Policies

Managing Board Resignations

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The resignation of a volunteer board member or director is not an uncommon occurrence. Typically it is because the person finds themselves unable to fulfill their duties. Personal or family matters or new work commitments can unexpectedly get in the way of their continued board involvement. And, it can occur too as a result of a conflict on the board.  A person is unhappy with recent happenings or decisions and is unwilling to continue serving.

It is the latter kind of situation that recently sparked some advice from me to a group.  But the cause of a resignation, or preventing them, is not the focus of this post. Regardless of the reason for a board departure they need to be handled properly. This is not complicated governance territory but, much to my own surprise, I discovered that there are important considerations one should be aware of.[1]Helpful in writing this post was Mary Childs’ 2020 piece Canada: Directors of Not-for-Profits and Charities_ Resignation, Removal and Replacement published by Mondaq

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The Board Financial Report

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It is the board of directors that has highest level of responsibility and accountability when it comes to managing the money their organization receives and uses. What does the exercise of their financial duty usually look like? More importantly, what could it look like?

It is common for the board financial report to be a spreadsheet detailing monthly revenues and expenditures compared to the budget. This sometimes causes board members’ eyes to glaze over, or for a particular director to latch onto a particular line item and take the group down a rabbit hole.

Surely the board financial report, or reports, can be more effective and meaningful to all involved. In this post I offer some suggestions. I think less frequent and time-consuming reporting could be perfectly fine for some organizations. Find out if you are one.

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Fathoming Policies

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In this photo two Halifax harbour ferries are passing each in the low-lying fog. The light on Georges Island is visible in the background. The ferries here look even more mysterious than in the image of them I used for my October 2020 piece on this subject, De-Cloaking Policies

This post is also about making sense of governing policies.  In my earlier foray into the topic I provided an outline of some foundational polices. Here, I turn to look at a few other good practices non-profits can adopt, and therefore, describe in policy.

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De-cloaking Policies

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Sometimes one of the Halifax ferries can look a little mysterious emerging out of the early morning mist. What are these craft? Do not be concerned. They are quite fathomable once one sees them up close. Getting onboard adds to one’s appreciation of their distinctive design and useful function.

The term policy board or policy-making board is often used in the non-profit sector. While the concept is understood, the specifics are foggy to many. What is an organizational policy in a governance context? What key policies ought a non-profit have? Who creates and implements them? What might a policy really look like close up?

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Law 102 for Boards

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A while ago I came across a U.S article on the importance of non-profit organizations paying attention to how the law distinguishes between employees and contractors. Here was a topic that seemed timely given all the discussion of new types of work places. I wondered then if there was a Canadian piece on this topic and whether the laws here were similar?

Fast forward. There is and they are. But this inquiry led me to explore several other areas of law that need to be followed by non-profits. The laws affecting organizations are important enough that volunteer boards need to know what key rules affect their non-profit’s conduct. However, boards may not need to know all the details. Read on.

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Law 101 for Boards

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I am sure that most non-profit leaders are aware that certain laws that need to be followed by their organization. But if asked, could a typical director name them, let alone describe what matters the laws cover? Possibly not. Can a board member easily become familiar with his/her organization’s legal responsibilities? Yes.

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A Ready-Made Staff Survey

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So, you have full confidence in the ability of your executive director and have a good HR policy in place. But, as a board how do you know for sure that staff is happy and being managed well?  Isn’t part of your governance responsibility to ensure your non-profit is a good workplace? And, isn’t HR one of the key area of executive director performance evaluation?

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