Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative
Nonprofit Academy Board Member Training for Groups
The TANGO Nonprofit Academy is designed to prepare candidates for board service, with an emphasis on candidates from diverse backgrounds.
Nonprofit organizations are always searching for competent board members, but many potential candidates are unsure about board service due to their lack of knowledge of how nonprofits work. The academy uses instruction from the TANGO Nonprofit Method textbook designed to teach the “business basics” that people serving on nonprofit boards of directors need to know to do their jobs effectively.
There are many benefits to having your team or employees serve on local nonprofit boards. Connecting with your community is healthy for your team and the community. It also benefits your organization as it will make new connections with like-minded people on the board. Your people will gather valuable work experience. Serving on a board is very much like being in the c-suite of a company. You work with a team valued by the organization, serve on and lead committees, and have a voice in how that nonprofit is managed and run.
More than a Nonprofit Board Member Bootcamp
Through our engaging group training, students will hear first-hand the purpose boards serve, the roll members play, and how to run them effectively. Students will receive a hard copy of the TANGO Nonprofit Method, a valuable manual that this course is based on, three live webinars that cover the first eight chapters of the textbook, and access to a digital version of the book.
Each webinar session will be approximately 90 minutes and includes many real-life examples with ample time for Q&A.
The course is led by Anne Ruwet and Fred Jenoure.
Contact Rollin Schuster at or 877-708-2646 if you would like to discuss the details of an engagement.
Session Overview
Session One (90 Minutes)
- Chapter 1:
The Nonprofit Sector in Context - Chapter 2:
What is a nonprofit – An Introduction to Legal Entities and Nonprofit Corporations - Chapter 3:
The Formation of Nonstock Corporations: State Nonstock Corporation Acts and the Articles of Incorporation and By-laws
Session Two (90 Minutes)
- Chapter 4:
Nonstock Corporations with Members and Nonstock Corporations without Members - Chapter 5:
The Board of Directors: In Context and as the Top of the Chain of Command - Chapter 6:
The Board of Directors – Structural Options
Session Three (90 Minutes)
- Chapter 7:
The Board of Directors. Board meetings Procedural and Process Requirements - Chapter 8:
The Substantive duties of Care and Loyalty
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Fred Jenoure
Director of TANGO’s Board Diversity Initiative
The Alliance for Nonprofit Growth and Opportunity (TANGO)
Contact Fred – (508) 736-4488 or via email
Frederick Jenoure, is director of TANGO’s Board Diversity Initiative and Consulting Practice. Fred has more than 30 years of experience in leadership positions with several prestigious institutions and community organizations, focusing on management and organizational structures, diversity and inclusion, supervisory training, property management, conflict resolution, and union negotiations. He was named Volunteer of the Year by the Urban League of Greater Hartford, and the Adult of the Year Award from the YMCA of Central Mass. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Ascentria Care Alliance. He has also served as Chairman of the board of the YMCA of Central Massachusetts, Vice President of the Connecticut Council for the Advancement of Diversity, Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Urban League of Greater Hartford, and in similar senior positions on several other nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Anne Ruwet
Senior Consultant
The Alliance for Nonprofit Growth and Opportunity (TANGO)
Contact Anne – 860-307-9531
Anne’s unique set of skills and experience offer keen insights for those considering joining a nonprofit board. As the Chief Executive Officer (1994-2021) of a leading agency providing services for people with intellectual disabilities, over the years, she collaborated with scores of business and community leaders who served on the Board of Directors. While she is well-versed in the fiduciary and legal implications of Board service, Anne realizes that a passion for helping others is what truly inspires people to devote their time and talent to accomplish great things.
Serving as a State Representative on the CT Legislature for six years, as well as ongoing public service in her local community as an elected City Councilwoman, has afforded Anne with a well-rounded perspective on the interface between government and the private sector. She fully understands the importance of working in partnership for the greater good. Anne has served in various capacities on multiple boards and committees, and as a member of the Executive Board of the CT Nonprofit Alliance, she helped define and represent the challenges faced by nonprofits statewide. Approachable, insightful, and kind, Anne is a well-respected leader with incredible heart, compassion, and wisdom.
“There are a lot of publications purporting to tell you how to run your nonprofit, but The TANGO Nonprofit Method is the best resource we’ve seen. If you want to really know all the legal and operational steps to take to make your nonprofit successful, this book should be in your library.”
“The TANGO Nonprofit Method is a beautiful balancing act. Comprehensive and accessible. Educational and practical. Whether you are a seasoned professional advisor or just starting your first term as a nonprofit director, this work will quickly become your “go to” resource, a guide that will cultivate a deep and rewarding understanding of the nonprofit sector.”
“This book is an invaluable resource for officers, directors and senior leaders of nonprofit organizations of all sizes and types. Written in plain English, the book educates the reader about the business of nonprofits — the legal structures, the financial structures and governance — and provides examples and case studies that put the material in context. A must-read for anyone new serving on a nonprofit board”.
The TANGO Nonprofit Method
Author Jack Horak, Esq. used his 36 years of combined legal experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors to author The TANGO Nonprofit Method. The book accompanied by interactive presentations is a nonprofit instructional guide that will enhance your organization’s mission and structure. It will guide nonprofits through best practices for your boards of directors, management teams, employees, clients and overall company mission!
“The TANGO Nonprofit Method is a necessary resource for all existing or newly formed nonprofit organizations. An essential tool for both staff and board members that is easy to read and reference. I would recommend to all nonprofit executive directors to further enhance their board education efforts as it can be easily sectioned and included as a regular meeting agenda item.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jack Horak, Esq.
Attorney
John M. Horak, Esq. (Jack) worked with TANGO after his 36-year legal career at the Hartford office of the law firm Reid and Riege, P.C. Jack was a member of the firm’s Business Law Practice, where he created the firm’s Nonprofit Organization Practice Group. Jack was the principal author of the Reid and Riege Nonprofit Organization Report, a quarterly publication distributed throughout the United States.
The content in this manual is an articulation of the practical knowledge gained from 36 years of legal representation of, and board service to, nonprofit organizations; and, perhaps more importantly, is infused with the belief that the American nonprofit sector is as vitally important to our lives as it is sometimes, and unfortunately, underappreciated.