Nami New Jersey a New Jersey Non Profit Corporation

“Nami new jersey shall have two categories of members: members ("members") and, local affiliates ("affiliates") a. Members: member. A person with a mental illness, a relative or friend of a person with mental illness who accepts the mission of nami new jersey and nami, and is a member of an affiliate. B. Local affiliates: affiliate. A group of five or more members which has been granted status as an affiliate of nami by the nami board of directors.”

“Voting members of affiliates can nominate and elect members of the board of trustees. Voting members shall consist of members and local affiliates that accept the mission of nami new jersey and pay the annual dues in the amount and manner established from time to time for voting members by resolution of the board of directors of nami. A. Members i. Member is a person with a mental illness, a relative or friend of a person with mental illness who accepts the mission of nami new jersey and nami, and is a member of an affiliate, who has paid dues to nami and nami new jersey or an affiliate for whom annual dues shall have been paid by its affiliate to nami new jersey and naml. A member may be one individual or a family of individuals living in one household that is counted as one for the purposes of paying dues and voting. Ii. Members shall be voting members of affiliates, nominate and elect members of the board of trustees of nami new jersey as provided in article iv, and also be the unit for the purpose of adopting and amending the bylaws of nami new jersey. Iii. A member may support and work within several affiliates but shall be a voting member of only one affiliate for nami new jersey purposes. B. Affiliates i. An affiliate shall be a group of five or more members which has been granted status as an affiliate of nami by the nami board of directors. Ii. All affiliates within the state of new jersey shall become members of nami new jersey. Iii. An affiliate in good standing shall be defmed as an afflliate whose dues have been paid to nami new jersey and nami for the current fiscal year. A list of members of the affiliate shall accompany the dues payment. Iv. All applications to nami for affiliate membership in nami shall be endorsed by nami new jersey. Failure or refusal of nami new jersey to endorse favorably a membership application of a proposed affiliate within 60 days of the date of nami new jersey's receipt of a copy of the application from nami may,at the election of the applicant, be deemed to be a dispute resolved through the provisions of article ix.”

“Members are the unit for the purpose of adopting and amending the by-laws of nami new jersey.”

“The organization's executive director and treasurer meet with the independent auditor to plan for the annual audit and again to review the audit report. At a full meeting of the board of trustees, the independent accountant presents the audit report and addresses any comments. Prior to the board meeting, the form 990 is distributed electronically to the board members for review and discussion at the full board meeting. This process is unchanged from the past year.”

“Board members and officers have a duty to avoid potential or apparent conflicts of interest. To avoid the appearance of impropriety, it is important for individuals to be open and honest by completing the nami nj disclosure form disclosing: a) whether they have a potential conflict of interest with respect to any transaction, business decision or other matters in which the organization is involved. B) whether they have a financial, business, or personal interest in an entity with which nami nj is or will be doing business. C) whether individuals related to them have a financial, business, oe personal interest in an entity with which nami nj is or will be doing business. A trustee or officer said to have a possible undeclared conflict of interest shall disclose the financial interest and all material facts to the board. After discussion with the board he/she shall leave the board meeting while a determination is made as to whether a conflict of interest exists. The decision is made by a consensus vote of the remaining members of the board and recorded in the minutes. Board members declaring a conflict of interest about a matter shall recuse him/herself from any discussion and abstain from voting on that matter. To ensure compliance with the organization's conflict of interest policy, board members and officers are required to sign the conflict of interest acknowledgement every year.”

“The board is responsbile to conduct an annual performance review of the executive director. Compensation of the executive director is determined with the use of compensation surveys and forms 990 of similiar organizations. In setting the level of compensation, the board considers the annual rate of inflation. The executive director is not present in the meeting when executive compensation is reviewed and approved. All deliberations and decisions regarding compensation discussions are properly documented in the organization's file.”

“Nami new jersey's governing documents, form 990, audited financial statements & conflict of interest policies are available to the public upon written request at 1562 route 130, north brunswick, new jersey 08902, or by calling directly at (732)940-0991.”

“Nami new jersey (nami nj) is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. Through education, support, advocacy and public awareness programs - nami nj fosters understanding about mental illness, confronts stigma often associated with mental disorders, advocates for public policies that benefit those affected by mental illness, and promotes research into the causes, treatment and recovery of mental health disorders. Nami nj's education programs includes peer led classes where personal experience combines with evidence based curriculum. Support is provided through peer led groups for both family members/caretakers and individuals living with mental illness. Nami nj confronts the stigma often associated with mental disorders, promotes public policies that benefit those affected by mental illness, and monitors agencies responsible for the provision of mental health services. Nami nj holds awareness events and provides outreaches to locations throughout the state. In addition to schools, health fairs and community events, nami walks is the largest awareness event, hosting more than 1200 people the day of, and hundreds more online in the months leading up to the walk.”