Each of these resources can be the starting point for a search on almost any governance topic. We suggest you try a number of them over time to find which works the best for you.
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy has developed criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best. The document is a guide for funders and includes an extensive section on Ethics, as well as sections on values, commitment and effectiveness.
CompassPoint has a wealth of resources to help nonprofit board members understand their roles and responsibilities as they guide their organizations, including a free course Nonprofit Board Basics Online.
Board Cafe is a free and popular electronic newsletter for members of nonprofit boards of directors. Each brief issue contains a few short tidbits about issues confronted by boards as well as one longer article. The Board Caf archive is a good source when you need a concise overview on a specific topic.
The Knowledge Center section of BoardSource's website provides clear, helpful answers to basic questions such as "What should I know before joining the board?" or, "How should the board be structured?" The Q &A offers answers to many questions. The site provides access to many additional resources and sells many governance-related materials.
For those with an appetite for more in-depth info, the Foundation Center's site has an annotated list of books covering all areas of board responsibility.
The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Info Central has a number of useful short articles on the basic roles, responsibilities, structure, conduct and ethics of boards, and much more. Note that legal issues are addressed from perspective of Minnesota law. Site also offers FAQs and templates such as job descriptions for board member and officers.
The Free Complete Tooklkit for Boards contains many templates, sample bylaws and board agendas, and board self-evaluations, as well as brief explanations of the whys and hows of many policies and practices.
Nonprofit FAQis a font information about nonprofits. Answers are very useful if you can find the question you are looking for: Try searching by key word pharses such as board of directors or board-staff relations.
The Nonprofit Good Practice Guide has many resources, including a glossary of terms and links to many resources dealing with everything from basic accounting to finding volunteers.
Governance for Nonprofits is a short, helpful booklet that raises the governance awareness of board members. It is available free of charge as a download or by mail from theSociety of of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals.
