We just launched a new course titled Being a Director of a Canadian Non-Profit or Registered Charity; the rewards, pitfalls, and obligations of trying to help your community by being a director of an NPO or charity.
Here is a description of the course:
There are approximately 600,000 Canadians who voluntarily serve as directors of the 86,000 Canadian registered charities. There are many others who serve on a myriad of non-profit boards such as amateur athletic groups, business associations, social groups, etc.
Board service can be very fulfilling. You can learn a lot about important issues that the non-profit and charity deals with and be a part of making society better. You can meet lots of new people with similar interests. You can get a tremendous amount of fulfillment from helping your community and meeting new people.
There is no guide to being a great board member. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every non-profit and charity is different, and their needs change over time. Also, some directors wear different hats in the same charity such as being a board member but also an officer or committee member, or charity volunteer and the needs and requirements for each position may be different. Your circumstances can also change over time – your kids are no longer in the daycare or hockey league, your interest in opera is on the wane, you are moving to another part of the world, and your ability to contribute is less.
Some of the topics covered in the course include:
- Should you join a Board?
- Recruitment of Directors
- What is a non-profit or charity?
- Directors vs. Members vs. Officers
- What is Governance?
- What are the legal duties of Directors?
- Basic Information Directors Should Be Aware Of
- What are the roles of Directors?
- How to make decisions
- Law / Ethics / Risk Management and Governance
- Ethical Issues
- Creating a Culture of Compliance in Your Organization
- What challenges will your Board face?
- What challenges will you face?’
- Understanding Compliance and the Role of Lawyers
- When to leave the Board?
- Board vs. Management
- Shaping your Board
- Risk Management
- Internal Controls
- Misuse of Charity’s Assets
- Practical Suggestions for Directors
- Canada Not-For-Profit Corporations Act (CNCA)
- The Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010 (Ontario) “ONCA”
This course, Being a Director of a Canadian Non-Profit or Registered Charity, will be of interest to individuals who are considering joining the board of a non-profit or registered charity in Canada or who or currently sitting on the board of a non-profit or registered charity and wondering about their obligations and how to be a good board member. It will also be helpful to those wondering when it is a good time to get off the board.