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Nonprofit Radio, February 10, 2012: Readings, Possible Futures, Past Lives & Board Oversight Basics II

Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%

Sponsored by GE Grace corporate real estate services.

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My Guests:

Betsy Cohen
Betsy Cohen: Readings, Possible Futures, Past Lives

Psychic medium Betsy Cohen, one of the “Top 10 Psychics in New York,” will take your calls and tweets to read your nonprofit’s energy and help you see a wider perspective, reveal what’s hidden and understand possible futures from different alternatives related to donors, staffing, budget, programs or whatever challenges you’re facing. She will also do readings about career issues.

 

Gene Takagi & Emily Chan
Gene Takagi & Emily Chan: Board Oversight Basics II

Our regular legal contributors, Gene Takagi and Emily Chan of the Nonprofit & Exempt Organizations Law Group, will unlock the vagueness around “board oversight.” This is part two of the discussion we started on January 20th. There’s a lot to say, and it’s important.

 


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Here is a link to the podcast: 078: Readings, Possible Futures, Past Lives & Board Oversight Basics II

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No. Welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent on your aptly named host. I hope you’re with me last week because if you were and what a shame if you weren’t, but if you were those who were with me heard entrepreneurs on board, entrepreneurs are under utilized on boards, and jerry stengel, founder of venture near, helped you to make the fix. Who are these people? How do you find them? And how do you approach them to get their special talents on your board? Also, we had starting the plant e-giving conversation with laurie greiff, president of breakthrough philanthropy. She encouraged you to start the plan giving conversation with your committed prospects and donors. Well, if you weren’t with me last week, you are now much more important this week readings, possible futures and past lives psychic medium betsy cohen will take your calls and tweets my bryce just cracked tweets to read your non-profits energy and help you see a wider perspective, reveal what’s hidden and understand possible futures from different alternatives related to donors, staffing, budget programs or whatever challenges you’re facing. She’ll also do readings about career issues. In the second half of the show board oversight basics to our regular legal contributors, jean takagi and emily chan from the non-profit and exempt organizations law group in san francisco unlock the vagueness around board oversight this’s part two of the discussion we started on january twentieth there’s a lot to say and it’s important board oversight between the segments on tony’s take two in praise of naps that’s my blogger this week in praise of naps i’ll talk about why i praise them, so we’re live tweeting as we do every week hashtag non-profit radio use it recklessly, but especially this week we have a guest live tweeter mazarene treyz from austin, texas she’s been a guest on this show she’s been a guest on my podcast for the chronicle of philanthropy that i do monthly. You can follow her on twitter at wild woman fund mazarene treyz welcome to the show on twitter. Right now, we take a break when we return it’s readings, possible futures and past lives with psychic medium betsy cohen, so stay with me. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you to hell? Call us now at to one to seven to one eight, one eight three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com. We look forward to serving you. Is your marriage in trouble? Are you considering divorce? Hello, i’m lawrence bloom, a family law attorney in new york and new jersey. No one is happier than the day their divorce is final. My firm can help you. We take the nasty out of the divorce process and make people happy. Police call a set to one, two, nine six four three five zero two for a free consultation. That’s lawrence h bloom two, one two, nine, six, four, three five zero two. We make people happy. Durney hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com. Welcome back to big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent and your aptly named host. Right now, i’m joined by betsy cohen. Betsy is a psychic medium. She has a background also in social work and psychology, and worked for a nonprofit for over ten years. So you see the important overlap she’s, a reverend in the spiritualist church of new york city, and is one of the top ten psychics in new york, and we’re going to have some fun, and i’m really very pleased to welcome that seat to the show. Welcome. Thanks for having me, it’s. A real pleasure. Yes, i want to tell people first that we are taking calls about your non-profit or about your career at eight. Seven seven for a tow for one two oh, for psychic medium, betsy cohen. And of course, you can also tweet using hashtag non-profit radio and we’re monitoring that hashtag here in the studio. Betty um psychic medium let’s. Try to break it down a little bit. What is a psychic? A psychic is somebody who gains information that they would have no other way of knowing through the collective unconscious or someone’s aura all right? And that could include a non-profit good to be with someone it could about the past president future and you can really tap into any kind of issue you want, even if it’s beyond your own personal self so you can find out information about other people. You can find out information about an agency. And as i was preparing for the show, i was thinking about you prepare for the show like the guest does more preparation in the host, okay, i was thinking about that law about corporations being individuals, and although most people don’t agree with that and it’s kind of wonky it’s, sort of that same idea, you know, each each agency, each corporation has its own sort of set of ideals and morals and things like that and operates as a