Governance as Leadership

Issue 120 - June 25, 2024

In This Issue:

• NEW BLOG: Oops! Executive Director vs. Board: Whose Job Is It Anyway?​
• Building the Cybersecurity and Resilience of Canada's Nonprofit Sector
• The Not-for-Profit Governance Resource Guide

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So what exactly is the Board's role? And the Chief Executive Officer? Fuzzy or unclear Board and CEO/Executive Director roles can hold you back and lead to continuing friction. And trust me, each complains about the other. There are black and grey areas and then the proverbial “grey” areas of mutual responsibility. Time to clarify! Read on here.​

Building the Cybersecurity and Resilience of Canada's Nonprofit Sector

The Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience convened a Working Group focused on Building the Cybersecurity and Resilience of Canada’s Nonprofit Sector. The resulting document captures the knowledge and insights of the working group participants as well as the many sector stakeholders who offered feedback on drafts.

Take a look at this sample from the Table of Contents:

• Cybersecurity Threats and Challenges Facing Nonprofits
• Awareness and Attention
• Funding Restrictions
• Scale
• Time Horizon
• Outdated Hardware and Software
• Impact of Cybersecurity Risks and Challenges on Nonprofits and Communities
• Available Solutions and Their Sufficiency
• Vision for the Sector

A Sector-Wide Strategy

• Objective 1: Nonprofit boards, executives, and staff understand their risks and obligations and prioritize cybersecurity
• Objective 2: Nonprofits have an easy on-ramp to cybersecurity, beginning with a relevant risk assessment that prioritizes preventive, focused action at different maturity levels
• Objective 3: Nonprofits have access to a standard against which they can compare themselves and that is accepted by funders
• Objective 4: Nonprofits have funding to implement required cybersecurity practices
• Objective 5: Nonprofits have access to a marketplace of vendors providing quality, cost-effective solutions

The Path Forward

• A cybersecurity on-ramp in the settlement sector
• A model cybersecurity policy for social services

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The Centre is for a digitally enabled not-for-profit sector, where diverse not-for-profits use data and tech to advance their mission and multiply their impact.

They help not-for-profits adopt new technologies.

The effective use of technology combined with strong digital leadership and capacity can help not-for-profits reach their clients and funders more easily. But not-for-profit that want to make the digital leap find themselves with only limited and uncoordinated support.

The Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience exists to bridge this gap. Join them!

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Who else is interested in Governance as Leadership? Share this newsletter with others!

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The Not-for-Profit Governance Resource Guide

This is more a guide to guides.

There are so many great resources linked to the document.

Just take a look at the contents:

• Not-for-Profit Governance Fundamentals – Board Basics for the NFP Director
• Governance for Not-For-Profit Organizations – Questions for Directors to Ask (2nd Edition)
• A Guide to Financial Statements for Not-For-Profit Organizations – Questions for Directors to Ask (2nd Edition)
• Board Oversight of Not-for-Profit Collaboration - Questions for Directors to Ask Board Oversight of Not-For-Profit Program Evaluation – Questions for Directors to Ask
• 20 Questions Directors of Not-for-Profit Organizations Should Ask about Director’s Duties
• 20 Questions Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations Should Ask about Recruiting, Developing, Assessing and Renewing Directors
• 20 Questions Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations Should Ask about Human Resources
• 20 Questions Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations Should Ask about Mergers
• 20 Questions Directors of Not-for-Profit Organizations Should Ask about CEO Succession
• 20 Questions Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations Should Ask about Social Enterprise
• 20 Questions Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations Should Ask about Risk
• NFP Board Oversight of Cybersecurity
• The NFP Board’s Role in Risk

​Download and explore the resources you can use!

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Our team is packing up and heading to San Diego, California this week for the American Library Association's Annual Conference! If you're on a library board and will be at the conference, please stop by our booth to say hi (Booth #2453).

Do you know of an event Better Boards Better Communities should be at? Hit reply and let us know!

Sincerely,

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