improve social problems should consider incorporating explicit language on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in […]
Governance Committee: 12 Key Tasks
A nonprofit corporation is ultimately governed by its board of directors, but a board may create committees to assist in fulfilling the board’s duties. Among the most common and important committees utilized by boards is a governance committee. The governance committee is generally responsible for reviewing the governance structures and practices of the organization and […]
So You Wanna Join a Nonprofit Board? BASF 01/23/18
On January 23, 2018, NEO’s Erin Bradrick will be presenting So You Wanna Join a Nonprofit Board? at the Bar Association of San Francisco Conference Center from noon to 1:15 pm. The event (offered live and as a webinar) is sponsored by the Litigation Section of the Barristers Club. Victoria Weatherford of the San Francisco City […]
Amending Bylaws of a California Nonprofit Corporation
We are often asked to help nonprofit corporations review their bylaws and amend them as necessary or as desired. Bylaws may need to be reviewed and amended for legal compliance or risk management purposes or to match the existing or desired policies/practices of the corporation. The following are steps for amending the bylaws of a […]