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.
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Shortly after writing The Nonprofit Board You’d Love to Join, it seemed important to look at this issue from the other direction. The following is a list of ten attractive characteristics of a board member from the perspective of a charity: Ten Attractive Characteristics of a Nonprofit Board Member Deeply...
If we accept as given that a nonprofit has a mission that resonates with you, what makes a board one you would want to join? Likely, the principal reasons are your existing relationships to the organization and its leadership. But for organizations seeking board members, the following list of...