Governance relates to all processes that affect the decisions made on how the organisation is run. This includes the leadership and decision-making entities (including management, board and staff), operation and strategies of the organisation, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the nonprofit remains sustainable and goal-focused.
In this section, you will find articles that relate to some of these different aspects of governance, covering topics like nonprofit sustainability, board involvement and leadership.
Navigating nonprofit board challenges: Common pitfalls and practical solutions
Anyone who has spent time in the nonprofit sector knows that sometimes things can go very wrong -- there can be conflicts inside an organisation that are not dealt with, or strained relations between the board and the executive. Both situations make for difficult working conditions and nega...
Governance is good for you: how your board can make life easier for everyone
At its best governance is a statement: “This is how things work around here. We have the policies and structures to do things right. It makes life easier for everyone.”
Everyone recognises the need for governance. Funders demand it, the law may require it. And there is a lot of usefu...
[New Free Resource] How to Organise, Manage, and Care for Your Archive: A Guide for Community Organisations in South Africa
The Western Cape Archives and Records Service has released a new, free resource aimed at helping community organisations better manage their archival materials.
Whether you belong to a religious group, school, NGO, or sporting body, your documents, photographs, newspaper clippings and other mate...
Board Matters – conflicts of interest and breaches of duty
It is generally known and accepted that board members who may have a ‘conflict of interests’ between their personal interests and those of the organisation on whose board they serve:
should act in the best interests of the organisation and not for their personal benefit (the heart of the fiduc...
What is an independent board member and why do we need some?
A crucial component of credible governance is a measure of independence on the boards of organisations. The founding documents of organisations may call for a proportion (often the majority) of the board to be ‘independent’- but what does this mean?
The CIPC online system differentiates between ...
Government employees as board members of non-profit entities
We often come across instances where government employees who are involved or wish to be involved (in a volunteer capacity) as board members of an NGO, are informed that they are not permitted to do so. The first thing to be noted, here, is that anyone who is engaged as a full-time e...
Removing a member of the board of directors
Boards of NPCs often find themselves in a position where, for one reason or another, they would like to remove one of their number from the Board.
If the MOI of the NPC stipulates terms of office for directors (and if those terms of office are usually observed) then the easiest route may be to w...
Some thoughts on minutes and agendas
Organisations often use standard formats for agendas and minutes but, if you are considering ways to make meetings more effective, we think it better to make up your own format and procedure, to be sure that they suit your organisation and support and invigorate the way it is governed. Standard ...
The first step to becoming a well-organised NPO
Well-organised NPOs are always more impactful and sustainable than those that are poorly organised. Paying attention to the organisation is crucial not only for administrative efficiency but, much more importantly, for enhanced impact and sustainability.
A surprisingly common leadership approach...
Five agenda items for NPO Boards
The King IV Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa (King IV) was published on 1 November 2016 and includes a sector supplement for non-profit organisations. One implication is that the corporate governance environment in South Africa has changed. NPO boards should consider whether this d...
To keep going or to close down?
The hardest of NPO Board decisions is how to face an organisational existential crisis.
There is no doubt that the COVID pandemic has wreaked havoc among non-profit organisations. Many NPOs now face the harrowing prospect of deciding whether to keep going or to close down. Boards of Trustees are...
Governing through a crisis
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), in their Strategy 2020 document, states that: “A disaster or crisis may arise as a sudden emergency or it may be slow onset. In either case, it is our basic obligation to be well prepared to use all effective means to he...