Nami National

“NAMI is a member organization. NAMI membership takes three forms: (1) individual members, who belong to local affiliates and whose enrollment determines their respective affiliate's voting power, (2) affiliates, the local NAMI presence and major voting unit within the organization, and (3) state organizations, which each have a vote and serve to support and coordinate the affiliates within their respective states. The affiliates and state organizations vote to elect the NAMI national board of directors and to amend the NAMI bylaws.”

“The annual meeting of the members of NAMI shall be held in the summer unless otherwise directed by the Board of Directors, on such dates and at such place as the Board of Directors shall designate. Voting members representing 20% of the voting power of the membership shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the members. Voting members shall designate delegates to vote at the annual meeting. Voting members may be represented by written proxy. The delegates shall act by majority vote at any meeting of the voting members at which a quorum is present, except as may be specifically provided to the contrary elsewhere in the Bylaws. Voting may be conducted by absentee ballot, or onsite. All affiliates and state organizations in good standing are eligible to vote. Those delegates whose affiliate or state organization is in good standing but who did not meet the credentialing deadlines may seek to vote on site. Every effort will be made to make this possible, assuming verification of the individual's role and identity can be confirmed.”

“Revisions or amendments may be proposed by any voting member, or by any Director. Any such proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing by United States Postal Service, either by registered mail, certified mail, Express Mail or Priority Mail, or any other USPS service offering Return Receipts or Signature Confirmation to a Bylaws Committee not less than ninety (90) days prior to the date of the next annual meeting. Each voting member shall receive all proposed revisions or amendments to the Bylaws not less than thirty (30) days prior to the next annual meeting. A two-thirds majority of the voting power of the membership voting shall be required to amend the Bylaws.”

“The entire board receives a copy of the return and meets to review, discuss and approve the return for filing.”

“Any employee of NAMI who believes they may have a conflict of interest must indicate those conflicts in writing and send them to the Chief Financial Officer's confidential attention for resolution. The NAMI board monitors potential conflicts of interest by requiring an annual disclosure statement from each member which must be reviewed and updated quarterly, based on updated vendor and donor information, prior to each board meeting. Board members discuss their disclosures quarterly and determine what recusal or other action may be appropriate and under what circumstances. This process is codified in the board's operating policies and procedures manual.”

“The salary for the Executive Director is determined and approved by the Board of Directors. Salary decisions for all employees are made using comparability data for similar positions in comparable organizations.”

“NAMI makes its Form 1023 available upon request. NAMI makes available a public disclosure copy of its Federal Form 990 on its website and upon request.”

“NAMI makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, strategic plan and audited financial statements available for view online.”

“Since its inception in 1979, NAMI has established itself as the most formidable grassroots mental health advocacy organization in the country. NAMI provides advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives. NAMI is the foundation for hundreds of NAMI State Organizations, NAMI Affiliates and volunteer leaders who work in local communities across the country to raise awareness and provide essential and free education, advocacy and support group programs. NAMI's website, www.nami.org, features the latest information on mental illnesses, medication and treatment and resources for support and advocacy. Other features include online discussion groups and fact sheets.”

“Accomplishments in 2014 include: NAMI on Campus program continued to grow at a rapid pace in 2014, with 82 active clubs (up from 53 last year) and 219 clubs in the process of being formed. Each active NAMI on Campus club received a toolkit with resources to educate the campus community and a challenge to engage at least 3 other campus clubs to "Take the Pledge" to know the 10 common warning signs of emerging mental illness and how to help a friend. 2014 marked the second year for "Build It Together" a year-long initiative directed by NAMI's Multicultural Action Center that provides technical assistance to NAMI State Organizations to enhance their capacity to foster leadership development, strategic planning, and communications in diverse communities. The five Build it Together states (Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin) made significant progress towards implementing their diversity plans. Participating State Organizations' pre- and post-participation assessment results demonstrated overall progress towards cultural competence. NAMI also prepared to launch a partnership with Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation's oldest sorority founded by African American college-trained women, to expand mental health education, awareness, and support activities on college campuses and in local communities. NAMIWalks continued to grow in 2014. Eighty-two events engaged more than 170,000 walkers and supporters who raised nearly $10.4 million to support the programs of NAMI State and local organizations. The funds raised will be used to provide educational and support programs at no cost to those impacted by mental illness and their families. The NAMI Information HelpLine responded to nearly 200,000 requests in 2014 from individuals needing support, referral and information. More than 60 fact sheets on a variety of topics are available along with referrals to NAMI's network of NAMI Affiliates in communities across the country. www.nami.org/helpline o (800) 950-NAMI (6264) NAMI's National Day of Action, held in conjunction with NAMI's Convention, saw participants demanding comprehensive mental health legislation generate over 200 meetings with Congressional offices, 6,082 emails to Congress, 23,108 original Tweets of #Act4Mental Health, and over 422,000 "likes" on an Instagram photo of Demi Lovato holding a NAMI folder with "#Act4MentalHealth."”

“2014 accomplishments for some of NAMI's programs include: NAMI Homefront: 106 people, representing 12 different states, have been trained via webinar and in-person to teach this free, 6-session educational program for families, caregivers and friends of military service members and vets with mental health conditions. The program is taught by trained family members of service members/veterans living with mental health conditions. Eleven states are represented: Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington. The first NAMI Homefront course taught in the Syracuse VA Medical Center graduated 21 military and Veteran family members in September. Classes were also completed in New York City, Pendleton, South Carolina and on base at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. NAMI In Our Own Voice (IOOV): A California study on patient satisfaction scores before and after the implementation of regular IOOV presentations in the in-patient unit of the John George Psychiatric Hospital show the impact of the IOOV program. Patient satisfaction scores saw a dramatic increase of 30% after beginning regular IOOV presentations, reaching 85% in the final month of the study. These results are encouraging for other hospitals that are considering regular IOOV presentations in in-patient units.”

“Accomplishments in 2014 include: Releasing Road to Recovery: Employment and Mental Illness (www.nami.org/work), an in-depth report detailing the struggles people with mental illness face gaining and maintaining employment, and models to address those issues. NAMI Smarts for Advocacy held three teacher training sessions in 2014 and trained 50 teachers from 15 different states. The program also taught advocacy skills to 1,378 individuals through 97 workshops in 19 states. NAMI continues to be visible at external conferences focused on CIT and community policing. Laura Usher, NAMI's CIT Program Manager, presented at the 2014 CIT International Conference on "CIT: To Legislate or Not Legislate?" Laura and former NAMI Board President Anand Pandya presented on "Mental Health Interventions in the Aftermath of a Mass Casualty Event" at the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. This presentation was focused on the work done with the Newtown Ct. Police Department through NAMI's grant with the COPS Office at the U.S. Department of Justice. Laura Usher and former NAMI Board member Risdon Slate published an article in the journal Federal Probation entitled "Health Coverage for People in the Justice System: the Potential Impact of Obamacare." NAMI's "Coverage for Care" survey assessing the experiences of consumers and families with health insurance generated 2,748 responses. This data, coupled with information from an analysis of mental health benefits in plans offered through state health insurance marketplaces will serve as the basis for a report entitled A Long Road Ahead: Achieving True Parity in Mental Health and Substance Use Care on the status of mental health parity to be released in March 2015.”

“NAMI's Audit Committee assumes responsibility for oversight of the audit of its financial statements and selection of its independent accountant. This process is consistent with previous years.”