The management of charities and nonprofits offers a unique set of regulations and challenges (as compared to the for-profit sector). The following resources will provide links to resources and documents that tackle some critical issues in charity and nonprofit management.
General overview documents
- Primer for directors of not-for-profit corporations : rights, duties and practices (Broder et al. 2002) [available online]
Probably the best overview of major issues any executive or leader in a Canadian charity or nonprofit should be aware of: corporations & directors , duties of directors , liability of directors, rights and powers, committees, risk protection, taxation , and director development. - Best practices for executive directors and boards of nonprofit organizations (Whatcom Council for Nonprofits, 2000) [available online]
Though developed in Washington state this document is a very concise matrix of standards and complementary examples of real best practices in key areas related to nonprofit management. - Should we incorporate? (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2001) [available online]
- The non-profit annual report : the basic ingredients. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2002) [available online]
- Sample society by-laws. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program) [available online]
Board Recruitment & Responsibilities
- Legal responsibilities of boards. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2004) [available online]
- Board chair job description (sample). (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2006) [available online]
- Board member's job description (sample). (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2004) [available online]
- What kinds of boards are there? (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2006) [available online]
- The 'pros' and 'cons' of representative boards. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2001) [available online]
- Managing board conflict (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2003) [available online]
Planning and Program Evaluation
- Project evaluation guide for nonprofit organizations : fundamental methods and steps for conducting project evaluation (Zarinpoush, 2006) [available online]
- Nonprofit Business Intelligence [draft paper]. (Saul, 2003) [available online]
- Building sustainable non-profits : the Waterloo region experience. c2004. [available online]
- Working in partnership: recipes for success (Alberta Community Development, 2001) [available online]
- Inter-agency service collaboration in the NPO sector (Roberts & O'Connor, 2007) [available online]
- Overview of planning (Shapiro) [available online]
- Strategic planning toolkit (Shapiro, 2002?) [available online]
Policies for Charities and Nonprofits:
- Is there a difference between policies and by-laws?. (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2006) [available online]
- Accountability (sample policy). (Dalhousie University, Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program, 2000) [available online]
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