The Barker Adoption Foundation

“The bylaws were amended in 2021 and an overview of the revisions are: Section IV - Members: Expands the definition of Friends and Supporters to expressly include individuals who are not Adoptive Parents, Adopted Persons, or Birth Parents but proudly support Barker's mission, such as grandparents and siblings of Adopted Persons, cradle care parents, and partners of Adoptive Parents. Section VIII - Eligibility of Trustees Members: Revises the current requirement that 2/3 of the Trustees be Adoptive Parents, to require instead that 80% of the Trustees be members of the Adoption Triad (Adoptive Parents, Adoptive Persons and Birth Parents). Section XII - Board Officers: Revises the slating process. The membership will continue to elect slated Trustees at the Annual Meeting, but Board officers, including the Chair, will be slated by the Executive Committee, ratified by the Board and then presented to the membership at the Annual Meeting. Section XVI - Executive Director: Authorizes the Executive Director to appoint ad hoc committees. The same new power is given to the Board under Section XXIV. Section XXI - Nominating Committee: Adds one Trustee and one non-Trustee member to the Committee and officially recognizes the Executive Director as a non-voting Nominating Committee member. Section XXII - Finance Committee: Directs the Finance Committee to "develop and maintain guiding principles that: provide practical guidance for designing, implementing and improving budget systems; maintaining minimum cash reserves; and managing cash investments and uses of unbudgeted surpluses to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future."”

“Members include adoptive parents, adoptive persons, birth parents, and friends and patrons. All members, regardless of their affiliations with the Foundation, shall have the same rights and priviledges of membership.”

“Trustees are elected through vote of the membership at the annual meeting of members.”

“The Bylaws may be amended at the annual meeting of the membership, or at a special meeting of members called for that purpose. Amendments to the Bylaws may be proposed by the Board of Trustees or any twenty members.”

“A draft copy of the Form 990 is reviewed by the Board of Trustees Treasurer, Executive Director, Director of Finance and Administration, and the Chair of the Board of Trustees. Any changes are communicated to the accountant and are updated. A final copy is approved and signed by the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees.”

“Procedures for addressing conflicts of interest - Specific transactions: Where an actual or potential conflict exists between the interests of the agency and an interested party with respect to a specific proposed action or transaction, the Barker Adoption Foundation shall refrain from the proposed action or transaction until such time as the proposed action or transaction has been approved by the disinterested members of the Board of Trustees of the organization. The following procedures shall apply: 1) An interested party who has an actual or potential conflict of interest with respect to a proposed action or transaction of the corporation shall not participate in any way in, or be present during, the deliberations and decision making of the organization with respect to such action or transaction. The interested party may, upon request, be available to answer questions or provide material, factual information about the proposed action or transaction. 2) The disinterested members of the Board of Trustees may approve the proposed action or transaction upon finding that it is in the best interests of the corporation. The Board shall consider whether the terms of the proposed transaction are fair and reasonable to the organization and whether it would be possible, with reasonable effort, to find a more advantageous arrangement with an entity that is not an interested party. 3) Approval by the disinterested members of the Board of Trustees shall be by vote of a majority of Directors in attendance at a meeting at which a quorum is present. An interested party shall not be counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present, or for purposes of determining what constitutes a majority vote of Directors in attendance. 4) The minutes of the meeting shall reflect that the conflict disclosure was made, the vote taken and, where applicable, the abstention from voting and participation by the interested party. Violations of conflict of interest policy: If the Board of Trustees has reason to believe that an interested party has failed to disclose an actual or potential conflict of interest, it shall inform the person of the basis for such a belief and take the appropriate action.”

“The Foundation's Executive Committee periodically benchmarks the Executive Director's salary through data gathered by outside organizations, taking into consideration the cost of living in a particular area, as well as the credentials, experience, tenure, and performance. It is the Board that decides the compensation of the Executive Director.”

“The Foundation's governing documents, conflicts of interest policy, and financial statements are available to the public upon request.”

“Barker provides free guidance and counseling for expectant parents and a no cost life-long birth parent support group for parents who make an adoption plan for their child. Barker also trains and screens prospective adoptive parents and provides them education and support throughout the adoption process and beyond.”

“Barker's Family and Post-Adoption Services Program provides an array of services to strengthen families created through adoption including: counseling; facilitated support and discussion groups ; educational programming for adults, youth and children; intermediary services for birth parents and adoptive parents in open and semi-open adoption arrangements; non-identifying social and medical history reports; search and reunion services for birth parents and adults adoptees; and community and school education programs to build greater awareness and understanding about adoption-related issues. In addition, an Adoption and Foster Care Conference held annually is open to adoptees, adoptive parents, birth parents, professionals, and anyone else touched by adoption and Homeland/Heritage Tours are offered for teens and young adult adoptees traveling together with their parents. Barker's post-adoption services are available to all touched by adoption regardless of whether their adoption experience was with Barker or another agency.”

“The Barker Adoption Foundation's Finance Committee is responsible for the oversight of the consolidated audit, including the selection of the independent accountant. The process is consistent with previous years.”