BOARD OF DIRECTORS ROLES
Duty of Care: The duty of care describes the level of competence
that is expected of a board member, and is commonly expressed as the duty
of "care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise in a like
position and under similar circumstances. "This means that a
board member owes the duty to exercise reasonable care when he or she
makes a decision as a steward of the organization.
Duty of Loyalty: The duty of loyalty is a standard of faithfulness;
a board member must give undivided allegiance when making decisions affecting
the organization. This means that a board member can never use information
obtained as a member for personal gain, but must act in the best interests
of the organization. Board members have agreed that these legal duties can
be implemented through the following board roles to ensure legal
and ethical integrity and maintain accountability by ensuring adherence to
legal standards and ethical norms:
1. Determining the organization's mission and purpose by creating and reviewing
a statement of mission and purpose that articulates the organization's
goals, means, and primary constituents served.
2. Selecting, supporting, and evaluating the Program Director, ensuring that he
/ she has the professional support needed to further the goals of the
organization.
3. Providing proper financial oversight by developing the annual budget and
ensuring that proper financial controls are in place.
4. Ensuring adequate resources by giving AND getting adequate resources (both
people and funds - time, talent, and donations) for the organization to
fulfill its mission.
5. Attending all Board meetings and serving on at least one Board committee.
6. Ensuring effective organizational planning by regularly actively
participating in an overall planning process and assisting in implementing
and monitoring the plan's goals.
7. Recruiting, nominating, orienting, and mentoring new board members and
assessing the board's performance, whereby all members have a
responsibility to articulate prerequisites for candidates, orient new members,
and periodically and comprehensively evaluate its own performance.
8. Serving as Ambassadors of Nueva Esperanza, Inc. so as to enhance the
organization's public standing.
9. Determining, monitoring, and strengthening programs and services.
