I have been asked to take on the role of president of the board for a non-profit in my area. What does this job involve?
127248
"For profit" businesses actions focus on revenue generation. A non-profit organization is a business with a social objective. \n\nA president's job is to manage the non-profit and its budget relative to the cost of "doing business" (i.e., to accomplish its social objectives efficiently, and manage its funding).\n\nAlthough a non-profit doesn't "make money", a non-profit needs funds to operate; so one of your jobs is to acquire "revenues" from funding sources through grant proposals; and manage those funds "running the business".
503886
call the board of elections
110320
Your State's Federal offices should be able to point you in the right direction. You may also want to consult an attorney before doing this as a non-profit is extremely complex to implement and maintain
341083
What happened to the person that had the postion before me?\nAre there room for advancement?\nWho will I be working with?\nWhat are the benefits?\nDo I have the position?
491556
Usually the HUD people will help relocate them. Check into it before you start fundraising. Also if you don't form a non-profit status, you will have to pay income tax on any money you raise, even if you do give it away. Hope those people are ok though.
162927
one of the better questions asked on this thing. you should get bonus points...\n\n...i work in the nonprofit sector providing organizational management and programmatic consulting to start up and existing nonprofit organizations. i have been working in the nonprofit sector for over 10 years now and i have been in it that long because i enjoy working in it. its a personally rewarding job that i am happy to go home with knowing that i did something good for my community.\n\ni stumbled on this profession by pure accident. when i graduated from college i thought i wanted to be an attorney. but not knowing exacting what attorneys did, i took on a job at a large law firm as a file clerk. i did well in my position working my way up to paralegal and i had the credentials to go to law school but i found out i didnt want to do that for the rest of my life. so i explored other options. i went to a reception at a local university's public policy school and met someone who thought i would be an ideal candidate for a job at the nonprofit organization he worked at. and the rest is history.\n\ni never went back to school for my work but often think an MBA would be helpful. but my experience has been my classroom and in every position i held, i had a steep learning curve and learned how to further develop my personal skills. and its this learning curve that keeps me happy working.\n\nthe key is to always ask yourself if you are happy and passionate with your profession...if you are not then i would question why you are doing it.
663984
We currently have a dysfunctional school board that spends all of its time arguing with and dissing other members of the board.  Last fall, a major school bond issue failed, because voters have no trust in the board.  We have recently gotten a new superintendent and I hope that he will be able to turn things around.
633249
This is an election year -- a lot of politicians who are on the ballots in your area would not only support your cause, but find it mutually beneficial to be associated with it.  They're also already out there making the connections you're hoping to make and are in a good position to steer you toward individuals, businesses and organizations who might be very interested in coming on board with your project.   Don't be afraid to go to your local governing bodies (city council, county board, school board, state offices, etc.)  to ask for grants or incentives... you might be able to get a lot more than you think from those sources.  You might also try the labor unions in your area -- many have money set aside to "give back to the community" and you're in a good position to ask for it, because some of the kids you'll be serving are part of the future workforce they'll be representing.  Likewise, local businesses are another source of possible assistance.\n\nBest of luck!
447338
No, no.  The board is not independent. After all they are appointed by management.  Sure the shareholders get to approve them but that is about it.  They draw a salary plus they are awarded stock options.  Why would they not want to serve on the board?  Attend 4 board meeting a year, and for that take home a nice piece of change.  Also membership on one board normally leads to membership on other boards.  The business community is very chumy. \n\nThey do on occasions show an independent spirit if management is about to make a really bone headed decision and there is a member of the board that is willing to lead the other members in opposition to the decision.  I have known a couple of instances of that happening.  I have also know the board members to summarily fire the CEO.  Normally such a move is instigated behind the scenes by a board member who happens to own a very large portion of the shares of stock with the CEO finding out about his/her demise at the board meeting.
609756
You define it.   One is big enough.   Define your corporation, it's board, it's membership requirements, the products, mission, services.   It's a free country.  \n\nYou do not need any legal thing.  Down the road, you and your board of directors will define your organization clearer, and decide what corporate structure that you need.    A simply DBA might do the trick for many years.   But if you want to attain a non-profit status, you might have to incorporate further.   \n\nJust get started and DO something.
212501
Student government positions tend to be a little more impressive than chess club, athletics, etc.  Basically though, any extra-curricular activity that you are involved with that shows initiative, leadership, creativity will score you huge bonus points.  Spearhead some community service project.  Admissions boards eat b.s. like that up!
