Nonprofit organizations will often point to their board policy manual as the essential document keeping them on track fulfilling their mission. There are other organizations, however, that may not have a manual and may not know if the policies that their boards have adopted are even adequate in terms of the scope of activities they cover, or if the contents of their policies do a good job of expressing the board’s intent. This can be risky. There is the obvious danger that poorly written policies or the wrong policies not only leave the staff to make decisions beyond their authority, but, can also expose the nonprofit to possible legal liability. A good way to reduce these risks is with a well written and comprehensive board policy manual. The policy manual needs to fit the requirements of the organization and may, for example, include sections relating to: charter, board operations, personnel policies, financial records, board organization, etc. And within each section there might be individual policies relating to: conflict of interest, fiscal management, whistleblower protections, personnel, record retention, and other areas. The individual policies should also be reviewed periodically and certain other important documents will likely be added including: board meeting minutes, executive director reports, committee reports, audit reports, etc. This is a lot to organize and keep current, but is important for the success of your mission and the operation of your organization. Please join John Bradley, attorney at law, as he describes a sample board policy manual framework and the policies which your nonprofit should consider adopting. Mr. Bradley will also offer suggestions relating to possible provisions which should be included in your key policies. Whether you already have a board policy manual in place or are only starting the process, you’ll benefit from the best practices which Mr. Bradley will describe.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Just a sampling of what this webinar will cover:
- Key areas board policy manuals will typically include
- Key policies which nonprofits should consider adopting including: conflict of interest, fundraising, record retention, ethics, whistleblower protections, fiscal, personnel, internal control, etc.
- A framework for conducting periodic policy reviews and whether a board subcommittee should be given this responsibility
- How board policies can protect both the nonprofit and the board from legal liability
- What supporting documentation/reports should be added to the policy manual
- How to use the board policy manual for training board members and employees and volunteers
- Steps for revising current policies
- Sample language for selected key policies
- How violations of board policies should be investigated
- AND MUCH MORE!
YOUR CONFERENCE LEADER
Your conference leader for “Board Policy Manual Review: A Key Nonprofit Management Tool” is John Bradley. John is an attorney in the West Columbia, South Carolina office of Moore, Taylor &Thomas, P.A. In his 25 plus years of practice has involved numerous areas of law including appellate practice in state and federal courts, construction law, commercial liability, and products liability. His present practice primarily focuses on representing physicians, hospitals and medical care providers in the defense of professional negligence claims as well as representing and advising educators in employment matters before their local school boards and the State Department of Education.
John has long been active in nonprofits at the local and state level. He is a former president and current vice president and volunteer of the Friends of the Richland Library, a nationally recognized library system. He presently serves as a member of the Richland Friends Book Sale Committee, a group that raises money for the Friends through quarterly book sales, put on entirely through volunteer effort. As president of the Richland Library Friends he served as a member of the Richland Library Foundation Board. He is immediate past president and current board member of the Friends of South Carolina Libraries, an organization made up of library friends groups throughout the state of South Carolina. His duties and responsibilities as president included working and consulting with local Friends groups as well as with individuals interested in forming friends groups.
An avid runner, John presently serves on the board for the Carolina Marathon Association, an organization that puts on two showcase running events in Columbia, the Governor’s Cup Road Race and the Heart and Sole race. He has served as race director and course manager for several other local road races.