unit. And so you can read that energy of the unit. And just as i would for individuals, talk about possible futures for an individual, we can also do business called consultations with the same sort of concept. Okay, so the person doesn’t have to be affiliated with the non-profit for youto read the energy of the non-profit they’re asking about or there does have to be some relationship. Well, that’s, sort of. Ah, moral question. I can get information on anything at any point. But if you don’t directly have to do with it, i prefer not to go there so similar as if business. Exactly. I have no relationship let’s say to thee, pick a huge charity to the american cancer society. Right? So it’s, none of my damn business. But through me, you could. But you could read about the american cancer society totally irrelevant. Just that i’m merely the one who brought it up. Yes, i could. Okay, but i choose not to understand. Okay? And then what about the medium part of psychic medium? What’s? A medium mediums are people who speak to people on the other side that the dead. Okay. And how do you? Ah, you know these these air unusual things to most people. Not everyone but but the most people. How does one establish credentials for talking to people on the other side? I mean, how do we know that that’s? A bona fide. How do you know that? It’s quantified. Well. And i am a reverend in the spiritualist church and the spiritualist. Church believes in a higher power the golden rule, things like that, but their primary function is to prove life after death, and so the way they do that is through mediumship. So if i don’t know you, you come in off the street and i make a connection with your deceased grandmother, and i tell you five shared memories that you had or something that she liked or did that really you could identify her from? That would be a way to sort of say, oh, my gosh, she’s onto something here, okay, okay, so they’re so being a reverend in that in the spiritualist church of new york city is a credential. It is just not something honorary. No, you have to be actually a certified psychic medium, which you conduced through schooling. And then on top of that, you know, it wasn’t something i just got online. I went to seminary school for about two years and got ordained, and i conduct church services there, and in fact, i’ll be in austin, texas, texas on the eighteenth, and i hope to co conduct the church service there and do some guest speaking and guess mediumship there, too. Okay, so mazarene treyz you’re in austin, texas, that’s. Ah, reverend betsy cohen will be there on february eighteenth at the first spiritualist church of austin, texas. Okay, a reminder that we’re taking calls eight, seven, seven, four, eight o for one two oh, if you have questions about the non-profit that you’re affiliated with that you work with or that maybe you’re a volunteer for ah challenges about budget or staffing or programming anything that’s ah that’s a concern in that non-profit you can also hit us on twitter using the hashtag non-profit radio. So you mentioned schooling, but i would have thought, and maybe i’m wrong that being a psychic or medium is something that you’re born with. I believe that actually everyone khun do what ideo but some people are more inclined and so it’s, just like, if you wind up growing up and you’re good at math, then you may study math further and you may become an accountant or something like that. So it really is through a lot of practice that you get to be a point where i’m at interest in helping others and things like that so it’s sort of like just getting a roadmap for where you’re going, other people have paved the way before, and they let you know what you can expect pretty much and in just a minute or so that we have left before the break is so this is greater than just someone’s intuition, obviously, but we all have intuition, a gut feeling about a person, a feeling that i left something in my apartment as i’m walking out the door, we all have that level, but this is much greater. I wouldn’t say necessarily greater, but more specialized and more in depth. So, you know, like i said, if if you’re not good at taxes, you might get, like turbotax online or something versus being an accountant and being someone who does taxes for a living. So it’s really just that concentration and practice really practice makes perfect, so it is also a lifestyle, so i don’t use any cards or any instruments or anything like that. It’s just my body. So i have to make sure that i keep really good care of my body. So there’s a lot that goes into it. Okay before the show, you said you have very good immune. System is bragging because i have. I have bronchitis right now, which, measuring treyz you don’t need to tweet that part, but betsy claims more sophisticated immune system than me. We’re going to take a break, and when we return, more readings, possible futures and past lives with psychic medium. Betsy cohen. Stay with us, the defendant think dick tooting, getting thinking thing. You’re listening to the talking, alternate network, itching to get anything. Nothing. You could are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall. This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people. Be better business people. Oppcoll hi, this is psychic medium. Betsy cohen, host of the show. The power of intuition. Join me at talking alternative dot com mondays at eleven a. M call in for a free second reading. Learn how to tune into your intuition to feel better and to create your optimum life. I’m here to guide you and to assist you in creating life that you deserve. Listen every monday at eleven a, m on talking alternative dot com. Are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics, politically expressed, i and montgomery taylor and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. I’m christine cronin, president of n y charities. Dahna you’re listening to tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Welcome back to the show we’re talking about reading is possible futures in past lives. Becky, what is the advantage