Archive for the ‘Preparation’ Category

Setting up a nonprofit is complicated and overwhelming. So, make the creation of your policies and procedures basic. Here are five things that will help you to keep it simple:

Keep it general- At this point in the creation of your policies, your goal is to keep it basic. You are only doing the preliminaries at this stage in the game. Once the final board has been identified, and put into place, then together you’ll revisit what you’ve started. It is up to the entire board to make the final decision on the policies.

Don’t reinvent the wheel- Take help and use available templates.

Make sure your policies support your Bylaws- We talked about the Bylaws and their importance. Make sure your policies agree with and support your Bylaws. You don’t want contradictions between the two.

Remember to tie in your organization’s mission statement- At all times, remember to reiterate your organization’s mission statement in everything you write, share, and produce. Your mission statement is one of the key elements of your organization; make sure to promote it.

Ease into the process - Don’t stress and feel as though you have to complete this document all at one time. As your organization grows and changes, you’ll find that you’ll revisit your policies quite often. This is a growing and changing document.

Enjoy this time of discovery as you explore the depths of what your organization can be!

Brainstorming new ideas may be your passion; implementing new ideas on the other hand may be where projects breakdown. When bringing your key leaders together your organization can gain passion and purpose in utilizing true collaboration.

Here are a few key strategies to assist you in seeing those well-dreamt projects through to fruition.

• Include your entire team in gathering ideas. You never know where a great idea may come from, and it could very well be the part-time volunteer that comes up with the next best thing.
• Check with the community that you serve to see if anyone has a suggestion for how your organization can improve its current services, or implement something new. A suggestion box is a great way to gather ideas from community members.
• Surveys are effective in helping organizations gauge the successfulness of a program. We recommend surveys that also gauge the interest of the community and staff members. This sort of questionnaire will assist your organization in not only considering what new ideas to try, but will also tell you what current programs are working well.

Remember to include everyone; it helps to grow a stronger organization if you get the buy-in from as many people as possible. In addition, it is very important to make sure that whatever new ideas you implement fit with the organization’s mission statement and strategic plan.

Check out the organizational assessment tool offered free through The Hartford Foundation’s Nonprofit Support Program.

Bylaws contain the fundamental principles regarding the nature of the organization and the institutional structure by which the board of directors operates. Bylaws establish the specific criteria for decision-making, and should meet the specific needs of each organization.

The following questions will help to guide you through the process of drafting a set of Bylaws for your organization.
•What is the purpose and mission statement?
•How and when will you elect board members? How many will there be? What number of board members will be conducive to helping your company achieve its mission? What will the term limits be? When can a director be removed and what is the process? What will the procedures be for resignation?
•What committees will be the most essential for your board?
•How often will the directors meet? Is it a quorum?
•Should your Board be insured?
•How often should your bylaws be reviewed and updated?

Putting together a set of Bylaws is a daunting and necessary task; however, there are many resources available to help you and your Board through the process. Take advantage of the Foundation Center and the Lectrin Law Library, just to name a few. You can find templates for nonprofit Bylaws at Easy Forms.

An organization cannot exist until the Bylaws are formally adopted by the Board and comply with the state laws governing the organization.