A Handbook for Avoiding Board Conflicts of Interest

By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions

June 29, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute

Managing Conflicts of Interest: A Primer for Nonprofit Boards, Second Edition, by Daniel L. Kurtz and Sarah E. Paul, reviews state and federal laws and ethical concepts affecting board members. The guide covers laws that govern how tax-exempt organizations must use money and the ways such rules differ from those that regulate businesses. Appendices include sample conflict-of-interest policies and disclosure filings as well as an explanation of Internal Revenue Service Form 1023, the application for tax-exempt status, which asks nonprofit groups about how they plan to compensate board members and other financial arrangements. This updated edition discusses the heightened scrutiny of nonprofit organizations by state and federal lawmakers.

Publisher: BoardSource, 1828 L Street, N.W., Suite 900, Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 452-6262; fax (202) 452-6299; mail@boardsource.org; http://www.boardsource.org; 57 pages; $24 for members; $32 for nonmembers; ISBN 1-58686-078-X.

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About the Author

M.J. Prest

Senior Editor, Solutions

M.J. Prest is senior editor for solutions at the Chronicle of Philanthropy, where she highlights how nonprofit leaders navigate and overcome major challenges. She has covered stories on big gifts, grant making, and executive moves for the Chronicle since 2004. Her work has also appeared in the Washington Post, Slate.com, and the Huffington Post, and she wrote the young-adult novel Immersion. M.J. graduated from Williams College and after living in many different places, she settled in New England with her husband, two kids, and two rescue dogs.