Financial Oversight: Board Roles & Responsibilities

Alice Forbes, Operations Director
Nonprofit Association of Oregon

Pizza, Salad, No-host Bar & Networking at 5:00
Presentation at 5:30

Are your Board discussions about financial reports alarmingly silent? Are they filled with tense discussions of small expense items with little attention to overall financial health? For many Board members, the spirit is willing, but the flesh and eyelids grow weak when confronted with lengthy financial statements prepared in the "special" format required for nonprofit accounting.

Discussion leader Alice Forbes will bring multiple perspectives to this session as a nonprofit manager, Board member, and consultant on nonprofit financial management issues. Join Alice and fellow Board leaders to explore strategies to help your Board understand the financial health of your nonprofit, identify and resolve significant financial choices, and work with staff to develop financial reports that make sense to non-accountants.

Learn how to:

• Focus Board attention on key financial choices
• Spot red flags in your financial reports
• Build an effective Board Finance Committee
• Obtain and utilize financial information your Board needs most

About the Presenter

Alice Forbes, NAO Operations Director, has been at NAO since March 2008. She oversees all aspects of the NAO infrastructure, including finance, HR, and administration. In addition, her work includes membership benefits, consulting projects, training presentations, and responding to the NAO Helpline. Prior to NAO, Alice worked for several Portland-based consulting firms, helping nonprofit organizations and government agencies build organizational capacity, from program and exhibit development to strategic and business planning.

About the Network

Nonprofit Board Network offers regular opportunities in a relaxed atmosphere for you to learn about nonprofit governance, network with Board members from other organizations, and meet the experts. Nonprofit Board Network gives you a chance to interact with respected thinkers and practitioners in the nonprofit world and to share information and experience.