for non-profits what could what could a charity expect from a reading? Well, i know that especially in these quote unquote hard economic times, let’s, just call it a recession. We’re in a recession from metoo call it was called, we’re in a recession, eso in the recession dance and the recession non-profits tend to have it harder with funding being pulled left and right, and it really does trickle down from the top to the employees, and it could really affect morale and decision making and there’s a lot of the decisions that have to be made nowadays that didn’t necessarily have to be made five, ten years ago. And so when ever people come to a reading, whether it be a business consultation or individual, they’ve got issues that they don’t know the future of, they don’t know what direction to take, and if you have possible options, i’m trained to look into possible futures. So even hypothetical, yes, absolutely, because we do have free will, and so i don’t personally believe that, you know, as faras the american dream is concerned. We have ah, plethora of options to us all the time. But there are crossroads that come up. And so when you’re at a cross road that’s a time when you can say okay, well, should we should we go with this funder, or should we put our money in this area? And so i can say, okay, well, if you went with this funder, this is what would happen if you put your money elsewhere. This is what would happen as well. So you can really take a good look at the possible scopes of things. It really helps with decision making. On top of that, you know, there are a lot of things that, as you mentioned in the beginning of the segment, that it’s there’s hidden, hidden agendas and i do provide a wider perspective. So when especially people on the top of the letter don’t necessarily have the best connection with the people who are running the agency day today and interacting with the clients and things like that. And so with my my work and social work, i’ve seen sort of all stratos fears and and helped with that sort of communication so that so that the employees who were really running the business feel appreciated and the people on tap can make the best decisions for the whole agency, that kind of thing. Um, and as far as the problem solving goes, what i also say is, you know, you ask one question, but there’s a whole bunch of hidden questions in that as well. And so my job is to ask, ask, ask i am somewhat like a telephone, so if you’re getting a business consultation and i’m speaking with, you know, the collective, if i don’t ask the collective of it, i don’t ask divine source, it doesn’t get answered, so i ask all the whos that what’s the wise and the wares in the ones behind your question to really get a complete answer. Okay, now on the show, we have jargon jail, and you’ve just committed to offenses, but but they’re not as technical as we usually get a lot of times lawyers will find himself in jail, but the collective and divine source. Okay, so what are what are these? Okay, well, they in these terms, they’re sort of they’re sort of the same thing. There’s there’s an energy that connects us all and actually science modern science is actually leading us to to these conclusions as well. Some of it is not so easily access, but you can find it. And so is that that a lot of people believe in the soul, right? So there’s a part of us that’s, energetic that’s bigger than our body, and it’s connected to everyone so that’s sort of the collective unconscious that’s how we tune in we’re all plugged into this one energy and divine consciousness is that that in that intelligence source that is there only to support our highest good, and just always supports us, so they’re very similar, but slightly different. Sometimes i feel the divine energy is electrocuting me way have a question that came by email, i think, betsy, so go ahead. What is that? Yeah, anna in brooklyn says if i feel stuck and not being fulfilled at work, she works for a nonprofit, but afraid to change jobs. What can i do to find a passion? And so for for and i do feel like this happens to a lot of people when you’re in a non-profit for a while you sort of especially if you’re young, although even if you’re just new to the agency ah lot of times you’re really gung ho about it, and you’re gung ho because you go in with your your heart, you go in with the passion nobody is in non-profit to get rich, we know that right it’s a life of service, and so when you go in, you have on the forefront of your brain and your thinking low, i’m going to go in to help people. I’m going in to help people, and you go in with that passion, and then you go in and you read, you hear all the bureaucracy and the old staff member start to complain, and you start to see the different side of all the administrative stuff, and maybe you don’t feel appreciated, and then your passion starts to diminish and you start to lose track of what brought you there in the first place. What brought you that fulfillment and that joy? And so when you’re looking for a new job, what is always recommended is it sounds a little bit backwards and we’re not really taught this, but i know firsthand. That it works, especially when i worked in non-profit i was able to switch jobs by doing this is you need to create that passion from within again in your current job. What is it that brings you there that will connect you to your heart center, and that will let you sort of really tune into what it is that you’re there for in the first place, and then you can start to tune and say, okay, well, this aspect of the job i liked, but this aspect of the job i don’t like, and you can start to search with what it is that you do like, and you can start your job, search that way and then another quick thing is that when you, when you start to do that, when you start to appreciate where you are, your energy changes and the energy of those around you changes think of when you having a good day and everyone around you is smiling because you’re smiling versus getting up on the wrong side of the bed. So then there’s a thing when you have a job and you switch your attitude around and you go searching for a job. The people that you interview with want you because you’re bringing in a different energy of someone who’s unemployed and who needs that job? I just needed to pay the bills. That’s, not your best energy. And when you go in, you could be bruce. Exactly. And so you and you’re not being desperate because you hate your job already as well. So you say they say, why are you here? And they say, well, you say i want a new skill set i want to bring my passion to your agency and they’re speaking from the heart versus sort of masking your dissatisfaction at your old job now and so that’s. All very good. I think job search and job change advice. But are you able to read anything about anna’s situation just just from an e mail? Is that is that possible? Yes, absolutely. That was that was for and i don’t even know her last name. