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Strength of one.Strength of one. Power of all.Power of all.We are stronger together.We are stronger together. NEW BOARD MEMBERGUIDEBOOKNortheastern University College of Professional StudiesNPM6110 - Legal and GovernanceIssues in Nonprofit OrganizationsSpring 2023 Marchelle D. Jacques-Yarde
Vision & Mission Board Expectations Board Legal DutiesEthical Consideration050607080910Table of contentsDisclaimerMessage from Co-ExecutiveDirector020304MLMC History & ValuesTime Commitments OfficersTABLE OFCONTENTSDisclaimer This guidebook has been created for the purpose of fulfilling aNortheastern University graduate course assignment. It was notformally commissioned by My Life My Choice and does not representthe organization or the Board of Directors. Committees11Appendix12Current Advisory BoardBeing Transparent13Excess Benefits Conflicts of Interest Policy
WELCOME MESSAGEGreetings! It is with sincere pleasure that I would like to welcome you as a member ofMy Life My Choice’s Board of Directors. We believe that your talent, skills, andexperiences exemplify what we need to be stronger together. We are veryexcited to have you as a part of our organization and as an ally in the fightagainst sexual exploitation and human trafficking.Our hope is that this guidebook will serve as a resource as you take on thisrole. In it, you will find the board members’ responsibilities, expectations, andother critical information. More information will be shared during your firstquarterly Board meeting. Thank you, again, for your service and we look forward to working with you.Yours in the fight, LisaLisa Goldblatt-Grace Co-Executive Director
MY LIFE MY CHOICE HISTORY & VALUES Survivor voices must be heard, believed, and setting the agendaPeople must believe that it is wrong to ever buy or sell another humanbeingWe must address the structural inequities that give rise to trafficking andthe commercial sexual exploitation of childrenResources must be deployed, leveraged, and sustained to fight thisinsidious form of child abuseIn 2001, a young Boston woman was brutally murdered while beingcommercially sexually exploited. Latasha was 17 years old and living in agroup home funded by the Department of Children and Families (DCF).Unbeknownst to any of the caring adults in her life (her family, her DCF worker,the group home staff), she was being sold for sex. Following her death, cityleaders came together to ask “was this an isolated incident or the tip of theiceberg?” We quickly learned it was the tip of the iceberg. Out of Latasha’sdeath, My Life My Choice was born.Today, My Life My Choice provides survivor-led solutions to end thecommercial sexual exploitation of children, which is an egregious form ofchild abuse that derails already vulnerable youth from finding a path tosafety and emotional and economic stability. In order to accomplish this:No child should be bought or sold.
VISION & MISSIONThe mission of My Life My Choice is to provide survivor-ledsolutions aimed at ending the commercial sexualexploitation of children.
BOARDEXPECTATIONSknowing and believing in our mission and supporting our strategic plan;facilitating partnerships between MLMC and industry partners;leveraging connections to support policy/advocacy efforts, as well as promoteaccess to resources for mentees and the organization;using personal expertise to support mentee and staff development;faithfully read and understand the organization's financial statements;supporting fundraising efforts; andengaging in MLMC programming to foster a strong relationship between theboard and all other aspects of the organization.uphold legal and ethical integrity by following the organization’s bylaws,policies, and board resolutionssign annual conflict-of-interest disclosure, as well as disclose potentialconflicts before meetings and actual conflicts during meetings maintain confidentiality about all My Life My Choice internal matters select and oversee the the Executive Director or CEO of the nonprofit.Board members are expected to elevate the primary voices of survivor leadersand the partnership voices of allies of the My Life My choice Organization by:Board members are also expected to:Duty of Care: Take care of My Life My Choice by ensuring careful treatment of allassets, including facility, people, and good will;Duty of Loyalty: Ensure that My Life My Choice's activities and transactions are,primarily, advancing its mission; Identify and disclose conflicts of interest; Makedecisions that are in the best interest of My Life My Choice; avoid decisions that are not in the best interest of any individual board member or for-profit entity.Duty of Obedience: Ensure that the My Life My Choice obeys applicable laws andregulations; follows bylaws; and that the nonprofit adheres to its stated corporatepurposes/mission.BOARD LEGAL DUTIES
OFFICERSfacilitate board and Executive Committee meetingsholding board members accountable with regards to attendance, giving andadditional board member commitmentsrecruit and orient new board membersmaintain consistent contact with the Executive Director conduct annual evaluation of both the Executive Director and boardIt is the expectation that the officers of the Board of Directors fulfill the responsibilitiesof a board member, in addition to the specific responsibilities of the officer positionheld.Chair: The Board Chair is expected to provide leadership to and manage My Life MyChoice's Board of Directors, ensuring that the board fulfills its legal and financialobligations and that each member fulfills the expected responsibilities.Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:TIMECOMMITMENTBoard meetings are held once quarterly, and members are expected to attend allmeetings. Board members are also invited to attend and support at organizationevents as well as participate on committees within the board (expanded uponbelow). The overall expected time commitment of Board members is an averageof 4 hours monthly.By agreeing to serve as a member of the Board of Directors, you agree toparticipate in a 2-year term. A board member may serve 2 consecutive 2-yearterms for a total of 4 years.After serving 2 consecutive terms, a board member must rotate off the board forone (1) year. During this time, they may choose to still participate in boardcommittees but will not be part of the formal Board of Directors. After a one-yearhiatus, the member may reapply to the board of directors.
