A newly formed group, the Non-profit Governance Committee, aims to improve governance of the state's charitable non-profit organizations. There are approximately 5400 charities in New Hampshire and the value of the charitable assets is approximately 12.5 billion dollars.

The Committee, chaired by Lew Feldstein, President of the NH Charitable Foundation and Michael DeLucia, senior assistant attorney general, Director of Charitable Trusts at the NH Department of Justice, held a series of listening sessions around the state last fall to obtain comments on ways to improve governance of the sector. DeLucia said the group hopes that the legal community will assist and benefit from the Committee's work. "Attorneys have a vital role to play in reviewing the law, becoming aware of best practices and keeping boards of trustees up to date on what's current," DeLucia told Bar News. The Committee is developing resources to assist non-profits in following the law, including a new Guidebook for Nonprofit Directors, and educational sessions.

"Special attention should be paid to the conflict-of-interest statute, RSA 7:19-a, enacted in 1997," he continued. "The non-profits estimated value of $12.5 billion [by the Urban Institute for the year 2003] is a conservative estimate, since it does not include, churches, synagogues or mosques. Training in good governance is an on-going need."

On the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Web site at http://www.nhcf.org, attorneys may read the proposed four-part plan to "strengthen the nonprofit community and increase public confidence through standards for accountability and excellence."

1. Nonprofit Checklist-A one-page document to be used by nonprofits when applying for grant funding, listing all current legal requirements for NH nonprofits. This is the first time all requirements can be found in one place and the checklist is intended to be an educational and user-friendly document for nonprofits of all sizes.

2. Workshops-A series of workshops in eight locations around the state in the spring of 2005 will be conducted by the NH Center for Nonprofits and by Terry Knowles of the AG's office. The series will provide information to NH nonprofits on meeting their legal requirements.

3. Director's Guidebook-Prepared by the Attorney General's office, the guidebook will provide in-depth information on the items listed on the nonprofit checklist.

4. Best Practices Program-The NH Center for Nonprofits will host a "Best Practices" program in the short term to provide nonprofits with resources and success stories. Over the long-term, the Committee plans on a more formal process for recognizing and achieving excellence (such as possible accreditation) in NH nonprofit governance.

   DeLucia suggests that attorneys keep informed by visiting the Web site at the Department of Justice at http://doj.nh.gov/charitable/index.html or the Charitable Foundation Web site at http://www.nhcf.org, both of which will provide updates as the work continues.

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