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, that that really applied that would really apply. Generally, it would because it’s it’s something that we all go through. But for her specifically it well, it works as well. She has a follow up. Question should i read that? Yeah, okay, she says at non-profits even if i do believe in the work i dio, how can i find more comforting asking for a financial support from the community, especially after bad press? So she’s talking about fund-raising so that’s a that’s a big thing as well, especially with the press, trying to find all of these things, you know, just a good story. So i would say, and one of the things that you do want to do is you do want to find those passionate people. The people who are there are ready with their heart, and if you can, if you can get the people who are actually receiving the services to somehow be represented, not necessarily that you want them to do the fund-raising themselves sometimes videos can really help. So the people who receive the services they have, you know, heartfelt message is if it weren’t for this agency, i would not be ableto walk today. I would not be going to college today. Videos really work sometimes, um, sometimes just stories that you can have a sort of, not a postcard. So you want to have that that poster child who was really affected those things, and if you have enthusiastic clients who want to be out in the public and say, can you help us out along with the staff members, that can be really helpful? That could be very compelling, absolutely than alive story to a board or ah, or an event that you’re hosting absolutely gala and those those are the things because you you always and this is a general thing, but it’s specifically for this question as well, you always want to focus on what you want versus what you don’t want. And so if you have that client and that staff member who are very passionate and very affected, the people, the audience, the people who you want to donate money are going to see that, and they’re not going to be concentrating on the story that they read last week about the agency other value that that non-profits could see in the reading focus on this little bit more the hypothetical that we mentioned earlier, so it doesn’t have to be it’s, not it’s, not limited to existing circumstances, but even just ah, question about different alternatives absolutely that’s what? You mean by possible futures? Yeah. Um, when i was in social work, i primarily not all the time, but i primarily worked with people with developmentally to say do weird about developmentally disabled. And they were pretty high functioning. My job was to educate them on the consequences of their actions and then let them make their own decisions. Unless it was a health and safety risk. Right? This is what i bring into my readings. And so when people come to me with a business consultation or personal constitutent consultation they say yes, but what should i d’oh? I say, well, that would be putting my own judgment in. And i take myself out. I will tell you, if you do this, this will happen. And if you do this other path, this other thing will happen. So you get to choose on dh with what degree of certainty can you say that? On your saying this so that this will happen with this other thing will happen? Not may happen. Might happen, you know, you know, it really depends on the feedback that i get from readings. So far, the feedback has been eighty to one hundred percent. Accurate how people come up with those numbers, i think is just sort of ah, feeling i do tape every reading and send it to people so it’s possible that they’re sort of rating on a checklist, but i wouldn’t. I wouldn’t necessarily go that far with it, and i don’t know of anyone personally who’s done that it’s just really a track record of of the past readings and how much they’ve come true and also, you know, i always look for the for the best possible future for somebody, so there isn’t necessarily doom and gloom, although someone did ask me if i get something negative, will i relay it on what i say is that whatever i get, i give, so if i get something negative, i’ll deliver it to you, but we’ll also ask, though, who’s the what’s, the wise, the wares in the ones to either avoid that or make the best of that psychic medium. Betsy cohen is a za reverend in the spiritualist church of new york city, and we’re talking about readings possible futures in past lives. You can reach us on twitter using hashtag non-profit radio or call eight seven seven. For eight xero for one to zero what is spirit and and is it related to the organizational type readings that we’re talking about? Absolutely spirit is is the energy that i believe exists in everything around us. I believe what’s an intelligent force and i believe it’s what keeps things together, and i also believe that we can sort of harness spirit to create things there was this the collective energy that i said electrocute feel like it’s electrocuting me? Yes, it’s the same thing. Yes. Okay, go ahead. Yeah. And and what was the other part of the questions that were that doesn’t relate to organization it’s readings as well as individual