Standard 1: Oversight of Operations and Staff - Organizations shall have a board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity's operations and its staff. Indication of adequate oversight includes, but is not limited to, regularly scheduled appraisals of the CEO's performance, evidence of disbursement controls such as board approval of the budget, fund raising practices, establishment of a conflict of interest policy, and establishment of accounting procedures sufficient to safeguard charity finances.
Lincoln Park Zoo does not meet this Standard because its board of directors does not:
- Review the performance of the chief executive officer at least once every two years.
Standard 3: Frequency and Attendance of Board Meetings - An organization shall have a minimum of three evenly spaced meetings per year of the full governing body with a majority in attendance, with face-to-face participation. A conference call of the full board can substitute for one of the three meetings of the governing body. For all meetings, alternative modes of participation are acceptable for those with physical disabilities.
Lincoln Park Zoo does not meet this Standard because:
- Average attendance at its board meetings in the past fiscal year was less than 50%.
“Lincoln Park Zoo by-laws state that a quorum is one third of the directors in office.”
Going forward Lincoln Park Zoo will be holding 8 Executive committee meetings per fiscal year. Please note that the Executive committee is authorized to act for the Board.
Standard 6: Board Policy on Effectiveness - Have a board policy of assessing, no less than every two years, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.
Standard 7: Board Approval of Written Report on Effectiveness - Submit to the organization's governing body, for its approval, a written report that outlines the results of the aforementioned performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions.
Lincoln Park Zoo does not meet this Standard because:
- It has never completed an effectiveness assessment.