Some best practices to remember for boards and districts

It’s always good to take a step back and look at the policies and procedures of your board or district. Having sound ones that positively affect your organization and its culture can be key to a smooth operation that is also fair to your constituents.

We have a resource we’d like to share that goes into some detail on these best practices, covering the gamut of what a district or board can do. This best practices checklist can help guide the roles, duties and tone that is set by your district. From hiring staff and contractors to establishing a code of ethics, it’s all encompassing and available on our website. Here are just a few of the most crucial aspects of it to keep in mind:

The roles of a board or staff members
The checklist begins with a check of main duties and roles within a group. Among the most important parts of this segment are the understanding that it’s more than just a ceremonial body. Districts have a clear responsibility to lead for their constituents and to hold staff accountable for results. It also makes clear that no single person should have control over all parts of the financial transactions for district. This is to protect against fraud.

Clear internal controls
From there, the checklist goes into specific controls that boards and districts should ensure take place. This includes setting the formal approval of any spending above a certain dollar amount. It also includes a prompt to regularly review entity disbursement reports, including the names of vendors and amounts of each expenditure from meeting to meeting.

Finding the best staff

This section goes further into finding board members and the best ways to approach that important task. It spells out that entities should follow open and objective processes, both for board vacancies as well as work with outside contractors. It also discourages the hiring of relatives or business associates for these roles. Training in open and public meetings is also a hallmark of this part of the district’s duties.

Ensuring great ethics
The last section of the checklist goes into what it calls “the tone at the top.” This means there are checks in place to make sure ethics are solid in every aspect, holding everyone accountable for high standards of performance as well as upholding a clear code of ethics. It also makes clear that an ethics hotline and whistleblower policy should be adopted.

Everything from the tone that you use with everyone to the nuts-and-bolts of how a district is run all leads to the success of your organization. To find out more about how we can help you achieve and support that success, go to our website.