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One of the distinguishing characteristics of charitable and nonprofit organizations is that they are led and governed by a voluntary board of directors. This guide is for board members and executive directors to support their knowledge of roles, responsibilities, good practice and guidelines for governing Canadian charities and nonprofits.

Essential Reading Board Governance:

20 questions directors of not-for-profit organizations should ask about board recruitment, development and assessment  by Richard Leblanc and Hugh Lindsay; Publisher, Chartered Accountants of Canada, 2010 [available online, PDF file].

20 questions directors of not-for-profit organizations should ask about risk by Hugh Lindsay;  Publisher, Chartered Accountants of Canada, 2010

Board building : recruiting and developing effective board members for not-for-profit organizations (Alberta Community Development, Board Development Program, 2008) [available online, PDF file].

Financial responsibilities of not-for-profit boards : a self-guided workbook [developed by the Board Development Program of Alberta Community Development] Muttart Foundation, 2008  [available online, PDF file].

Hiring and performance appraisal of the executive director : a self-guided workbook [developed by the Board Development Program of Alberta Community Development ; written by Heather Halpenny ; edited by Joan Heys Hawkins] Muttart Foundation, 2008 [available online, PDF file].

Drafting & revising bylaws for not-for-profit organizations in Alberta : a guidebook  [prepared by the Board Development Program of Alberta Community Development] Muttart Foundation, 2009 [available online, PDF file].

Quick reads: Tip sheets, Advice columns, Guides

Covering most of the topics above, the following links provide shorter reads addressing specific issues.

Disputing directors, brawling boards  [Laird Hunter] from Series 1: Running the well-managed organization, part of The Reprint Series of columns from LawNow Magazine

Building a board member's manual. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2006)  [available online]

Imagine Canada’s Nonprofit Risk Management Centre’s Column series.
Below are a small sampling of articles on topics, see more on our Nonprofit Risk Management Site.

By Beth Deazeley (Lawyer and key person behind the “20 Questions” booklet series for nonprofits).

• "Board Recruitment: Part 1"
• "Board Recruitment: Part 2"
• Oversight of Risk by the Board of Directors

Legal Topics for Boards and Executives By Dana Young (Windsor-area Lawyer).

• "Executive Committees and Related Board Liability"
• "Mind Your By-Laws"
• "Quirks & Quorum: Requirements for Deliberative Bodies within Nonprofits"

Tool kits, Templates and Practical Guides

• Board member's code of conduct (sample policy). (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2006) [available online]
• Role of the board (sample policy). (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2003) [available online] 
• Conflict of interest policy I (sample policy). (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2001) [available online]

Liability and risk management

• Insurance and Liability resource centre – Imagine Canada the centre dedicates a section to navigating insurance issues for Nonprofits and Charitable oragnizations.

Evaluation and succession planning

• Board self-evaluation questionnaire : a tool for improving governance practice for voluntary and community organizations. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2005) [available online] 
• Emergency executive director succession (sample policy). (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2005) [available online]
• Your board's director recruitment package. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2006) [available online]

Guidelines for Meetings

• Chairing a board meeting. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2006) [available online]
• Board secretary job description (sample). (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2005) [available online]
• Officers' responsibilities. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 1999) [available online]

Board Effectiveness and Transparency

• A good board practices checklist. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2006) [available online]
• Core governing policies. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2000) [available online]
• Managing conflict : a guide for volunteer boards. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2006) [available online]
• Non-profit organization by-laws. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2006) [available online]

Books and More

Below is a list of recommended books for your organization. Members of Imagine Canada can borrow books through our Member's Lending Library program.

Charities and not-for-profit administration and governance handbook. (Bourgeois & Ewing, 2009) [in print only]