By NEO Law Group
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.
Advocacy is a loaded word in the nonprofit context. And when nonprofit leaders, advisors, and others discuss the role of nonprofit advocacy, there are often misunderstandings, tension, and conflict. Some will say all 501(c)(3) organizations must advocate for their mission. Others will say that not all 501(c)(3) organizations should...
BoardSource’s survey in connection with the upcoming Leading with Intent report remains open to responses through August 31, 2026. Leading with Intent (LWI) is BoardSource’s signature research initiative on nonprofit board leadership since 1994. BoardSource provides data and trends on board composition, structure, practices, and leadership dynamics across the sector. We...
Is it fair to assume that the board members of a charitable nonprofit all understand their organization’s mission? After all, why would they have been elected or willing to serve unless they understood and had some important feelings about the mission? Of course, board members have a fiduciary duty...
Generally, it seems like tension between staff and board members has risen over the past few years. Under corporation laws, the board sits atop the corporate hierarchy and possesses the ultimate power to determine the direction of a nonprofit corporation. Yet, it’s reasonable to ask whether this makes sense...
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama well-known for its efforts in advancing civil rights and racial justice, particularly in the South. Over the past several decades, the SPLC was particularly known for monitoring the Klu Klux Klan (KKK) and other...
Nonprofits often point to their mission, their values, and their vision as the reasons for their existence. Under the purpose-driven board leadership (PDBL) model, these three characteristics set an organization’s purpose. We’ve written several posts on mission, including this one – The Mission Statement: Some New Thoughts. In an earlier...
Nonprofits often point to their mission, their values, and their vision. Under the purpose-driven board leadership (PDBL) model, these three characteristics set an organization’s purpose. The last of these characteristics, vision, is the one that receives the least attention and likely creates the most confusion. Here’s the definition I...
Many nonprofit board members recognize the impact artificial intelligence (AI) is having at their workplace and in their personal lives. But it seems that only a small percentage are taking proactive steps, or even reactive steps, in response to the implications AI may be having on the nonprofits they...
Purpose-driven board leadership (PDBL) is a governance model championed by BoardSource* that embraces four basic principles: * Disclosure: I’m a board member of BoardSource While the literature on PDBL continues to grow (see the list of references at the end of this post), there has been little discussion on...
I had the honor of delivering the opening plenary address at the Contra Costa Nonprofit Partnership Fair on March 28. Prior to the Fair, I published a post with information and resources on nonprofit legal compliance and boards and board members. In this post, I provide some additional information and resources...