January 30 marks the beginning of a series of community consultations designed to gain an insight into the values and concerns of nonprofit organisations around the country.

Run by the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission (ACNC), the rolling feedback sessions will allow members of the community to become involved in the development of the new government department.

Previously the ACNC had released a discussion paper that detailed the likely structure of the organisation and invited readers to submit feedback on the reporting system that it was to deliver.

In addition to a “report once – use often” framework, the commission was aiming to generate debate over the educational services it was to provide to charity organisations across the country.

The feedback generated by this paper has been used to develop further structural guidelines that will help to shape the role and responsibility of the ACNC when it assumes its official duties sometime in 2012.

While the information provided has been useful so far, the community sessions held around the country will also allow applicants to have their concerns about the functionality of the regulatory body to be addressed by officers working for the implementation taskforce.

The opportunity to have question addressed directly by commission official has proved to be quite popular with many Australian charities – some sessions have already been booked out and there have been additional meeting scheduled in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

As its role will be primarily concerned with nonprofit organisations, the ACNC has indicated that a high level of community involvement is sought to deliver the best possible outcome across the board.

While not every charity will be able to send a delegate to attend these meetings, the commission is making an effort to engage with its stakeholders through a range of channels.

These include a dedicated YouTube channel that provides information on the roles played by various government departments – such as the tax office and the treasury – as well as a brief breakdown of the responsibilities of the organisation itself.

A Facebook page has also been supplied with photos and profiles of the prominent taskforce officers, updates on the main website and detailed information about the ACNC’s roles and duties – not to mention allowing for public feedback to be received directly.

With the closing date for community submissions set for February 27, charities and nonprofit organisations still have time to have their questions answered and their concerns addressed directly buy the individuals who will be in charge of setting up the commission.

Source: Connecting Up

Connecting Up has developed a national directory that represents a major leap forward for charities and nonprofits. A key issue identified by the recent Productivity Commission enquiry into the nonprofit sector was the lack of any comprehensive directory of the Australian nonprofit and charity sector. In fact Australia was the only developed country without such a resource. The Connecting Up Directory has opened up new possibilities for the public to be able to find nonprofit organisations and for the organisations themselves to communicate with each other.

Individuals involved with a not-for-profit association are invited to apply for the inaugural $5,000 City of Mandurah Convention Scholarship.

Designed to assist in personal and professional development, the scholarship will allow the recipient to attend a relevant international conference or to undertake further study relevant to their association’s industry.

The scholarship is offered under the Perth Convention Bureau’s Aspire Program, which was previously called the Scholarships and Awards Program and has been operating since 1999.
In 2012, the Aspire Program will see nine awards and two scholarships worth a total of $60,000 presented to individuals involved with the State’s academic and not-for-profit sectors.

Applications close 30 March 2012.

Click here to reach the full article.

Source: Third Sector

Matrix on Board is pleased to announce that Break Thru People Solutions has adopted BoardEffect – the leading E-Governance tool for non-profit boards of directors.

Break Thru People Solutions operates with a belief that they can affect real and lasting change in the lives of all members of their local communities.

Break Thru People Solutions is an Australian not-for-profit organisation that provides a wide range of services across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. They are renowned for their expertise in providing employment services to a wide range of job seekers including people who are long term unemployed, Indigenous Australians, people with a disability, injury or health condition and those from a non-English speaking background.

Break Thru People Solutions also offers a range of both accredited and non-accredited skills training and education services for both employers and job seekers. Their training caters for a wide array of people including those that are mature aged, parents returning to the workforce or those looking for work after injury or illness. In tackling the increasing complexity of barriers confronting many people, Break Thru recognises that their success relies on the connection and support of the wider community. These partnerships have enabled them to assist thousands of people to break thru barriers and create self-sustaining futures.

BoardEffect is the leading board portal solution for volunteer leadership worldwide, used by more than 15,000 board members and users at over 300 nonprofit organisations around the globe. Accessible via your favourite web-browser and via a free iPad app, BoardEffect streamlines board work and reduces risk by providing directors easy access to important information.

To learn how your organisation can benefit from implementing BoardEffect as its preferred E-Governance solution, reserve a FREE online tour today!

Matrix on Board is pleased to announce that the Australian Osteopathic Association has adopted BoardEffect – the leading E-Governance tool for non-profit boards of directors.

The Australian Osteopathic Association (AOA) is the peak body representing the interests of osteopaths, osteopathy as a profession and consumer’s right to access osteopathic healthcare. The AOA is a member of Allied Health Professions Australia and the Osteopathic International Alliance and represents the vast majority of the 1600 osteopaths in Australia; over 85% in fact.

The AOA:

• provides high-quality education, training and continuing professional development for osteopaths
• is committed to ensuring the highest possible standard of osteopathic healthcare
• is the leading authority in the provision of information to the community
• a unified voice with government  for better recognition of and access to osteopathic healthcare in Australia.

