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Governance
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In addition to stable funding, the most important need within non-profit organizations is governance. Increasingly, the voluntary sector is being called upon to play greater roles in Alberta. The public, volunteers, government, and recipients of voluntary endeavours have high expectations that governance policies are in place.

The Board of Directors has the primary legal, fiduciary, and ethical responsibility for the governance of a non-profit organization and for seeing that the mission of the organization is accomplished. Board and staffTo carry out its mission, the organization must be fiscally sound, fully accountable, have strong stewardship and effective management, and it must maintain the confidence and the moral support of its members, users and beneficiaries, staff, volunteers, and the general public. Ultimately, good governance ensures the viability, effectiveness, and importantly, the credibility of an organization. The Board of Directors of non-profit organizations are themselves volunteers. Challenges faced by organizations who are striving to maintain governance best practices are the pressures of rising demands and shrinking resources.

Notably, voluntary organizations are self-governing. Every organization has its own distinctive organizational culture, mission, philosophy of governance, and financial and human resources to manage. While organizations are as unique as fingerprints, there are governance best practices that have emerged and are common between successful organizations. Best practices include a clear mission and a strategic plan, fiscal responsibility, transparent communication, accountability; the board understands its role, an effective management structure, and assessment and evaluations of practices.

 

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