Must a nonprofit board always take action through a directors’ meeting? May the board circulate an email instead, asking for responsive votes from the directors? What if some directors attend a board meeting and vote there, while other directors email their vote on the same matter? These are common questions asked by nonprofit directors. Thankfully, the answers are clear.
What's your nonprofit's mission? Given the continued talk of reducing charitable tax deductions, along with perennial fundraising challenges, nonprofits these days need compelling mission statements more than ever. How effectively are you communicating your mission to donors and other constituents? At a more foundational level, much effort has your board invested in developing a strong mission statement to serve as its guiding compass?
Rules matter. For nonprofits, bylaws contain their internal governing rules. Viewing a nonprofit as a legal "person," the bylaws effectively function as its "skeleton" -- internally determining how the nonprofit should "move" in its governance and key aspects of its operations.