meeting? Absolutely. Absolutely. The thing is, is that everything that’s been created and will be created first started in someone’s mind’s eye and so it’s really bringing that fourth and so that’s. What non-profits will do in a reading is they’ll wonder what they should manifest next to watch the next step should be. And so when you talk about that it’s like, well, what is the best step for you and talking about that? So here and in terms of, um, your work connecting with the dead being a medium. So first, let me say all psychics or not mediums, right? That’s, right? All right. Okay. Yeah. With that at all, be related to organizational readings like someone who’s who’s used to work for the organisation is now deceased possible. Yes, it is. I mean, it’s getting a little far out for your show, but absolutely well, just it’s a consulting a dead person for a non-profit i mean it’s definitely possible and probable, especially if that person was really good at bringing the organization to a good place leading the organization whenever they were the founder. Exactly that’s possible or or or an influential ceos ceo for decades or something. And they have a lot to say about the current course of the of the organization. No, absolute, yes, absolutely. You can also call on other famous people who were good at what you’re looking for. You can also ask them for consultations as well from that. And, you know, it’s it’s really good. Because i always say when we’re contacting the dead, it comes through their filter so you wouldn’t want to contact the ceo who led the organization into the red about money, you know, you might want teo about, you know about anything else, but you probably wouldn’t want to talk to them finances, but that’s it’s a really good point and i have have now. Now you say it’s a really good point, but two minutes ago it was it was too far afield for the show that man complete one eighty you doing for embarrass me and you say, it’s your show so i shouldn’t have made that judgment people embarrass me also, i embarrass myself. It doesn’t matter if you don’t, i will. So you may as well make your point, though that was the point is that that is that is a really good point. And and if you did want to contact someone on the other side, i do have really high standards from my mediumship. So if i’m giving a reading for anyone i really want to come up with identify irs, and i’ll explain what that is so that you know, that they’re here so things that i would have no way of knowing the way they died, what they liked with some of the personalities may be a shared memory that you had with them something like that, so that, you know, if i gave you five, identify ours, and you’re like, whoa, that’s. Definitely, you know, the last ceo, he definitely made that joke to me that something that was convincing to me in the beginning was it was conveying the personality of a deceased loved one. And then, you know, the very first reading that i had it was she was using the exact words i used the day before. And, you know, how would that person know that? We pretty much are out of time. I wantto i want to let people know that he has a show here on talking alternative, which is the power of intuition and that’s on mondays at eleven a, m here at talking alternative dot com, she has a background in social work and psychology, and has worked for a nonprofit for over ten years. Courses, i said, reverend in the spiritualist church of new york city and that’s, a corner one, thank you very much for being on the show, things going to give out my web site, new york psychic no, go ahead, new york city psychic that comets all spelled out in new york city. Psychic dot com. Thanks for coming into the studio on a friday. Thanks for having me, he’s. Been a pleasure. We’ll take a break, and when we returned, tony’s take two about naps and then board oversight basics. Stay with me. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics politically expressed. I am montgomery taylor, and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people. Be better business people. Dahna hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com durney welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio it’s, time for tony’s, take two at roughly thirty two minutes after the hour in praise of naps. That’s, my block this week. Um, i just i love naps. You know, if naps ran for president, i would vote for them, you know, because it’s, time to rest the body and rest the mind, and i’m sure that betsy cohen would say, rest his soul or something similar. It’s, just it’s rest, you know, and midday. I know a lot of people can only do them on a weekend, but i am fortunate to have the luxury of working at home. So sometimes on a weekday, i can indulge in an app and that’s. What my block is about. Ah, little about some peoples, different idiosyncrasies around. Ah, the proper venue for your nap, you know, bed versus sofa. Or maybe a comfy chair. Cover. I make a point that having the cover that’s just the right weight is important. I have my favorite blanket when it’s folded in half. It’s the perfect it’s a hideous color but it’s a great it’s a perfect weight when it’s folded in half. Um, something else that was nufer me ah, friend mentioned sound level. I mean, i was take my naps in silence, but she likes a tv low in the background, so sound level is something i hadn’t thought off. Anyway, you have your own idiosyncrasies. I hope you get the opportunity to indulge in naps and that’s what my post is about you’ll find my blogged at attorney martignetti dot com and note that that is a different girl than previous tony martignetti dot com that’s tony’s take two for friday, february tenth the sixth show of two thousand twelve excuse me, i’m very pleased now to welcome back jean takagi and emily chan gina’s principle of neo the non-profit and exempt organizations law group in san francisco he edits the popular blogged at non-profit law blogged dot com. You’ll find him on twitter at g tak g t k emily chan is an attorney at neo-sage contributor to the non-profit law blogged and she’s