Spotlight On
May 1, 2008
Organization Name: Governance Matters
Year Founded: 1999
Contact Person: Suzanne Connolly, Executive Assistant to the Board and Program Coordinator
Address: 307 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1603, New York, NY 10001
Phone: (212) 337-3264
Fax: (212) 337-8046
Email: admin@governancematters.org
Web site Address: http://www.governancematters.org
Mission:
Governance Matters is a nonprofit organization that educates, convenes and advocates for good governance within nonprofit organizations, particularly in New York.
History:
Governance Matters was founded in 1999 as service organization dedicated to helping nonprofit boards strengthen governance practice and skills. The organization's founding principle is to improve board governance by serving as means through which the exchange of ideas and information among a cross-section of the nonprofit community can take place. Originally named the Alliance for Nonprofit Governance, the organization changed its name to Governance Matters on May 1, 2005, to more accurately reflect its focus and to differentiate it from the work of colleague organizations serving the nonprofit sector.
Current Programs:
Governance Matters offers nonprofit board members and trustees tools and training to more effectively govern the organizations they serve:
Board Leadership Task Force: With lessons learned from current case studies of nonprofits, the Task Force produced the Board Leadership Tool, an online interactive tool that supports organizational leadership by nonprofit boards of directors and by individuals serving on those boards.
Board Tool Kit: This guide, available for download on the Governance Matters web site, covers topics in board management, including fundraising, recruitment, running effective meetings, and financial management.
Good Governance Guide: This online tool was developed for institutional and individual donors to nonprofit organizations for the purpose of developing standards of evaluation for board governance, program effectiveness, financial management, sustainability, and other measurable criteria for nonprofit effectiveness.
Events: Governance Matters offers various types of training and networking opportunities for nonprofit volunteer leaders, including the following:
- Roundtables
: Governance Matters offers lunchtime roundtables that give both members and nonmembers a chance to participate in discussions with thinkers and practitioners in the nonprofit world and to share information and experiences.
Ten roundtables are hosted each year.
- Solutions Matter: Solutions Matter seminars are provided through partnerships with local umbrella groups. The sessions draw upon the experience of the participants as well as the expertise of the session leaders.
Membership: Governance Matters offers membership to New York nonprofit board members and trustees, executive directors, foundation and nonprofit staff, regulators, academics, and consultants and professionals who work with nonprofit organizations. Information about membership can be found online.
Funding Needs: Sources of revenue include foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, membership fees, and individual contributions. Currently, the organization is seeking revenue from five sources: project-specific funding; conference-related funding; leadership gifts; the Annual Appeal to members; and membership dues and fees.
Learn more.
Every month, the "Spotlight On" highlights the activities
of a different 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located
in the tri-state region (NY, NJ, or CT). The selection
of organizations for the "Spotlight On" is based
on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic
focus, and size, to ensure the broadest possible
representation of the region's nonprofit sector.
If you'd like to see your NPO in the "Spotlight,"
please use this submission
form to send us a profile of your organization.
Or e-mail a description of your organization,
following the above format, to nyweb@foundationcenter.org,
with "Spotlight Submission" in the subject line.
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