CHAPTER 7Latin America
Consuelo Castro
Latin America is a diverse region characterized by inequality, with a large proportion of people whose income is less than US$1 a day.1 This reality represents a major challenge for the nonprofit sector, which is entrusted with improving lives and helping social development in this part of the world. Consuelo Castro, legal and regulatory expert, who has served as a consultant and trainer for good governance practices on nonprofit boards across the region, offers her perspective on the legal and regulatory environment for governance, explains some of the specific challenges boards face here, and shares some notable successes.
Each day it becomes more evident that governance of nonprofit organizations has a direct relation to their efficiency and effectiveness. For this reason, board members, or trustees, of CSOs, as rudders of the organization, play an important role. In Spanish, the name for the board of directors, or trustees, varies. In Bolivia it is referred to as Directorio, in Venezuela as Junta Directiva, in Mexico as Consejo Directivo or Patronato. It might be even referred to as Secretaría Ejecutiva. Whatever it is called, it is important to identify the leadership structure in the organization.
There are a great many nonprofit board topics we will analyze in this chapter, such as composition, roles, and recruitment, among others. Our main objective is to provide basic information regarding governance structure in Latin America, ...
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