on twitter at emily chan, gene and emily welcome back, durney durney pleasure to have you. We’re continuing our conversation that jean and i started last week. Sorry last month about board oversight and gene, we had we had just we’re just the point where we’re getting some lessons from the penn state and second mile scandal crisis. What, you just remind listeners what that situation was about before we get some more lessons from it? Sure, honey, i think there’s been a lot of news, and jerry sandusky, who was an assistant football coach at penn state university, was founder of a children’s charity called the second mile. Uh, has, which is a charity that served more than one hundred thousand children annually. Mr sandusky was indicted in november following that three year investigation into reported sexual assaults of young boys by sandusky, including taking a shower with a boy at the penn state’s facilities and he’s actually at a pretrial hearing today. Oh, and uh, so he continues to be in the news the second mile, the big organization against serving more than a hundred thousand kids. Annually is now really hurting very badly in and maybe looking at closing in trying to transfer its program so huge impact of this child sex abuse scandal where sandusky was was indicted again for sexual assaults over a period of about fifteen years. And and sadly, since our last conversation about this, joe paterno died, i was dragged into the into the scandal under criticism that he hadn’t done enough to to report what he had learned on he died just a couple of days after after you and i talked. Gene um, so what? We were at the point where we’re talking about just getting help for your for your charity, what kind of help might a charity need from the from the outside? Why? I think they’re different things, and emily may want to chime in on this, too, but i think the first thing is to respond to those allegations of the charity when you’re your responsibility is taking care of those children. And you got a count of somebody who’s responsible party that interacts with these kids, taking a shower with children or engaging in other inappropriate behavior on there’s a grand jury actually looking into it, you’ve got to conduct your own internal investigations, and if you don’t have that expertise in house, you’ve got to get outside help to help you and obviously having an independent invest investigation and be very, very important as, uh, sandusky was the founder and might have been seen to have had undue influence over the leadership inside the second mile charity. Having an independent investigator take a look at it on if they need it outside, help to create more policies to protect the kids. Those are all things that were paramount for that board for that leadership act on right away. Yeah, emily besides the independent investigation, are there other investigation you know of ah serious allegation like this? Are there other functions that are important for charity’s? Tto go in seek of outside help with absolutely so amazing to think that we’ve been using in the sector. Assad organizations, they’re not doing a good job with implementing an emergency plan or even having a number to see plan to begin with. And so that’s something you can certainly see pr for talking to other organizations that have had similar troubles, especially with something like the second miles, you know, we’ve seen, for example, boy scouts of america go through a long history of legal cases related to sexual abuse, maybe reaching out to those organizations or seeing what they have done can help inform what might be effective when you’re dealing with a bad situation as well and it’s not only in cases of crisis, right, emily, that board should be looking for outside help. That is such a good plane. I really think the starting point for months over and organizations related to governance begins before and even bad actually happened, and it really should be from the inside out. So at a basic level, looking at things like policies, looking at the way that you described your information to the public, all of that should be an ongoing thing that’s being monitored before anything bad even happens. And so that sounds like an audit function. Is that what you’re describing in a way? You know, i don’t want to pretend that good governance is easy, it’s, certainly something you have to work hard at, but there’s steps out leaders can take to lessen the risk of bad governance, and so then when bad things happened that they don’t become exacerbated or get out of control. So looking at policies, this has really been something that’s come up with the for my ninety, and i think many organizations have the misconception of looking at it in the frame of how do we avoid an irs audit? And they think the right way to look at it is to think about policies as faras their utility on, and it does serve an audit function, but it also just helps an organization run it better, and it helps some underst and the role better to and a lot of the policies are things that jean and i talked about, the last conversation we had on this topic, which was on the january twentieth show. All right, so now i think a very good point that it it’s you don’t wait for a crisis, right? Emily toe tio, have your have things in order, correct? And i think also to build on the conversation that you and she had last time, you know, the ninety references policies that are very common, but i think an organization also needs to look at their specific situation to determine what. Policies are useful, so for example, here with the second mile, where they’re working with children. You know, the nine, ninety doesn’t save you have policies related tio sexual abuse prevention, but for an organization that has a mission and know that this risk in this context, that maybe something that their donors and their thunders and the public want to see, even though the nine ninety doesn’t specifically asked for it on dh, that would be the role of the board teo, to recognize the need for policies that are specific to the organizations work. It