Two recent articles by Stephen Donshik have crystallized why board members need to stay objective.

1. Bylaws sometimes allow for board members to receive remuneration for attending meetings.  Payments of any amount, however, erase the status of “volunteer,” essentially, destroying what the organization was hoping to achieve when it recruited this individual.  
2. Additionally, a board member can potentially win contracts from the organization in which he serves. However, this person is then tasked with critiquing his own work, a near-impossibility.

Even with the best of intentions, losing objectivity weakens the board’s ability to accomplish its primary task of governance.

Tizku Lemitzvot,

Shuey

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