BoardEffect is the leading board portal solution for volunteer leadership worldwide, used by more than 15,000 board members and users at over 300 nonprofit organisations and companies. Accessible via your favourite web-browser and via our free iPad app, BoardEffect streamlines board work and reduces risk by providing directors easy access to important information.

To learn how your organisation can benefit from implementing BoardEffect as its preferred E-Governance solution, reserve a FREE online tour today!

The Government is seeking the views of not-for-profit organisations and other stakeholders on appropriate governance arrangements for the future of the sector.

The Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten has released a consultation paper, Review of Not-for-profit Governance Arrangements, which seeks views from the not-for-profit (NFP) sector on what the core governance principles that apply to all NFP organisations should be and how a single governance system could best serve NFPs’ needs.

The outcomes of the governance review will help form the governance requirements for registered entities in the Australian Charities and NFPs Commission legislation.

The paper builds on work previously completed in the Final Report on the Scoping Study for a National Not-for-profit Regulator, which discussed streamlining the governance arrangements in the NFP sector.

To make a submission or for more information visit: http://www.treasury.gov.au/contentitem.asp?NavId=037&ContentID=2252

Submissions on the consultation paper are due by 20 January 2012.

Source: Third Sector

If you gave your board members iPads to use during your board meetings, what do you think would happen?

Would they wake up? Walk out? Or be wowed?

Steven Bowman, of Conscious Governance, and Dottie Schindlinger, of BoardEffect explore the possibilities of nonprofit boards and the use of iPads in their white paper, iPad Use on the Rise in Nonprofit Boardrooms.

Board meetings have not changed that much since the rise of the modern American corporation in the late 19th century. And nonprofit boards have been built right on top of that corporate model.

But there’s been a trend in recent years toward e-governance, which uses web-based portals to make it easier to deliver information to board members prior to meetings and in-between.

Bowman and Schindlinger say that the latest statistics from KPMG, a consulting firm, last year suggest that about half of organisations are now using a web-based portal and another 30% plan to do so within the year. There are a number of board portal vendors that are releasing iPad apps, and there is a corresponding uptick in the number of nonprofits that are considering the use of iPads in meetings.

Click here to read the full article.

Source: About.com Guide

Matrix on Board approached Medical Deans with the BoardEffect portal, and it seemed like a good fit in terms of what we wanted to achieve with regard to secure web based access for Board members and stakeholders to access documents without having to develop this in house.

Medical Deans first use of the software was in September 2011 as a portal for attendees of the Medical Deans Annual Conference to access the conference papers. A ‘committee’ of all conference participants was established, with each participant given a username to access the portal and this committee. The Welcome screen for BoardEffect, and the Committee Workroom homepage was used to provide simple instructions to users on how to access the papers, alleviating the need for individualised training. The Committee Files section in the Workroom was used to store all papers, and users reported little problems following the instructions and accessing the papers.

The feedback during and after the conference was extremely positive. Medical Deans has expanded the use of BoardEffect for Board meetings, utilising the Committee Meeting Books functionality, and plans are now underway to further employ BoardEffect for other groups of stakeholders. The intention is to embed the use of BoardEffect into mainstream operations.”

Adam Seifman
Business and Projects Manager

Take an Online Tour of BoardEffect – Our brief online tours of BoardEffect are a great way for your key staff and board members to see first-hand the advantages of E-governance. We’ll spend 20-30 minutes reviewing the portal’s key functionality and giving you the opportunity to ask questions. Click here to reserve your tour today.

Used by more than 15,000 board members / users at over 300 nonprofit organisations around the globe, BoardEffect is the #1 board portal for volunteer leadership worldwide,

Our Board Support webpage recently received a facelift.

Take a look and let us know what you think. You’ll find loads of info on E-Governance; the benefits of implementing a board portal; BoardEffect Success Stories; FAQs; Security Features and heaps more.

Visit us online at www.mob.com.au/boardsupport

Matrix on Board is pleased to announce that Jewish Care (Victoria) Inc. has adopted BoardEffect – the leading E-Governance tool for non-profit boards of directors.

Jewish Care provides aid in times of hardship and crisis, and offer services that enable individuals in the Victorian Jewish community to thrive. By providing support and opportunities for individuals and families, Jewish Care seeks to strengthen the wellbeing and resilience of its community.

Jewish Care has built its strong caring reputation on its extensive experience and the compassion of its people. By assisting over 5000 individuals from all walks of life each year, Jewish Care impacts the lives of over 15,000 people in the community. These lives are touched by the positive outcomes of all the services: support for older people, both in their homes and within Jewish Care’s residential accommodation facilities, services for adults and children with a disability, and a host of community services and tailor-made programs for young and old.