Sarbanes-Oxley for Nonprofit Boards: A New Governance Paradigm [Hardcover]

The Sarbanes–Oxley (SOX) bar has been raised–is your nonprofit board up to the task?

Nonprofit boards are in a fishbowl of scrutiny much like their private sector counterparts. With recent media focus on investigations of false charities, and more disturbingly, of household–name nonprofits that have abused donor trust by misdirecting donations, the heat is on the nonprofit board to rehabilitate its organizational profile.

Encouraging boards to reclaim their role as the ultimate authority within their nonprofit, nationally recognized nonprofit expert Dr. Peggy Jackson supplies tips for leveraging the power and value of SOX requirements within the nonprofit organization. Containing sample documents, forms, and checklists to introduce best practices into any nonprofit organization, this complete guide is a practical, hands–on tool for equipping your nonprofit′s board toward a higher quality of control.

Relevant for both the large and small nonprofit organization, this must–have book effectively brings pragmatic clarity to a complex topic, and explains how to blend Sarbanes–Oxley requirements into the nonprofit organization, with topics including:

• Common factors that contribute to nonprofit board dysfunction
• Moving nonprofit governance into the twenty–first century
• Intervention techniques for moving your board forward
• Establishing strategies for lasting change
• Creating a platinum standard for governance

Helping your nonprofit board understand and implement SOX requirements, Sarbanes–Oxley for Nonprofit Boards will be indispensable as a guide and will reinforce your nonprofit′s financial structure and reputation.

Within the past three years, the nonprofit board has increasingly been held under the microscope of public scrutiny. The Grassley hearings of 2004 and 2005 and the publicity of high–profile scandals at organizations such as the American Red Cross and the James Beard Foundation have informed the American public—and lawmakers at federal and state levels—that scandals and fraud are no longer exclusive to the Enrons of the private sector. Nonprofit boards are feeling the heat and are being held accountable for the actions of their charities.

Sarbanes–Oxley for Nonprofit Boards shows your nonprofit board and its leadership how to implement Sarbanes–Oxley (SOX) requirements and best practices into your organization as well as make sense of what is expected in this new environment. With an emphasis on raising your nonprofit′s standard of performance, author and nonprofit specialist Dr. Peggy Jackson skillfully explains how to leverage the power and value of SOX requirements and best practices to move your nonprofit′s board toward a higher quality of governance. Forms and checklists accompany the discussion, for a user–friendly presentation.

Valuable for both large and small nonprofits, Sarbanes–Oxley for Nonprofit Boards presents proactive methods for intervention and discusses:

• Why nonprofit boards have difficulty in adjusting to twenty–first–century expectations
• SOX as a cure for "LYBATD" ("Leave Your Brains At The Door") syndrome
• Some clues to interpreting a board′s culture
• Other clues to observing dysfunction
• How to jump–start your board to a higher level of productivity
• The difficult discussion: talking to senior management, staff, and volunteers about fraud
• Factors that promote fraud
• How to scale SOX best practices in small nonprofits

Unflinching in describing the source of dysfunctions within nonprofits,this practical guide shows nonprofit board members, prospective board members, and other nonprofit educational organizations, foundations, and philanthropic groups the best ways to rehabilitate their nonprofit′s organizational profile and gain a competitive advantage in today′s business environment.

The Sarbanes–Oxley (SOX) bar has been raised—is your nonprofit board up to the task?

Nonprofit boards are in a fishbowl of scrutiny much like their private sector counterparts. With recent media focus on investigations of false charities, and more disturbingly, of household–name nonprofits that have abused donor trust by misdirecting donations, the heat is on the nonprofit board to rehabilitate its organizational profile.

Encouraging boards to reclaim their role as the ultimate authority within their nonprofit, nationally recognized nonprofit expert Dr. Peggy Jackson supplies tips for leveraging the power and value of SOX requirements within the nonprofit organization. Containing sample documents, forms, and checklists to introduce best practices into any nonprofit organization, this complete guide is a practical, hands–on tool for equipping your nonprofit′s board toward a higher quality of control.

Relevant for both the large and small nonprofit organization, this must–have book effectively brings pragmatic clarity to a complex topic, and explains how to blend Sarbanes–Oxley requirements into the nonprofit organization, with topics including:

• Common factors that contribute to nonprofit board dysfunction
• Moving nonprofit governance into the twenty–first century
• Intervention techniques for moving your board forward
• Establishing strategies for lasting change
• Creating a platinum standard for governance

Helping your nonprofit board understand and implement SOX requirements, Sarbanes–Oxley for Nonprofit Boards will be indispensable as a guide and will reinforce your nonprofit′s financial structure and reputation.

PEGGY M. JACKSON, DPA, CPCU, is a consultant and nationally recognized lecturer in risk management, business continuity planning, and Sarbanes–Oxley compliance. She is a principal with Adjunct LLC and a founding partner of the Fogarty, Jackson & Associates Consulting Group in San Francisco, California. Dr. Jackson has coauthored several books published by Wiley, including Managing Risk in Nonprofit Organizations, Sarbanes–Oxley for Nonprofits, and Sarbanes–Oxley and Nonprofit Management: Skills, Techniques, Methods. She divides her time and consulting practice between her homes in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Washington DC metro area.