Indiana Historical Society

“Any person who makes a cash contribution of equal or greater value than the membership fee shall be a member of the society (a 'member'). There shall be no further applications for membership or approval required. A member has no voting rights in the society, except as specifically provided in the articles of incorporation. Members of the society pay dues each year in an amount specified by the board of trustees. A person ceases to be a member by failing to pay dues upon such terms as the board may from time to time specify. All memberships shall include, at a minimum, subscriptions to current publications, discounts for purchases in the history market, stardust caf and on society programs. The board of trustees may develop special membership benefits at different levels of contribution and may provide additional recognition levels for members who maintain their memberships for long periods of time. Meetings of the membership may be called by the chairperson or by written request by at least 30 members. Members do not vote on ihs matters. The board of trustees is responsible for electing new trustees, and 1/3 of the trustees are elected each year to serve a 3 year term. The board consists of no fewer than 15 and no more than 33 trustees.”

“A draft of form 990 and np-20 is reviewed first by the controller. Any changes are communicated to the organization's accounting firm. After changes are made the following review process takes place: - senior management team reviews the form 990 and np-20. Any changes are communicated to the organization's accounting firm. - after changes are made the returns are then sent to the audit committee for final review. Any changes are communicated to the organization's accounting firm. - final returns are sent to the controller. Returns are signed by vp-business and operations and are sent via certified mail (return receipts requested). Copies of returns are kept in the accounting office.”

“All trustees, staff, and paid interns of the indiana historical society are required to disclose interests that could give rise to conflicts via the code of ethics for board and staff of the indiana historical society. This document outlines ethical expectations regarding access, accessioning, deaccessioning, appraisals, preservation, theft, personal research, awards, personal collecting, and personal dealing. Where conflicting interests cannot be avoided, they must at least be disclosed and properly handled so as to minimize their impact. The document includes procedures for consistent monitoring and enforcement of compliancy when conflicts are discovered. New employees are required to complete disclosure forms upon hire. Employees who experience changes that could affect the answers on their disclosure forms are asked to request and file new disclosure forms within the same year. The ihs audit committee has also determined that non-board members of certain committees with decision-making roles should fill out disclosure forms. These committees currently include the collections committee, finance committee, audit committee, development committee and building renovation task force. Disclosure forms are requested during the first quarter of each calendar year and are filed with the ihs executive assistant. Disclosure forms are made available for auditors as requested. Current policy is for regular review by the ihs audit committee once during each calendar year.”

“The process for determining compensation of the ceo, other officers or key employees of the ihs includes the following process: a survey of other ceos compensation in the area by the hr director, input from the executive committee related to candidate qualifications and compensation, purchased salary surveys from association for accounting marketing and american association of state and local history, and continuous review of our salary ranges and comparison to other non-profit organizations by hr director.”

“The ihs makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request.”

“The ihs audit committee is appointed by the ihs board of trustees to provide oversight of ihs financial activity and reporting, oversight regarding ihs system of internal control, and a reporting mechanism to the ihs board of trustees on financial matters paticularly as they are audit-related. The duties and responsibilities of the ihs audit committee include: -oversee the financial reporting system including the review of interim financial statements and annual business plans -monitor choice of accounting policies and principles including the review of accounting policies with ihs financial personnel and external auditors -monitor internal control process including reviewing with the external auditors their evaluation of ihs internal control system and performing follow-up on implementation of auditors management letter recommendations -oversee hiring and performance of external auditors the ihs audit committee will assess/confirm the following, and report findings to the board of trustees: -independence of the external auditors -limitations placed on the scope or nature of their procedures for each audit -disagreements with ihs staff that, if not resolved, could jeopardize the audit process -any issues which could lead to a non-standard accountants report, e.g., qualified opinion”