Accountable for What?

If the role of a non-profit board is to act as a public steward by overseeing the affairs of the organization, then what specific responsibilities must it fulfill to successfully carry out this role?

The diversity of the charitable sector makes it impossible to provide one standard checklist of everything a charity's board is accountable for. However, various groups have come up with general lists of responsibilities that virtually all non-profit boards must carry out. Have a look at a few examples:

• The United Way of Canada's five major board responsibilities
• Standards for Excellence
• "Good Practice Guide for Effective Stewardship" (PAGVS)

You may be overwhelmed with the extensiveness of these various lists of accountabilities. You are probably also wondering how realistic it is that any organization, particularly smaller charities, will live up to all these responsibilities. It is true that many voluntary organizations have a distance to go to meet all of these accountability standards.

However, be assured that accountability need not be burdensome. It can be achieved, even by smaller organizations. Different organizations will have different accountability needs. It is important for your board to decide which accountability pieces are most crucial to meeting its responsibilities and strategic goals, and to focus on those elements of accountability.

Let's look closer at the Panel's code of governance responsibilities to examine your board's accountabilities in more detail. To get started, learn about mission and planning.

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