Transcript Board Governance Presentation

Board Governance
Monitoring to determine the
effectiveness of the Board of
Directors
Francie Mathes
CSBG OVERVIEW
Community Action Agencies
 Community Action Agencies were
created under the Economic
Opportunity Act of 1964.
 The Community Services Block Grant
was created in 1981 and it
maintained funding to Community
Action Agencies.
 Tripartite Boards exist in Community
Action Agencies because it is a
mandatory requirement of CSBG.
Tripartite Board
 The Statutory Authority is found in Public
Law 105-285, Section 676B.
 The CSBG Program must be administered
through a Tripartite Board.
 The Board must fully participate in the
development, planning, implementation
and evaluation of the programs.
 The members must be selected by the
agency according to their by-laws.
Board composition
Public Officials
 One-third of the members are elected
public officials, holding office on the date of
the selection, or their representative.
 If the number of elected public officials
available to serve is less than one-third,
appointed public officials or their
representatives may be counted as meeting
the requirement.
Low-income Individuals
and Families
 Not less than one-third of the membership
 Must be chosen by a democratic selection
process.
 Must be representative of the individuals
and families served.
 If a member is selected to represent a
specific neighborhood – the member must
live in the neighborhood represented.
Private Sector
 Must be members or Officials of:







Business
Industry
Labor
Religious Organizations
Law Enforcement
Education
Or other major groups and interests in the
area served
State CSBG Offices Expectations
 Board members must be fully informed as
to their roles and responsibilities.
 There should be a board manual available
to all members and it should be updates on
a regular basis and reflect current practice.
 If the by-laws require meetings to be open
to the public, then steps should be taken to
ensure that the public has information
regarding the date and time of each
meeting.
Expectations
 Members of the board are entrusted with
the authority to establish policies for the
Governance of the Corporation.
 State CSBG Offices expect this
responsibility to be carried out with the
duty of care, obedience and loyalty.
 Collectively and individually, board
members are legally and ethically
responsible for the activities of the agency.
Expectations
 These responsibilities must be carried out in
an efficient and informed manner
 Board Members, need to have access to
information necessary to carry out its
responsibilities.
 Review the books and records of the
organization.
 Know the types of grants received and the
programs administered.
 Carefully review all financial and program
reports.
 Review all minutes of the meetings of the
Board and its committees.
Expectations
 Be aware of the requirements regarding
maintaining a viable non-profit corporation.
 Should the grant be amended due to
changes in the types of programs?
 Are all requires reports files with the
appropriate state and federal agencies?
How will you Know????
 Attend a Board Meeting
 Observation tool
 Guiding Principles
 Board Interview & CSBG Checklist
RESOURCES
 From a Board manual developed by the
Minnesota CSBG Office:
 Characteristics of an effective board
 Basic responsibilities of an effective
board
www.dhs.state.mn.us/cfs/oeo
RESOURCES
 FROM CAPLAW:
 Community Action Board Requirements
 Lobbying and Political Activity
www.caplaw.org
 Public Law 105-285:
 Section 766B – Tripartite Boards
 Section 678C – Corrective Action and
Termination
RESOURCES
 Right from the Start – Guidelines for Board
Members
www.oag.state.ny.us/charities
I fully realize that I have not succeeded
in answering all your questions.
 Indeed, I feel I have not answered any
of them completely. The answers I
have found only serve to raise a whole
new set of questions, which only lead
to more problems, some of which we
weren’t even aware were problems. To
sum it all up, I feel we are just as
confused as ever in some ways, but I
believe we are confused at a higher
level and about more important things.
I fully realize that I have not succeeded
in answering all your questions.
 Indeed, I feel I have not answered any
of them completely. The answers I have
found only serve to raise a whole new
set of questions, which only lead to
more problems, some of which we
weren’t even aware were problems. To
sum it all up, I feel we are just as
confused as ever in some ways, but I
believe we are confused at a higher
level and about more important things.