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Quicklinks

Not for Profit Governance Principles*

The Australian Institute of Company Directors' (AICD) Not-for-Profit Governance Principles are a key source of publicly available guidance for directors of Australian not-for-profits, including charities.

As at 18 April 2024 the Principles have been updated from the previous 2013 and 2019 editions to reflect the evolving governance environment including heightened board focus on organisational culture, stakeholders and sustainability. Structured to provide clarity and actionable insights, each Principle is presented as a chapter that comprises key points, director questions, case studies, and links to additional resources. They are:

  • Principle 1 – Purpose, vision, and strategy
  • Principle 2 – Roles and responsibilities
  • Principle 3 – Board composition and effectiveness
  • Principle 4 – Risk management
  • Principle 5 – Performance and accountability
  • Principle 6 – Stakeholders
  • Principle 7 – Sustainability
  • Principle 8 – Organisational culture

Aligned with the AICD's commitment to fostering good governance, these Principles offer pragmatic guidance grounded in director expertise and regulatory best practice and real-life case studies. A concise small NFP governance checklist is included, as well as a brief snapshot of the overall Principles and a targeted resource on how to elevate the client voice into decision-making.

Note: *. The text is a word for word transcript from the publically available AICD guidance for directors of Australian not-for-profits, including charities.


Checklists for Not for Profit Organisations, Charities and other Organisations that Support the Veteran Community

Veteran support organisations, including Ex-Service Organisations can glean valuable insights into running a not-for-profit association, a charity, or managing their own business for the benefit of veterans through the publicly available information published by the AICD below. If you do not have a board, just consider the word "director" to be "committee member" or "managing director" if you run a business.

The first three flipbooks below are recommended reading for all ESOs and any NFP business. You do not need to be a qualified company director to understand the checklists and apply them. The fourth flip book would apply to larger ESOs.