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.
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...
I have the honor of delivering the opening plenary address at this month’s Contra Costa Nonprofit Partnership Fair taking place on Saturday, March 28, 2026 from 9 am to 3:30 pm at Contra Costa College. The plenary will focus on nonprofit compliance and governance, with acknowledgement of the turbulent...
BoardSource announced its release of Authorized Voice & Power in the Boardroom: Reimagining Governance to Fulfill Philanthropy’s Purpose, an incredible resource meeting the moment and embracing Purpose-Driven Board Leadership. The free-to-download publication is both a call to action and a guide for foundation boards. Centering community voice in board...
I recently joined fellow Nonprofit Radio contributor Amy Sample Ward (CEO, NTEN) in conversation with host Tony Martignetti about artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, governance, and the general state of the nonprofit sector. Listen to the latest podcast here or on your favorite podcast apps. This year, any conversation about...