Environmental Initiative

“The executive committee has the authority to make decisions and vote on motions on behalf of the entire board. The executive committee is made up of the board's chair, vice chair, treasurer, secretary and up to three at large members; all executive committee members are voted into their seats by the board each february.”

“The finance committee will first review the audit findings and 990 in detail, and upon their agreement will recommend approval to the full board of directors at the next meeting. The reports will then be made available to all board members for independent review prior to the next full board meeting, at which time highlights and key elements of the audit will be shared. The audit will then be the topic of open discussion for all board members, until a motion is made and seconded to accept and finalize the report, at which time a vote will be conducted and the results recorded.”

“Ei provides copies of the policy to all incoming board members and reviews the policy with them. Ei also monitors all situations where there is a possibility of a conflict of interest using the policy as a guide if there is a situation which might constitute a conflict of interest. After disclosure of the relationship or material financial interest and all material facts, and after any discussion with the interested person, the interested person shall leave the board or committee meeting while the determination of a conflict of interest is discussed and voted upon, which is documented in the board minutes. The remaining board or committee members shall decide whether a conflict of interest exists. An interested person may make a presentation at the board or committee meeting at which the transaction will be discussed, but after such presentation, he or she shall leave the meeting during the discussion of, and the vote on, the transaction or arrangement that results in the conflict of interest. An interested person shall not otherwise attempt to exert his or her potential influence with respect to the matter, either at or outside the meeting. After exercising due diligence, the board or committee shall determine whether environmental initiative can obtain a more advantageous transaction or arrangement with reasonable efforts from a person or entity that would not give rise to a conflict of interest. If a more advantageous transaction or arrangement is not reasonably attainable under circumstances that would not give rise to a conflict of interest, the board or committee shall determine by a majority vote of the disinterested directors whether the transaction or arrangement is in environmental initiative's best interest and for its own benefit and whether the transaction is fair and reasonable to environmental initiative, and shall make its decision as to whether to enter into the transaction or arrangement in conformity with such determination.”

“The board of directors sets the executive director's salary and provides the position's review. This review was last done in 2020.”

“Ei currently places copies of the current audit on their website and on charities review council's site. Ei's governing documents and conflict of interest policies are available upon request.”

“In 2020 two noteworthy events occurred that impacted the expediency of our work: the covid-19 pandemic and the civil unrests incited by the death of george floyd. Environmental initiative remained committed to placing the health, safety, and well-being of people before other concerns and prioritized the needs of those most vulnerable and most impacted in our decisions. This resulted in closing the minneapolis office as of mid-march, requiring staff to work remotely for the remainder of the year, and cancelling or shifting in-person meetings and events to virtual ones. A paycheck protection program loan was acquired, and forgiven, from the sba, which helped bridge financial shortcomings in the year, allowing the organization to maintain our employees through the crises. While these incidents may have slowed some of our work in 2020, they did not halt the progress in creating a new strategic plan and helped reinforce our commitment to our mission.”