Wild Ones Natural Landscapers, Ltd

Governance Principles

(Adopted November 12, 2011)

These Governance Principleswere developed to provide clarity in four areas:

  1. Legal Compliance and Public Disclosure
  • The National Board of Directors of the Wild Ones Natural Landscapers, Ltd governson behalf of its constituents.Record of the organization’sactions will be accessible to its constituent members.
  • Governance procedures established to govern the organization are in accordance with its bylaws.
  • The Board seeks to follow good governance for nonprofit organizations, includingestablishing clear and public governance procedures, a conflict of interest policy,financial restraints, and fund-raising guidelines. The Board will comply with applicable IRS rules.
  • Wild Ones will providedocumentation of policies and practices for the reference of not only Board members, but also of Wild Ones members, chapters, and the public.
  1. Strong Financial Oversight and Fund Raising
  • All Board members need to fully understand the financial statements and budgeting process. Members should see the completed annual IRS 990 form and call for a periodic audit or review of the books.
  • It is important that the Board of Directors, as a body and as individuals, take a strong role in raising funds for the organization.
  1. Structure for Effective Governance and Leadership
  • The Board of Directors provides leadership by adopting the mission, vision,long-termplans, andprogram goals for the Wild Ones organization.
  • The Board of Directors’ duty is to provide oversight of the administration of goals, policies and programs by setting up a process of periodic review and evaluation.
  • The Board requires the Executive Director and staff to carry out the organization’s goals and policies; at year-end,the Board will conduct a review to ensure that the goals were met.
  • The Board will provide an orientation to new Board members. The Board will also adopt methods to assess its own performance.
  1. Definition of Roles and ResponsibilitiesWithin the Wild Ones Organization
  • The Board will establish committees toserve Board functions. These committees doresearch, compose documents,and recommend Board action.
  • The Board of Directors contracts for the services of the Executive Director who acts as Administrator. In the eventuality that the Board may directly hire an Executive Director, a job description and evaluation process will be established.
  • The Board of Directorsis in a partnerrelationship with the Executive Director andpromotes effective communication between the Executive Director and Board.
  • The National Wild Ones Board will review its relationship to the chapters, clarifying dues structure, legal protections, activity guidelines, restrictions, and organizational support.

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Adopted by the Wild Ones National Board at Q0411 Board Meeting November 12, 2011.

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