absolutely should be a discussion that’s happening on the board level, jean, those nine nineties that emily is referring to those things that signed under penalty of perjury, right? Absolutely. Tony so, you know boardmember sze should be, in my opinion, although there’s some controversy about this, i think all board members should be taking a look at the form nine ninety before it gets submitted to the irs to make sure that it is representative of what the organization is doing and the organization’s values. Because it really is, in my opinion, again part of the board members fiduciary duties i know. Some people feel like, well, if the board members have to read the nine, ninety that they can increase their personal exposure to liability, if there’s something you know really wrong that’s reflected in the nine, ninety, and they didn’t act on it, and i think that’s a board members job anyway, so rather than just sort of e-giving this defensive legal counsel about, you know, making sure you’re not getting into any trouble wait really want to be proactive about it and say, you know, we’ve got to tell directors what their jobs are so that they can really manage or govern and provide proper oversight to make their organizations do their best work. You mentioned that there’s controversy around whether boardmember should review the nine, ninety is that right? Yeah. There’s a little bit, tony. So i’m what’s up. Some people say that maybe a few board members, a committee perhaps be charged with taking a look at the nine ninety on and they take on the responsibility of doing it because if you are going to be assigned that role and that is part of your responsibility, then you, you know, add to the exposure that you have if you blow it, so if for example, the nine nineties showing that you’re going insolvent, oh, and that you’ve got no policies in place to prevent things like whistleblowers, retaliation, then that may be something that a director that’s been assigned to look at the nine, ninety is going to be held accountable for and so that there may be some fear in terms of protecting individual directors from saying, well, if you’re not going to read this closely and carefully, then you shouldn’t be a find. This is a task that you must do so that’s a little bit of the controversy, i still think the whole board should read it from ah ah, liability perspective this is this is interesting is, is somebody better off not reading it? And then claiming that it wasn’t my job to see it or they better off seeing it and then having done a bad job and ignored things that were that were clearly on there? Good question, i love it when you see a good question, because i really don’t know what i’m talking about. So it’s really it’s it’s very uplifting. Thank you, it’s. Very good. Always want to give you that pat on the back undeserved, but i think you really have to take it into context of what is going on and what type of troubles have, you know, weren’t seen and weren’t acted upon before you can really make that decision of which is worse, but again, sort of being proactive, i really think boardmember should know what the nine ninety is saying because the nine ninety is the public document that everybody can see and maybe forming their opinions on and in the second mile case and in, in fact, and in the recent susan g komen case nine nineties, or what people will look like, including the media whenever the organization is sort of experiencing this, uh, media convergence on their practices and whether they’re doing good things or not. And if you’re nine nineties are not really helping reflector organizational values, and i think you have some issues and the board, the board oversight, which is what we’re talking about. I think part of that is making sure that you know what you’re saying to the public and the nine nineties there a good place to start and in mentioning common, you’re referring to what’s. Been in the news just the past week, with the controversy between the susan g komen for the cure and planned parenthood, whether coleman would fund or not planned parenthood’s activities. And they have decided not to as as a board, ah, board decision, and then and then reverse that decision just to let people know where we stand. Cause a lot of people listen to us. A podcast. A couple of months after the show, we’re going to take a break right now and when we return. More board oversight basics. Part two with jean takagi and emily chan. So stay with us. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Hi, i’m carol ward from the body mind wellness program. Listen to my show for ideas and information to help you live a healthier life in body, mind and spirit, you’ll hear from terrific guests who are experts in the areas of health, wellness and creativity. So join me every thursday at eleven a, m eastern standard time on talking alternative dot com professionals serving community dahna. This is tony martignetti aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent technology fund-raising compliance, social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr. Tony martignetti non-profit radio fridays one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcasting are you concerned about the future of your business for career? Would you like it all to just be better? Well, the way to do that is to better communication. And the best way to do that is training from the team at improving communications. 