Board & Administrator for Administrators Only最新文献

With social media and minute-by-minute news everywhere, even a small misstep can be blown out of proportion—leaving an organization with a reputation to recover. Given the steady drumbeat of bad news, it's no surprise that only half of Americans trust nonprofits as an industry, down 7% from 2020.

It's true that with all presidential transitions there's a certain level of uncertainly and change as new agendas take funding priority. But it's fair to say that the rollout of the second Trump Administration's agenda brought an unprecedented level of chaos and unpredictability for any individual and group with even the most tenuous ties to federal funding, sending many in the nonprofit world into a tailspin as money—often, funds already doled out and committed to programming—was apparently rescinded. Even after courts stepped in and called a temporary stop to announced funding freezes, many recipients still struggled to access money they had every reason to expect to flow—leading to even greater confusion.

For the typical nonprofit board, the role of treasurer is seen as a money-minder—the person most directly responsible for ensuring the proper stewardship of the organization's financial assets.

When it comes to appointing a new chairperson, some nonprofit boards simply tag the next person in the existing leadership—whether it's a vice chair, a secretary or the treasurer—and have them move up in the pecking order. Unfortunately, while this does offer a level of perceived fairness to those in leadership positions, it does not always mean the best person for the job has been chosen.

In most cases, nonprofit boards operate under a majority vote system, where key decisions—whether it relates to launching a new program, curtailing an existing one or hiring a new executive director—hinge on a 50% plus one vote.

As nonprofit leaders with extensive experience can tell you, part of the job entails taking steps to effectuate the removal of a board member from their position. Working with board leadership—typically the Board Chair and/or Governance Committee Chair—executive directors sometimes have a role to play in the termination of a board member who, in one way or another, has become problematic for the organization. The reasons for this can vary, but often it's because of a board member's failure to fulfil their commitments to the organization in terms of time, energy and finances. Other times, it's due to personality conflicts or a board member's insistence on imposing their will on the executive director and/or staff—board overreach into areas beyond their purview.

Most nonprofits are familiar with the more basic board committees that help coordinate and organize governance operations—typically, the finance committee, the fundraising committee, the governance or nominating committee, and the executive committee. But when their organizations embark on major new programs and initiatives, they might well need another committee specifically tasked with helming such a program. These are called steering committees, and experts say they can play a critical role in the ultimate success of new projects and initiatives.

The numbers from Giving Tuesday 2024 are in and reflect a sizable boost in fundraising for the nation's nonprofits. Early data shows that some $3.6 billion was raised for communities and causes across the country during the most recent Giving Tuesday event, logging an increase of 16 percent from 2023.

Recent data compiled by the Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise at George Mason University shows that overall employment in the nonprofit sector dropped significantly during the pandemic and has yet to recover but still remained the third-largest employer sector in the country.