Nonprofit boards play an important part in the success of your business. They are responsible for overseeing finances as well as ensuring that the organization is able to achieve its goals, and ensuring that the organization is operating within the rules of law. They also play an important role in fundraising. In addition, board members have a fiduciary responsibility to treat the assets of the non-profit as if they were their own. They are not allowed to make decisions to gain personal advantage or benefit the organization.

Non-profits should seek out board members with the following characteristics:

Passion: Board members should be passionate about the mission of your nonprofit and feel the need to act. If your board isn’t passionate then it will struggle to achieve productivity.

Commitment: To be successful a non-profit organization must have the dedication of its staff and volunteers. Your board should be willing to put in time, money, and energy.

Skills: A competent board of directors will possess skills in areas like governance as well as strategic planning and oversight of organizational structures. It must be able to spot talent and recruit people for leadership posts.

A nonprofit must have an anti-conflict of interest policy and all of its members must adhere to it. Failure to adhere to this policy could lead to penalties and fines from the IRS or state-level « Sunshine Laws. » It is because of this that many nonprofits require board members to sign agreements on conflicts of interest.

Board Meeting