recording minutes; ensuring bylaws, articles of incorporation and other key documents are up-to- dateSigning all organizational documents creating a budget;oversees the filing of tax documents and organizational audits;Monitoring overall compliance and delivering financial reports to the board. Vice-chairperson:The Vice-Chair is also expected to provide leadership to and manage My Life MyChoice's Board of Directors, ensuring that the board fulfills its legal and financialobligations and that each member fulfills the expected responsibilities. Essentially, theVice-Chair fulfill the roles and responsibilities of the Chair or Secretary in the case oftheir inability or absence Secretary:The secretary is responsible maintaining and distributing all meeting documentation.Other responsibilities include: Treasurer:The treasurer oversees the finances of My Life My Choice. Responsibilities include: ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONActing honestly and with integrity in all our transactions and dealings.We aim to avoid conflicts of interest and we appropriately handle actual orapparent conflicts of interest in our relationships.We treat every individual with dignity and respect.Improving the accountability, transparency, ethical conduct and effectivenessof the nonprofit field.At My Life My Choice we exhibit respect for the communities we work with andserve.We model integrity in our actions.We take responsibility for our decisions and their consequences.We are committed to:
EXCESS BENEFITS TRANSACTIONSCONFLICT OFINTEREST POLICYa grant loanpayment of compensationor similar payment to a substantial contributor of the organization, thearrangement is an excess benefit transaction. The entire amount of thepayment is taxable as an excess benefit and must be reported to the IRS.Appropriate course correction may include repayment or loss of 501 (c) (3)status. My Life My Choice, in accordance with the IRS Policy IRC 4958 agree that nodisqualifed person will enter into a transaction in which the value of the economicbenefit provided exceeds the value of the consideration received by theorganization.If anyone in the My Life My Choice organization is found to be in receipt of any ofthe following items, but not restricted to: The conflict of interest policy is intended to help members of the My Life My Choice boardof directors, officers and other members recognize potential conflicts of interest and toprovide practices that will see the organization through these issues without legalramifications. A Conflict of Interest is defined as: a financial agreement with a survivor/ student of My Life My Choice that is in the interestof the board member; romantic relationships with a survivor/student; soliciting gifts used for personal reasons.Conflict of interests may be identified and defined as they occur. A signed Conflict ofInterest Policy contract will be required annually, at the start of the My Life My Choice'sfiscal year.
