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BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES
Discussion
The board has specific responsibilities that are separate and distinct from the day-to-day management of the NPC. According to BoardSource,
all nonprofit boards should:
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Determine the organization’s mission and purpose
- Select the chief executive or executive
director
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Ensure effective organizational planning
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Provide proper financial oversight
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Ensure adequate resources
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Ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability
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Ensure effective organization planning
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Recruit and orient new board members and assess board performance
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Enhance the organization’s public standing
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Determine, monitor and strengthen the organization’s programs and services
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Support the chief executive and assess his or her performance
"Ensuring adequate resources" is
generally construed as an expectation that board members will be actively
engaged in fundraising for the nonprofit. NPC boards are allowed - and in
NAVREF's view should be encouraged - to conduct general fundraising to
supplement revenues derived from research projects and educational
activities. An OGC advisory verfies that NPCs may engage in charitable
fundraising (see OGC Advisory 23-93 http://www.navref.org/legal/default.htm
- link?).
However, NPCs should be aware of the federal
ethics regulations found at 5 CFR §2635.808 Fundraising activities (insert link
to regulation). Also, general NAVREF guidance on fundraising is found at (caveat
document). Because it would be almost impossible for senior medical center
personnel, such as the director, to separate themselves from their VA positions
sufficiently to eliminate the possibility of confusion by the general public,
NAVREF recommends that the statutory VA board members (director, chief of staff,
ACOS R&D and ACOS Education) should not be directly engaged in general
fundraising for an NPC. Other VA board members may participate in a manner
consistent with the federal regulations, and of course non-VA board members and
NPC-paid staff may conduct fundraising.
Helpful resources
BoardSource -
http://www.boardsource.org
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