I’m not a fan of policies, well, not those really overcomplicated ones. Of course policies are important, but, we really don’t need to overthink it too much. Good policies need to speak from the heart, they should reflect our intent (and our kaupapa), good policies are easy to read and understood by all, and most importantly – you should be able to locate them easily 🙂
Top 5 Tips for dealing with policies:
- Policies can be adapted for your not-for-profit, there’s no one rule to rule them all.
- Policies can be painful if you don’t regularly update them – so get organised.
- Policies are there to guide you in what’s right and should be done, so use your own language to write your policy.
- If you don’t understand what your policy is about, chances are, everybody else doesn’t.
- Just get started – it’s more important to at least have some policies in place!
Why Policies Matter
Policies are there so everyone involved in the organisation understands your rules and procedures.
A good set of policies can prevent legal issues and ensure that our not-for-profits operate within legal and ethical boundaries. Policies help board members, staff, and volunteers understand roles and responsibilities, which is particularly important in not-for-profits where resources are limited.
Building trust and credibility for your not-for-profit is also important, having formal policies demonstrates you know what you’re doing, and you are responsible for any grants and investment from stakeholders, including donors, partners, and the community. Policies demonstrate the organisation is well-governed, has procedures in place and is committed to transparency.
At Community Governance Aotearoa, we’re here to help and I’m pleased to announce our upcoming policy week. We’ll be dropping a policy a day for our not-for-profits, 14-18 October 2024. More to come soon!