407270
contact the board of ed in your area and they will guide you and help adminstrate it\n\nlike your name
443641
I have found a website that compiles various resources on starting a non profit. I especially like the Minnesota Council of NonProfits because the site gives information on governance, developing strategic alliances, fund raising and other ingredients of successfully running a non profit. \n\nhttp://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/znpbib.htm\n\nAs for funding your non profit, I suggest you check out Foundation Center to help you gain ideas on how to properly establish your organization and get support from private foundations. They have the most extensive database of private donors, and they publish a magazine that can be very helpful to your new non profit.\n\nhttp://fdncenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/establish/index.html\n\nI was previously involved in the setup of a non profit, and we were able to get a pro-bono lawyer who set up everything for us, including getting the 501c3 tax status. Contact other non profits in your area and check if there are lawyers willing to work for free to get you started. \n\nFor detailed information on how to start a non profit, I suggest you read the following books:\n\n- Starting and Running a Nonprofit Organization -- by Joan M. Hummel\n- Starting and Running a Non-Profit Made Easy by Entrepreneur Press, David H. Bangs\n- Starting & Building A Nonprofit: A Practical Guide by Peri Pakroo
17571
Being good or ethical business people doesn't have anything to do with being or qualifying to be a non-profit entity.  They can be just as bad or worse than a for profit entity.\n\nIf you don't like it, get on the credit union board and change it.  In any business, for profit or non profit, the management and board will not change until they need to.  In your case, they don't seem compelled to do so.  If they are breaking the law, report them.  If they are taking the credit union memebers for a ride, start attending the membership meetings and asking questions.
388409
You need to consider setting up a non-profit organization. I don't think you are going to be successful in soliciting donations without this status. Or, maybe you could partner with a non-profit in your area that has the same goals?\n\nA nonprofit organization (abbreviated "NPO", or "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is an organization whose primary objective is to support some issue or matter of private interest or public concern for non-commercial purposes. Nonprofits may be involved in an innumerable range of areas relating to the arts, charities, education, politics, religion, research, sports or some other endeavor.\n\nIn the United States, nonprofit organizations are normally formed by incorporating in the state in which they expect to do business. The act of incorporating creates a legal entity enabling the organization to be treated as a corporation under law and to enter into business dealings, form contracts, and own property as any other individual or for-profit corporation may do.\n\nIn the United States, after a recognized type of legal entity has been formed at the state level, it is customary for the nonprofit organization to seek tax exempt status with respect to its income tax obligations. That is typically done by applying to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), although statutory exemptions exist for limited types of nonprofit organizations. The IRS, after reviewing the application to ensure the organization meets the conditions to be recognized as a tax exempt organization (such as the purpose, limitations on spending, and internal safeguards for a charity [1]), may issue an authorization letter to the nonprofit granting it tax exempt status for income tax payment, filing, and deductibility purposes. The exemption does not apply to other Federal taxes such as employment taxes. Additionally, a tax-exempt organization must pay federal tax on income that is unrelated to their exempt purpose.[2] Failure to maintain operations in conformity to the laws may result in an organization losing its tax exempt status.\n\nAlso in the United States, individual states and localities offer nonprofits exemptions from other taxes such as sales tax or property tax. Federal tax-exempt status does not guarantee exemption from state and local taxes. These exemptions generally have separate application processes and their requirements may differ from the IRS requirements. Furthermore, even a tax exempt organization may be required to file annual financial reports at the state and federal level.\n\nCapacity building is an ongoing problem faced by nonprofits that rely on external funding to maintain their operations, largely because nonprofit organizations have little control over their source(s) of revenue. Increasingly in the United States, many nonprofits rely on government funds to support their operations, often through grants, contracts, or customer-sided subsidies, such as vouchers or tax credits. Some nonprofits may also rely primarily on support from charitable foundations and donations. Changes in these sources of revenue may influence the reliability or predictability with which the organization can hire and retain staff, sustain facilities, or create programs. Increasingly, there are few sources of revenue that allow nonprofits to develop their organizational capacities.
31598
Oh boy do I volunteer!  Asst. Den leader for the Cub Scouts, Brownie Leader, PTO and special school projects, food drives, church, etc...  Volunteering keeps me going at full tilt.  Mostly I am in it for my children.  I am grateful that I am in the position to be able to do it, I work part-time and my husband is very low maintenance.
232385
AT LEAST have a copy or powerpoint of your mission statement and goals for the next 5 years.  Unless your first meeting is an "I'm so excited lets just get together and brainstorm because I'd like input before I finish the by-laws"  But I would say you'd look incomplete without having them done.