(Est. 5 min)
You’ve joined your Neighborhood Association and have been voted in as a board member! Now what?
Introduction and Overview of Course
If you’re taking this course, you are likely a board member yourself who is looking to refresh and update your knowledge or who has just started your journey into nonprofit leadership and are looking for an understanding of your roles and responsibilities. As a board member, you can more directly shape your community’s future and can help improve the livability of your neighborhood.
Course Overview
Throughout this course you will learn about Portland’s unique neighborhood association system, how the law applies to nonprofits, and the specifics of the roles and responsibilities of being a board member. Each lesson will focus on a specific aspect of nonprofit board membership. Lessons take anywhere from 5-10 minutes to complete and are meant to provide a base level of understanding with enough information to allow for further study and inquiry.
District 4 Coalition hosts an annual hybrid training facilitated by the organization’s nonprofit lawyer who can explain specifics and speak to some more nuanced aspects of board membership. To learn about D4C’s programming and attend trainings, head to our calendar here. As always, if you have questions, comments, or concerns, D4C staff is available to offer assistance.
Board of Directors
Definition
A nonprofit board of directors is a group of individuals who are elected to govern and oversee the organization’s operations. The board is responsible for setting the organization’s mission, strategy, and goals, and ensuring that the organization operates in compliance with legal and ethical standards. The board of directors is also responsible for ensuring the organization’s financial stability and sustainability. https://501c3.org/nonprofits-board-diractors
Key Officer Positions
President/Chair
The President or Chair is the head of the board and supervises the business and affairs of the board. Often, whoever holds this position will also facilitate meetings unless that duty has been delegated to another board member.
Vice-President/Vice-Chair
The Vice-President or Vice-Chair fulfills duties delegated from the President/Chair. Often whoever holds this position fills in as President/Chair in case of a vacancy until the position is filled again.
Secretary
The Secretary is responsible for taking meeting minutes for each board meeting and ensuring they are archived in accordance with public records requirements. The Secretary also keeps track of the organizations activities to ensure they are in line with the Bylaws of the organization. It is usually the person holding this position that maintains the contact information for board members.
Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining accurate financial records for the organization, ensuring there are adequate receipts and tracking for disbursement of funds. The person holding this position is often a signatory on all of the organization’s bank accounts, though should not be the sole signatory for the organization. The Treasurer tracks and reports on the organizations financial condition in an effort to have a well informed board with regard to organization finances.
Board Meetings and Term Lengths
Board Meetings
Board members meet at specified intervals to discuss and vote on the affairs of the organization. How often a board meets should be outlined in the organization’s bylaws.
Term Length
Being a member of a board is often not a permanent position. Term lengths should be outlined in the organization’s bylaws.
Effective Governance Best Practices
- Understand your role – taking this course is a great first step!
- Attend meetings
- Support fundraising efforts
- Provide transparency and accountability
- Engage with stakeholders
Much of the information in this lesson is derived from the Foundation Group’s webpage regarding nonprofit boards. To read a more in-depth explanation of the information above visit https://www.501c3.org/nonprofits-board-directors/