Not-for-Profit on Purpose

It is a good practice to read through and review your Constitution annually to ensure it remains fit for purpose. And if there are changes required, it is important that these aren’t put off because the process seems intimidating or too difficult. Updating a constitution to stay in line with an organisation's evolution, is critical to governance and not as impossible as you might

Are you following Best Practice in governance? This term is utilised in many board discussions and is often taken as the ‘way’ of doing things. However best practice isn’t always “best” for your Board, especially when looking through the eyes of a high performing Board. In this video I’ll explain why, from the perspective of a high performing Board. Does best practice m

There are many reasons why an NFP would look to merge or be acquired but like everything, a merger or acquisition is more likely to succeed if you have a plan or strategy to achieve it rather than just hoping. In assessing the viability of a merger or acquisition it’s important to obtain the ‘why’ and the ‘common motivation’ for all in this process. In today’s video I�

What does it mean when you are a Treasurer of an Association moving to a Company Limited by Guarantee and then becoming a Director on the Board, and what affect does the role change bring? Before we start thinking about the size and sophistication of your organisation, it’s important to see things from an operational perspective when defining roles and responsibilities. Some Trea

In a business or work context, the phrase “better to be lucky than good” is one that I have come to associate with. On face value the phrase seems a little comical, but there is a meaning to this and one that I personally align to. In doing this it requires an exploration of what being lucky means versus being good, in the context of business and personal success. Is it the luc

What is an “in-camera” session at an NFP Board meeting? In today’s podcast I discuss the; what, who, why, when, and where… of the in-camera session.When executed well, everyone stands to gain from the in-camera session, from the Board, the executive, through to the way the organisation creates an impact. Does your NFP Board meeting include in-camera sessions? Share your tho

As a not-for-profit, are you clear on who your customers and beneficiaries are? In my experience, those that are clear on this perform better overall in terms of sustaining their organisation and delivering long-term impact.In this video we’ll discuss customers and beneficiaries from both a for-profit and non-profit viewpoint. It’s useful to reflect on how they're different and

When I think about the NFPs we work with, I would like to see that their impact endures. That the changes they made, the lives they touched is remember and continues to have ripples long after the NFP ceases to exist. Being in a NFP is about playing to win, while sustainability is more about playing not to lose. So, how do we make your NFP enduring? In this video we discuss what yo

Thinking about becoming a Company Limited by Guarantee? In Australia, when an incorporated association is looking to make the transition, each state is slightly different. With that in mind, I’ll talk through the principles involved the overall process, before touching on a few issues for you to consider. Changing to a company limited by guarantee, is an involved process and will

Is Financial Governance something unique to the NFP space? No, but it is needed, and it’s very obvious when an NFP doesn’t have it in place. Financial reports left to organically grow, can turn into lot of reports. This is something that is very painful to deal with at a Board level, so how do we turn these excessive reports into good governance? I’m not talking accounting sp