10 steps to a safer organisation
There is no avoiding responsibility or dangerous activities. But what one person considers…
Legal
Help sheets
Child safety: Mandatory and voluntary reporting obligations
Every Australian state and territory has enacted legislation prescribing both mandatory and…
Legal requirements for Annual General Meetings
Almost every state Act specifies that an association has to have an AGM once a year (in Tasmania…
Legal structures
You don't have to be part of an organisation to do good work. You can work on the basis of ad hoc…
Overview of your legal responsibilities
Many people approach their role on not-for-profit board more casually than they would a position on…
Ten myths of conflicts of interest
There are plenty of myths and misnomers which surround the concept of conflict of interest. Here…
The laws of an annual report
The following tabs will help you determine what legally needs to go in your annual report.
Articles
Ten legal trends not-for-profits should watch in 2025
Posted on 18 Feb 2025
Australia’s top not-for-profit legal thinker has reviewed hundreds of court cases affecting…
What are the biggest insurance issues for NFPs in 2025?
Posted on 18 Feb 2025
Not-for-profits (NFPs) are facing continued insurance challenges from legal breaches, natural…
Court in the Act
Posted on 10 Feb 2025
The Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS) has released its annual review…
Good not-for-profit risk management will be rewarded
Posted on 10 Apr 2024
ICDA has compiled a large library of resources, webinars, help sheets and policies to help…
Community organisations are vulnerable to corruption: watchdog
Posted on 10 Apr 2024
A detailed study into the corruption risks faced by government-funded community organisations has…
Sector faces legal minefield in year ahead
Posted on 13 Feb 2024
Professor Myles McGregor-Lowndes from the Australian Centre for Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS) looks…
Charities on centre court for trendsetting legal decisions
Posted on 30 Jan 2024
Court decisions are playing an increasingly important role in defining the charity and…
New employment laws could stretch not-for-profit budgets
Posted on 30 Jan 2024
New federal laws to restrict fixed-term contracts could put greater pressure on not-for-profit…
ACNC up for the fight on contested charity status ruling
Posted on 03 Aug 2023
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has signalled it is ready for a…
Most small NFPs won’t need director IDs amid reprieve on deadline
Posted on 01 Dec 2022
Most small not-for-profits don’t need to worry about the advent of director IDs, now required by…
Wages alert for not-for-profits: Avoid underpaying your staff
Posted on 15 Nov 2022
Not-for-profits have been urged to take more care with their payment processes after a string of…
What next for not-for-profits? Experts pick the trends leaders must know
Posted on 25 Feb 2022
Australian not-for-profits have the chance to reshape their sector in the wake of covid-19…
Case Watch files
When things go really bad at not-for-profits, often the battles are fought out in the courts, whether they are civil or criminal cases. We know, and hope, it's a last-resort option for organisations, because the legal system and representation is an expensive business that often ends with everyone losing.
At the Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA), we answer many questions from organisations who face tricky situations, which if left unresolved, are more than likely headed to the authorities. We've also renewed our efforts to keep track of precedent and landmark cases that could have an impact on your organisation.
Temple’s peace shattered by governance stuff up
Never underestimate the ability of a volunteer organisation to stuff up its governance completely.…
Tennis-loving club gets itself into a pickle
One question we quite often get asked is whether having a board member belonging to another…
Ten legal trends not-for-profits should watch in 2025
Australia’s top not-for-profit legal thinker has reviewed hundreds of court cases affecting…
Court in the Act
The Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS) has released its annual review…
Lax record-keeping puts the cat among the pigeons
Agony Uncle looks at why keeping track of your organisation’s membership is essential housekeeping…
Sector faces legal minefield in year ahead
Professor Myles McGregor-Lowndes from the Australian Centre for Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS) looks…
Judgement on liability shows horse sense
This court case involving an association involved in a risky equestrian sport has lessons in risk…
Charities on centre court for trendsetting legal decisions
Court decisions are playing an increasingly important role in defining the charity and…
Choir members not singing from the same song sheet
Once again, we encounter the question of when and how a member stops being a member.
Legal trends set to shake the not-for-profit sector
Not-for-profits should brace for court decisions that could shake up the sector if a summary of key…
‘Sham’ foundation worth $2 million pays out nothing in three decades
Court hears a "foundation" which accumulated $2 million in bullion was really a sham set up for tax…
What do not-for-profits, zombies and werewolves have in common?
When people phone Our Community asking about how to sort out glitches in their meetings, my usual…
Checklists
Members Only
10 key considerations for publishing annual reports
Every year, not-for-profit organisations gear up to pull together their annual reports and while…
Members Only
Key inclusions for your constitution
To assemble a useful, functional constitution for your organisation, you must know what it should…
Members Only
Making sure your annual report is complete
Once you have completed your annual report, use the following checklist to make sure you haven't…
Running a successful Annual General Meeting
Your Annual General Meeting can run smooth as chocolate or rough as peanuts. Here's a checklist to…
Members Only
Ten ways to write a 'perfect' constitution
Alright, the "perfect" constitution might be a bad case of hyperbole, but if your constitution…
Policies
Legislative Compliance Policy
The operations of [Name of Organisation] are subject to a wide range of legal requirements,…
Whistleblower Policy
Whistleblowing plays a crucial role in managing risk and cultivating an ethical culture in a…