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We’ll go a little more detail on policies that are specific to your organization because i think a lot of people just sort of copy things that they find on the web. Yes, they dio i would strongly advise and suggests that organizations put more thought into the policies that they’re going to adopt at their organization, then to just take something wholesale or not really put much thought into it in order to check yes on their nine, ninety on these policies really have a lot of utility. I think that for one, they said consistent standards on dh. They also deal with what you know for any person can be an awkward situation dealing with executive compensation, conflicts of interest. And so you really have to think about these policies in terms of how it’s going to be implemented at your organization and to your point earlier, not only how it’s going to implement it, but what around your work requires specifics? Absolutely. And again, going back to the conversation about the public information that’s out there today. You simply can’t unring a bell when it comes to the internet, and so every baby, they’re putting out there to the world, you have to understand that there’s, a variety of audiences, that r rating on our way to screw anything. Yeah, emily, i’m going to switch over to jean because your connection is getting very weird. It’s just. It just sounds kind of pulse e and echoey, very echoey. So, jean, i’m going to switch over to you and ask you, just what? What other types of charities i need to be sensitive about. They’re the way their work relates to the policies that they need besides working with children. I think it it’s reflected every charity, tony, for example, if you’ve got an environmental organization, you may want to decide what your investment policy is going to about excellent investment in everything and what happens when when others get ahold of what you’re investing in. So investing for social responsibility to be a very important thing. Teo, all charity. If you’re an arts organizations, for example, um, you may want to have some, you know, particular gift acceptance policies in terms of accepting different types of artwork does it really further the mission that you have your particular mission? And what about the carrying costs of having that art? And do you have to live up to donors restrictions? How do you deal with that all sorts of particular issues that an arts organization might have that a social services organization wouldn’t have with respect to a gift acceptance policy again, just taking things off off the web or just borrowing and other organizations policy and copping it, you lose all the benefit of really putting in your own particular circumstances in there and part of what’s really great about developing your own policies is the conversation around it? Because you’re going to be bringing up other issues that may not be reflected in your policy, but maybe reflected in your actual practices and how you do things, and all of those things can come up or emerged from discussions. You discussing different policy? And this is all very healthy for a board and it’s senior staff to be talking about, right? Yeah, exactly and isn’t really that what we want isn’t that type of activity we really expect from boards rather than to, you know, just sort of listen to report on dh, you know, just sort of possibly going through the motions. We really want them to be active about planning for the organizations in the future of providing proper oversight to make sure that things are in compliance right now. Ah, and protecting the charitable assets on behalf of all of our community. So too close, then this this two part topic and again listeners, uh, just to remind you that the first show was january twentieth. We’re talking about the subject. Just remind listener jean what’s, the what’s, the purpose of the board. I mean, what? What? What’s there roll around. Not their purpose, but what’s their role specifically around oversight. What do they need to be having front of mind? But, you know, general corporate law, if i can avoid jargon. All right, weren’t you a little cool? Watching there’s only two minutes left noted notice how he treads on drug in jail with only two men stuff, but i’ll still get you in there. I’ll get you in with thirty seconds, so don’t you’re not you’re not free the you know, the general corporate law provides that all corporate powers are to be exercised, buy or under the authority of the board in all activities of the organization are to be managed under the direction of the board. So really, the buck stops with the board everywhere and that’s why boards need tohave systems to provide appropriate oversight over their organization, and that goes everywhere. So not just responding to a scandal like the second mile, but just doing their missions effectively and efficiently. So that’s, really what board oversight is about, emily once said, you know, directors aren’t just simply warm bodies or in a boardroom or prestigious titles on a roster. Um, they really have to accept and live up to. The responsibilities that go with being a director and that’s the duty of karen duty of loyalty for the lawyers out there. Maybe that gets me into stargate jail, but they’ve got to think about how many boardmember said the organization often we have how often should they meet? What are their expectations? What consequences are they don’t meet their expectations. How did they review both financial and programmatic activities? And we touched on that before on the last show as well. On dh how did they review legal compliance and risk management structures? How did the assess the external environment for opportunities and threats? That’s all part of board over. Jean takagi is principal. And emily chan is an attorney at neo-sage non-profit exempt organizations law group in san francisco. You can find both of them on the blogged non-profit law. Blawg dot com emily gene, thank you very much for being on again. Thanks for having it. It’s. Always a pleasure. Thank you. Both. Next week we’re gonna look at consulting relationships from both sides with penelope cagney on her book non-profit consulting essentials. What non-profits and consultants need to know keep up with what’s coming up sign. Up for our insider email alerts, you could do it on the facebook page. You know where to find facebook and then it’s just the name of the show, please like us if you like the show listen, live our archive you’ve accomplished alive, but if you weren’t with us, right, this minute archive were on itunes. You find our itunes paige at non-profit radio dot net subscribed there. 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