When a vacancy occurs in a key leadership position, for any reason, it is best that a checklist of information be available so as to promote continued service without interruption. The location of documents, the status of current contracts, understanding promises that have been made, and having quick access to vendors with important information are all essential resources for moving forward without an interruption in leadership.
The following pages are meant to align your organization and its leadership to prepare for planned or unplanned executive transition whenever it may occur. Third Sector Company highly recommends that the organization annually complete and review the Organizational Information Inventory and provide copies to the Chairman of the Board, Executive Director, legal counsel, and other senior managers and corporate officers as appropriate.
This document should be completed and updated with the annual operating budget. A central WORD Document can be maintained by the E.D. in an accessible manner, and PDF encrypted documents can then be created from it for distribution to Key Persons on board and on staff.
The information contained in this document is confidential.
The distribution of the Inventory information should be carefully considered to make sure only the most appropriate leaders are aware of the current status of the organization.
At Third Sector Company, our founding principle has been to help nonprofit organizations find higher ground during times of transition. We hope this Organizational Information Inventory proves to be a useful tool for helping you and your organization to achieve that objective each year.
Third Sector Company gratefully acknowledges the contributions of The Center for Nonprofit Advancement in Washington, DC for providing a significant portion of the content of this document for your use and consideration. Also contributing to the creation of this document is the Support Center for Nonprofit Management in New York City and CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, Oakland, California.
We appreciate having the opportunity to be of service to you and your important mission of community service.
JEFFREY R. WILCOX, CFRE
President and Chief Learning Officer
WAYNE ROBERT
Senior Advisor for Canada
Canadian Not-for-profit Information Inventory
Table of Contents
VITAL INFORMATION INVENTORY
General
Financial
KEY FINANCIAL CONTACTS
Accountant
Auditor
Bank Accounts
Investments Information
CHARITABLE STATUS
Business Number:
Charitable Purposes (Objects)
T3010 Annual Information Return
Official Receipts – Location and Access:
SOCIETY FILINGS
Annual Reports Location and Access:
Current Directors
INSURANCE
BENEFITS
LEGAL
DIGITAL MARKET INVENTORY
HUMAN RESOURCES
Payroll Information
Employee and/or Volunteer Handbook
FACILITIES
Building Management
Office Security System
Building Security Passcode:
SERVICE CONTRACTS OBLIGATIONS
FUNDRAISING
INFORMATION CUSTOMIZED TO YOUR MISSION
Knowing where your organization’s key information is located is critical so that if an emergency succession should occur, your organization will be able to quickly work in the most efficient and effective ways.
The Agency Information Inventory is divided into sections that will let the Board of Directors, the Executive Director, and other members of the senior executive staff know how to quickly:
- ACCESS DOCUMENTS that are fundamental to the management and operation of a nonprofit organization
- CONTACT VENDORS who provide services and counsel to the organization including auditors, attorneys, payroll services, insurance companies, and facilities maintenance
- REVIEW CONTRACTS which present legal obligations of the organization to provide service or operate in a specific fashion
- CONTACT MAJOR DONORS who represent significant sources of charitable contributions
Our experience in interim executive management has proven that vital information needs to be gathered and accessible in the following key areas of operations for review at all times:
The Inventory should be completed and reviewed annually to make sure that in unplanned or planned transitions, organizational leadership has direct access to vital information necessary for making strategic leadership decisions. A copy of the Agency Information Inventory or directions on how to access it should be attached to the organization’s annual Succession Planning Policy.
While we have tried to be as comprehensive as possible, we know there will be key information that your organization has that is not listed here. You can alter this document by copying the tables, adding your own, and in general customizing it to meet your needs. The essence of this document is that a framework can be created to house critical documents and metadata in one place, accessible in both urgent and routine situations
Tips:
You can right-click the table of contents to update the page numbers if you have added fields or information that changes the pagination.
Any cell in a table will expand to hold all of the text you type into it.
You can tab from the end of any table to continue to add new fields, or you can select a row and from the ‘Table’ menu you can add a row above or below in the middle of the table.
You can save the document as a PDF that you can then encrypt for the purpose of sending to key people. The original Word document can be maintained in one place thereby avoiding several versions from different dates.
VITAL INFORMATION INVENTORY
Do You Know Where Your Most Valuable Documents Are Located?
