Policies 4 Camps and Boards so You can Sleep at Night

GIJP Conference 2011: Leaders in the

Field

Natasha DresnerNatasha@hgf.org

November 14th, 2011

Let’s Say !Name and RoleCamp/OrganizationOne challenge you’d like to address at this session

Woof! We just completed

our policy manual…

Yeah-

meow!

So no

more

fightin

g like

cats

and

dogs!

Hierarchy

Policies1. Ethics and Accountability

2. Board and Board Members

3. Chief Executive

4. Finance and Investment

5. Communications

6. Committees

7. Personnel

8. Fundraising

9. Programs

10. Miscellaneous

Must Have Policies

Good News

Better News

Great News:Policies 4 Camps and Boards

1. Conflict of Interest

Great News:Policies 4 Camps and Boards

2. Whistleblower

Great News:Policies 4 Camps and Boards

3. Record Retention & Document Destruction

Great News:Policies 4 Camps and Boards

4. Executive Compensation

A Great Start

1.Conflict of Interest

2.Whistleblower

3. Record Retention & Document

Destruction

4. Executive Compensation

What’s Its Purpose?1.Conflict of Interest

- what is conflict of interest?when person can gain (be perceived to

gain) a financial benefit through “insider” connections

- conflict between whom and whom or what? - is it financial or non-financial in nature?

- is conflict of interest good or bad?- if we have no conflict of interest, no need to have a policy!

So what’s its purpose? To deal openly and fairly!

1.Conflict of Interest (cont.)

1.Signed Annual Disclosure

2.Exclusion from discussion and vote

3.Clear Process

4.Remedy

What’s Its Purpose?2.Whistleblower- who is a “whistleblower”?person who reports alleged unacceptable or

illegal activity to organization’s leadership - is it financial or non-financial in nature?

- if we have a whistleblower policy, do we need a sexual harassment policy too?

So what’s its purpose? To encourage reporting of violations by

protecting a “whistleblower” from retaliation and to comply with

Federal Law.

2.Whistleblower (cont.)

1.Signed Policy

2.Confidential Reporting Mechanism

3.Well Organized Investigation Process

4.Remedy

What’s Its Purpose?3. Record Retention & Document

Destruction- what records and documents are we talking about?

- document management vs. retention and destruction

- should you just hold on to everything “forever”?

- history and continuity vs. law

- what is “legal hold”?

So what’s its purpose? To effectively manage, properly dispose and retain documents, and to comply with state

charitable and federal laws.

File Category

ItemRetention

Period

Corporate Records  

 

Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation PermanentCorporate resolutions PermanentBoard and committee meeting agendas and minutes

Permanent

Conflict-of-interest disclosure forms 4 years Finance and Administration

Financial statements (audited) PermanentAuditor management letters PermanentPayroll records PermanentJournal entries PermanentBank deposits and statements 7 yearsInvestment manager correspondence 7 yearsEquipment files and maintenance records 7after end of benefits

Contracts and agreements 7 after end of benefits

Investment manager contracts 7 after end of benefits

Correspondence — general 3 yearsInsurance Records    

  

Policies — occurrence type PermanentPolicies — claims-made type PermanentAccident reports 7 yearsFire inspection reports 7 yearsSafety (OSHA) reports 7 yearsClaims (after settlement) 7 years

Group disability records 7 after end of benefits

What’s Its Purpose?

4. Executive Compensation- who and what is this policy about?

“reasonable compensation” of E.D. - an amount as would ordinarily be paid for like services by like enterprises under

like circumstances

- is the E.D.’s salary private or public info?

- salary comparison: is the issue “too much” or “too little”?

- how does it affect other employees?

- when do you use this policy?

So what’s its purpose? To prevent excess and ensure fair compensation

4. Executive Compensation (cont.)

1. Clear Process

2. Safe Harbor Requirements

3. Appropriate Expertise

4. Good Source of Information

15 minutes to Work in Small Groups

4 small groups (each takes on one

policy)

each group assigns:» a secretary (record the key ideas

on a flip chart)

» a presenter (3 min. presentation to the whole group)

» a time keeper

1.Has the issue covered by this policy ever presented itself at our organization? Give examples. – 3 min

2.What are the key elements this policy should have? – 8 min

3.Who should be involved in the creation and implementation of the policy and in what roles?

– 4 min

Questions

Make Sure Policies are Followed

1.Policies, too, are about MISSION, VISION, VALUES

2.Legal Expertise on the Board

3.Competent Executive

4.Annual Policy Revision

5.Sharing the Work Appropriately:- Staff Policies vs. Board Policies- Task Force or a Committee

6.Form 990/ T 3010

7.Policy Manual- make it part of the Board Manual- and Board orientation

http://gijp.org/Knowledge-Center/Conference-Materials/2011-Workshops.aspx

Policies 4 Camps and Boards so You can Sleep at Night

GIJP Conference 2011: Leaders in the

Field

Natasha DresnerNatasha@hgf.org

November 14th, 2011