I'm on the board of a very small non-profit--actually a student organization (that all of the board belonged to at some point in time, often quite a few years ago).
We actually pay quite a bit of attention to financials and discussing them takes up a decent chunk of a board meeting including whether fundraising letters are going out (and reviewing them), overall financial situation, lease renewals, larger purchases, etc.
As for responsibilities, I'd say it's a bit of a mix. There's an executive board--which I'm on--where specific responsibilities are pretty clear. The rest of the board probably much less so other than showing up for meetings.
>A true non-profit has to spend almost every dollar it takes in.
We certainly try to have a reasonable reserve. And, fortunately in recent years, we've been able to fulfill the basic mission while staying in the black.
We actually pay quite a bit of attention to financials and discussing them takes up a decent chunk of a board meeting including whether fundraising letters are going out (and reviewing them), overall financial situation, lease renewals, larger purchases, etc.
As for responsibilities, I'd say it's a bit of a mix. There's an executive board--which I'm on--where specific responsibilities are pretty clear. The rest of the board probably much less so other than showing up for meetings.
>A true non-profit has to spend almost every dollar it takes in.
We certainly try to have a reasonable reserve. And, fortunately in recent years, we've been able to fulfill the basic mission while staying in the black.