General
Document / Location / Access (Key, Password, or Safe Combination)Bylaws
Mission Statement
Board Minutes
Business Number
Charitable Status Docs
Custom (i.e. Licence, Accreditation, etc.)
Other - Specify
Financial
Document / Location / Access (Key, Password, or Safe Combination)Current and previous tax returns
Current and previous audited financial statements
Blank Cheques
Funder Grants/Contracts
Computer passwords
Membership Records
Donor Records
Client Records
Vendor Records
Volunteer Records
Office Safe
PersonnelFiles
KEY FINANCIAL CONTACTS
Accountant
Name / Address / Phone/EmailAuditor
Name / Address / Phone/EmailBank Accounts
Name(s):Account & Account Number:
Account & Account Number:
Branch Representative(s):
Phone Number:
Email:
Who are the authorized cheque signers this year for these accounts?
Name / Address / Phone/EmailInvestments Information
Financial Planner / Broker Company:Representative Name:
Phone Number:
Email:
Who is authorized to access investment accounts?
Name / Address / Phone/EmailCHARITABLE STATUS
Notification of Registration Letter – Attach Copy to Information Inventory
Business Number:
The BN consists of a nine-digit root, followed by a two-letter, four-digit account identifier. The nine-digit root is the same for each account an organization may have with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) (besides a charity account, you may also have payroll, corporate income tax, and GST/HST accounts, etc.). The two-letter, four-digit identifier will be different for each account; registered charitable status is acknowledged by the RR000 account identifier. Please note that the Charity's BN should be written in full on all its donation receipts.
Charitable Purposes (Objects)
List or Location:
T3010 Annual Information Return
Due DateCurrent Status
Official Receipts – Location and Access:
DESCRIPTION / KEY DATA, REFERENCE, OR LOCATION / CONTACT:Internal and/or External
Blank Receipts for Issuing
Duplicates of Issued Receipts
Other - Specify
SOCIETY FILINGS
Annual Reports Location and Access:
Last Filed Date:
Current Directors
Name / Address / Phone/EmailINSURANCE
DESCRIPTION / KEY DATA, REFERENCE, OR LOCATION / CONTACT:Internal and/or External
General Property
Liability
Directors and Officers Liability
Other - Specify
BENEFITS
DESCRIPTION / KEY DATA, REFERENCE, OR LOCATION / CONTACT:Internal and/or External
Health
Disability
Worksafe
Life
Dental
Other- Specify
LEGAL
Lawyer:Firm:
Phone Number:
E-mail:
Most Recent Consultation with Legal Counsel:
Reason for Consultation:
Pending Litigation, if any:
Additional Vital Information about Legal Counsel:
DIGITAL MARKET INVENTORY
Describe how to access, add or change information in notes or add an attachment
Digital Asset / Notes on Managing / Password and/or Access / ManagerDomains
Websites
Email Marketing
Others- Specify
HUMAN RESOURCES
Payroll Information
Company Name:Account Number:
Payroll Rep:
Phone Number:
Email:
Additional Vital Information about Payroll:
Employee and/or Volunteer Handbook
DESCRIPTION / KEY DELIVERABLES, REFERENCE, OR LOCATION / CONTACT:Internal and/or External
General Info
Dispute Resolution
Absence and Holiday Policies
Other - Specify
FACILITIES
DESCRIPTION / KEY DATA, REFERENCE, OR LOCATION / CONTACT:Internal and/or External
Office Lease
Building Deed (If Owned)
Office Equipment Leases
Other - Specify
Building Management
Company Name:Contact Name:
Phone Number/Email:
Office Security System
Company Name:Account Number
Representative Phone Number/Email:
Other Vital Information Regarding Facilities:
Building Security Passcode:
Who has Access?
Name / Address / Phone/EmailSERVICE CONTRACTSOBLIGATIONS
DESCRIPTION / KEY DELIVERABLES, REFERENCE, OR LOCATION / CONTACT:Internal and/or External
FUNDRAISING
Current Top Five Charitable Contributors To The Organization
NAME and Contact Info / NotesFollow-Up required?
Outstanding Requests?
Additional vital Fundraising Information
INFORMATION CUSTOMIZED TO YOUR MISSION
Clinical relationships, partnerships, social enterprises, etc.
DESCRIPTION / KEY DATA, REFERENCE, OR LOCATION / CONTACT:Internal and/or External