Officers and board members may participate in one or several committees based ontheir interests, capacity, and expertise. Committee participation is not a requirement.Governance CommitteeThis committee is primarily responsible for determining the membership of our boardand measuring the quality of performance of the board as a whole and of individualboard members. This committee meets quarterly and periodically, in between, asneeded.Marketing & Communications CommitteeThis committee works with the MLMC staff to advise in concert with our StrategicCommunication plan, as well as advises on crisis issues that arise.Fundraising/Development CommitteeThis committee primarily focuses on working on our annual signature fundraiser, Turnon the Light, and other fundraisers, as needed. This committee also assists indeveloping strategies to increase donors.Strategic Planning & ImplementationThis committee works with the MLMC staff throughout the strategic planning processand in between planning cycles, to monitor the implementation strategy for the currentstrategic plan and to assist with developing the goals of the plan and the planningprocess.Ad Hoc: Gift CommitteeThis committee is activated as needed to discuss complicated gifts (including but notlimited to those from known buyers as evidenced by an arrest or other visible ordisclosed manner). The participating board members serve for one fiscal year.Ad Hoc: Male AlliesThis committee will primarily be led by the gentlemen. The listed board members andMLMC staff will serve as liaisons for MLMC.Ad Hoc: Young ProfessionalsThis committee will primarily be led by the young professionals. The listed boardmembers and MLMC staff will serve as liaisons for MLMC.COMMITTEES
Current Advisory Board Carolina AvellanedaStacy BelfJennifer “Jenn” BorggaardCamille CarlstromBrenda DianaLuke Goldworm Katrina Huff-Larmond Christina Pujals Ronan Andrew “Andy” TakatsBrian UlicnyUniversity of MassachusettsState StreetAlderBrook AdvisorsFidelity Institutional Asset ManagementRopes and GraySuffolk County District Attorney's OfficeRandolph Town Councilor Essex Country District Attorney’s OfficeCognizant Raytheon BBNPatricia Bellinger is the Executive Director and AdjunctLecturer at the Center for Public Leadership at the HarvardUniversity Kennedy School of Government (HKS). Prior toher role at HKS, Patricia served as Executive Director ofExecutive Education at Harvard Business School. Patriciahas enjoyed a rich and varied career spanning multiplecountries and disciplines, including the pharmaceuticalindustry, theatre, the energy sector, global corporationsand start-up enterprises. Patricia served as the GroupVice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion at BP Plc inLondon. Patricia is a non-executive director of Sodexo SAbased in Paris and of Pattern Energy Inc., a wind energycompany based in San Francisco.Ziba Cranmer is the Director of BU SPARK!, an initiative forstudent-centered entrepreneurship and innovation incomputing. Ziba is an innovation leader with a diverserange of experience spanning the public and privatesectors. Prior to BU, Ziba served as Executive Director of amultimillion-dollar initiative supporting public sectorinnovators in cities across the United States to combat sextrafficking through technology. Ziba spent over 11 yearsworking in business including an extended period at NikeInc. where she was a Director in the Sustainable Businessand Innovation Lab, a venture unit responsible for makinginvestments with the potential for business and socialimpact. After Nike, Ziba was a Vice President of CorporateResponsibility and Social Impact at Cone Communicationswhere she led consulting engagements for major brandsincluding Fedex, Disney, and Hilton Worldwide.Patricia S.Bellinger Vice ChairZiba Cranmer Chair12https://www.bu.edu/hic/profile/ziba-cranmer/https://www.visiolafoundation.org/news/patricia-s-bellinger-fellowship-for-african-girls/1.2.Additional Members
BEINGTRANSPARENTsupport our vision and enhance our mission;practice altruism;to disclose instances that could be perceived as a conflict of interest; not to take benefits that are self serving or would jeopardize the longtermsuccess of My Life My Choice; to report instances of impropriety; and to keep fighting against human trafficking and exploitation. My Life My Choice deals with individuals who have been mentally, sexuallyexploited, physically abused, and have suffered severe breaches in trust. It isimperative that Board Members exhibit the highest code of ethics. Each membermust display selflessness, honesty, integrity, accountability, objectivity, andleadership. Deeply woven into our mission is the drive towards restoring some ofwhat is has been stolen from our clients. It is essential that My Life My Choice be a beacon of light in an otherwise darkworld. Building trust with our survivors is paramount to the success of ourorganization. By agreeing to joining this board, you promise to: Board Member & Date Board Chair & Date
APPENDIX(n.d.). My Life My Choice. Retrieved May 9, 2023, fromhttps://www.mylifemychoice.org( ;). (2022, February 23). YouTube. Retrieved May 9, 2023, fromhttps://www.adelphi.edu/wp-content/blogs.dir/91/files/2012/09/Board-of-Directors-Assessment.pdf?t=1379703205-148802-bEisenstein, L. (2019, December 6). Conflict of Interest: Examples for a NonprofitBoard. BoardEffect. Retrieved May 9, 2023, fromhttps://www.boardeffect.com/blog/conflict-interest-examples-nonprofit-board/Feiler, J., & Nayowith, G. B. (2017). The Nonprofit Risk Book: Finding and ManagingRisk in Nonprofits and NGOs. DEG Press.Hopkins, B. R. (2017). Starting and Managing a Nonprofit Organization: A LegalGuide. Wiley.Price, N. (2018, April 23). Sample Board of Director Conflict of Interest Policy.BoardEffect. Retrieved May 9, 2023, fromhttps://www.boardeffect.com/blog/sample-board-of-director-conflict-of-interest-policy/