- Introduction
- New to a board or committee? An introduction to your role
- Bringing on a new board member? How to induct a new member
- Legal duties of boards, committees and office holders
- Payment of committee or board members
- Protections for board members
- Insolvency and legal duties
- Financial management and reserves
- setting strategic directions
- hiring staff
- whether to take disciplinary action against a member
- which contractors or service providers to engage, and
- what activities to undertake
- how meetings are held
- who is on your board and what skills they have
- how new committee members are inducted
- how frequently the board meets, and
- how board papers are prepared and distributed
- the role of a board or committee member
- the legal obligations of board or committee members
- the personal liability of board or committee members, and
- what board or committee members should know about their organisation
- why is board induction important?
- who is responsible for board inductions?
- what should happen before an appointment to the board?
- what should be covered in a board induction?
- performance and development of board members, and
- a checklist to support the board induction process
- the duty to act in good faith and for a proper purpose
- the duty to act with reasonable care, skill and diligence
- the duty to not misuse information or position
- the duty to disclose and manage conflicts of interest, and
- consequences of breaches of duties
You can find more information on the Governance Standards on the ACNC website. The ACNC has also produced Governance for Good, a guide for charity board members.
For more information about how to run a company limited by guarantee or an incorporated association in Victoria or New South Wales, go to our guides.
- what is a payment to a board member?
- can your organisation pay a board member?
- should your organisation pay a board member?
- if your organisation decides to pay a board member, what steps should you follow?
- the different protections available to board members
- the difference between volunteer and paid board members
- legal duties and responsibilities of board members
- the thing you can’t protect against – reputational damage
- what does it mean to be insolvent?
- the duty to prevent insolvency
- consequences of breaching the duty
- protecting against insolvency
- key warning signs of insolvency
- what to do if you think your organisation is insolvent or nearing insolvency, and
- finding insolvency experts
We collaborated with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) to develop the guidance, 'Charity reserves: financial stability and sustainability'.
The guidance covers:
- what financial reserves are and where they come from
- why it is important to have reserves
- appropriate levels of reserves, and
- who has responsibility for reserves
While this resource is directed at charities, it is relevant to all not-for-profit organisations.
