In brief...how do we work?
The IMHA board meets 2 times a year to:
Most of IMHA business takes place online including the board meetings. Donations to IMHA go to help supporting the website and the financial accounting. |
How do board members become board members?
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More on how we work...
IMHA is structured like most other charitable organizations with the ability to issue tax receipts in Canada and the USA. However, before we engage in a project, we require three key elements. First we establish partners. Partners are local people or groups in impoverished areas actively working to bring about social change in their communities. All partners need to have in place an internal (board) and external (church/community) accountability structure. We find these partners through non-poor contacts we call champions. Champions are people who have visited or lived in these communities and are in relationship with potential partners. Agents are people in-country engaged by IMHA to manage logistics.
Once these three structures are in place, the partner can start submitting projects. IMHA will decide twice a year whether to put them on hold or approval. Putting on hold usually means that there are some elements of the project missing or it is too large for our purposes. Projects also need to have a beginning and an end. And generally, operating costs will not be considered unless there is a plan for sustainable outcome. Approving means that IMHA will do four things.
First, IMHA will promote the project. Promoting means adding it to written materials, up loading it onto the website and finally, actively encouraging groups and churches in North America to consider engaging with the partner.
Second, IMHA will collect funds and issue receipts. A meter is provided on-site to show the givers how much has been given and how much is left to be given.
Third, IMHA will cable funds to the partner through the agreed upon channel likely involving the IMHA agent. Once the 75% mark has been reached, the site will also show how much money has been sent and received by the partner.
Finally, IMHA will receive reports by the partner uploaded on-site as the project is finished. This includes pictures and how exactly the money was spent.
A project that is not accurately reported on reflects poorly on the partner. Such a partner will first be counselled through the IMHA agent on how improvements might be made. If no changes are made, they will be let go as a partner.
Once these three structures are in place, the partner can start submitting projects. IMHA will decide twice a year whether to put them on hold or approval. Putting on hold usually means that there are some elements of the project missing or it is too large for our purposes. Projects also need to have a beginning and an end. And generally, operating costs will not be considered unless there is a plan for sustainable outcome. Approving means that IMHA will do four things.
First, IMHA will promote the project. Promoting means adding it to written materials, up loading it onto the website and finally, actively encouraging groups and churches in North America to consider engaging with the partner.
Second, IMHA will collect funds and issue receipts. A meter is provided on-site to show the givers how much has been given and how much is left to be given.
Third, IMHA will cable funds to the partner through the agreed upon channel likely involving the IMHA agent. Once the 75% mark has been reached, the site will also show how much money has been sent and received by the partner.
Finally, IMHA will receive reports by the partner uploaded on-site as the project is finished. This includes pictures and how exactly the money was spent.
A project that is not accurately reported on reflects poorly on the partner. Such a partner will first be counselled through the IMHA agent on how improvements might be made. If no changes are made, they will be let go as a partner.
IMHA governance
The IMHA board is a working group of volunteers that are able to support themselves. There is no administrative fee for their services. Their aim is only to promote their partners in impoverished communities. They however do have expenses that need to be covered by donations.IMHA has separate American and Canadian boards. Each of the boards contains people of their own nationality and operates independently of the other in accordance to the federal laws that govern them. The decisions they make, however, are fully guided by the working board. The working board is a cross-section between the two boards containing all the members of both boards. This is the board outlined in the IMHA constitution.
The executive is the inner group that is responsible to keep the four working elements of IMHA functioning. It consists of a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and director of communications. They are chosen from the working board members. The exec may meet multiple times per year. To assist in their activities, the treasurer and the director of communications are free to create committees to assist in their activities. These committees include: finance, communication and fundraising.
The champions have been described previously and are simply board members with a special interest in a particular partner.
The remaining board members may neither be champions nor on the exec but are simply a part of the active board. The active board as a whole meets twice a year - once by Webex and in person in Winnipeg. Voting is done by consensus. If there is no consensus, then the item is left on hold for the next meeting.
Board members who do not participate at the board meetings without excuse will be put on an inactive list. They are left there for one year until such time they are released from the board. The emeritus are members who have resigned in good standing and who may make themselves available from time to time when they so choose.
The executive is the inner group that is responsible to keep the four working elements of IMHA functioning. It consists of a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and director of communications. They are chosen from the working board members. The exec may meet multiple times per year. To assist in their activities, the treasurer and the director of communications are free to create committees to assist in their activities. These committees include: finance, communication and fundraising.
The champions have been described previously and are simply board members with a special interest in a particular partner.
The remaining board members may neither be champions nor on the exec but are simply a part of the active board. The active board as a whole meets twice a year - once by Webex and in person in Winnipeg. Voting is done by consensus. If there is no consensus, then the item is left on hold for the next meeting.
Board members who do not participate at the board meetings without excuse will be put on an inactive list. They are left there for one year until such time they are released from the board. The emeritus are members who have resigned in good standing and who may make themselves available from time to time when they so choose.