Board of Director's Statement
I. General Statements
1. This Board of Directors statement has been designed according
to the legislation of the USA and the Charter of CIS Development
Foundation,
Inc.
2. People make organizations successful. Without the
involvement
of individuals with different talents and expertise, a non profit
organization
cannot expect to accomplish its mission. In order to prosper and
turn the initial vision into reality, the founders must move quickly to
bring in new people to expand the organization’s leadership capacity.
3. The following basic concepts are applied:
- CISDF - CIS Development Foundation, Inc.;
- Charter - Charter of CISDF;
- Board of Directors - CISDF Board of Directors;
- President - CISDF President;
- Chairman of the Board - CISDF Chairman of the Board
of
Directors;
- Program - activities that lead to CISDF’s goals.
II. Authorization of the Board of Directors
4. Although the non profit’s key staff members do most of the
day-to-day work, it is the board’s responsibility to supervise and
approve
decisions affecting goals, policies, plans and programs. Board
members
need to bring not only money, but time, talent and expertise, as well
as
prestige and valuable contacts to the organization.
5. There is no room for people who are board members in name
only, and rarely show up for meetings. Board members need to come
to meetings and help with the future growth of the organization.
6. A board of directors is not an advisory body. A board
actually has the power to set major policies to govern affairs.
It
also carries the ethical and legal responsibility to make sure the
organization
does everything reasonable within its power to fulfill its mandate.
III. Forming the Board of Directors
7. Who are good candidates for board membership?
Generally,
they are people who can bring one or more of the following resources to
the organization:
- Money and the ability to raise it through their own connections,
talents
or energies.
- Experience and wisdom, preferable in the field of
operations.
Solid
business expertise is valuable, as long as the "bottom line" outlook of
the successful business type does not divert the non profit from
accomplishing
its mission.
- Professionally skilled persons such as attorneys, CPA’s or
experts in
management,
marketing or fundraising.
- Without building up "deadwood", there is often an advantage to
having
one
or two "names" on the letterhead who are well-known and can open doors.
8. The board should be representative of all constituencies
involved.
Active, solid participation from a number of citizens in good standing
from the FSU is very important.
IV. Board of Directors Meetings
9. Certain issues deserve priority treatment from the board,
and
it is up to the Chairman of the board to see that these issues are
addressed
properly and with due attention:
- Recruitment, selection, evaluation and support of key staff
- Budget review and adoption, and ongoing monitoring of expenses
and
income
- Long-term planning and mission review
- The board’s own renewal process
V. Rights and duties of the Board of Directors members
10. The board of directors must provide a structure to channel
the energies of others into CISDF. The days are past when board
members
may satisfy their commitment to an organization solely by participating
in board meetings. The board is not only an occasional working
body,
regularly meeting to set and review policy, but also a collection of
individuals
who make themselves available throughout the year as volunteer advisors
and workers.
Home
