[Eg-oversight-board] Oversight Board Meeting

[Stephen Wills]

In 2004, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee encouraged the formation of  
a Panel on the Non Profit Sector.  Their charter has been to find ways  
to strengthen governance, transparency and ethical standard in the  
sector.   An advisory committee of the panel, headed by Rebecca Rimel,  
President, Pew Charitable Trusts, and Joel Fleishman, Director,  
Philanthropic Foundations Research Program, Terry Sanford Institute of  
Public Policy, Duke University examined how organizations could  
advance their respective understanding of self-regulation. The report  
they produced provides a set of principals that are intended to  
improve effectiveness and accountability of charitable organizations.

The principals they promote fall into four general categories; legal  
compliance and public disclosure, effective governance, strong  
financial oversight, and responsible fundraising.  They point out  
that, across the Non Profit Sector, organizations probably already  
practice many the their outlined principals already.

In general, statements of ethics appear to be incorporated as separate  
documents, adopted by the organization or community.  The Rules of  
Governance can formalize the process of the adoption of the document.  
The rules would be amended to amended to call for either a standing or  
ad-hoc committee that, on a given interval, would write,  present,  
review and recommend a code of ethics.

Questions for us to consider are if we feel the need for a standing  
vs. ad-hoc statement of ethics review committee.

Is the phrase "from time to time" appropriate?

I will continue to working toward a statement that can be considered  
by the group, bearing in mind that it is desirable for us to reach a  
consensus on it by April.

What do you require of me in order for that to happen?

The panel's report, "Principles for Good Governance and Ethical  
Practice, A Guide for Charities and Foundations" is can be downloaded  
at https://www.independentsector.org/accountability.

Steve Wills