Free kit · Policies and risk
Conflict of Interest Policy and Disclosure Form: free nonprofit conflict of interest policy template in Word, Excel and PDF
Adopt a conflict of interest policy your board will actually use. Mark your choices against the IRS sample policy, adopt it by resolution, and have every director, officer and key employee sign a disclosure each year. When a conflict comes up, the steps and the minutes wording show who leaves the room and what the record says.
Word, Excel and PDF · 12 pages · For governance committees, board chairs and executive directors
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What is inside
- Policy choices worksheet. Each choice the IRS sample leaves open, from who the policy covers to the gift limit, with a column for your answer.
- Conflict of interest policy. The IRS sample policy in plainer words, article by article, with each addition marked and explained.
- Annual disclosure statement. The yearly statement: the policy affirmation, the interests of the person and their family, gifts, and the Form 990 independence questions for directors.
- When a conflict comes up. Eight steps for the meeting where a member has a conflict, the wording for the minutes and a filled example.
- Annual review. A yearly checklist, a draft Schedule O description for Form 990 and a line for the board minutes.
How to use it
- Before drafting: the governance committee fills in Form A and checks the bylaws for a conflicts article.
- Adopt it: your attorney reviews Form B, and the board adopts it by resolution before the end of the tax year.
- Each year and on joining: directors, officers and key employees sign Form C, and the workbook shows who is overdue.
- At the meeting: the chair asks about conflicts at the start and follows Form D, and the secretary records it.
- After the statements: the governance committee runs the Form E review and checks the Form 990 answers.
Not legal advice. This is a template. Your state's nonprofit corporation law, your articles of incorporation and your bylaws decide who must disclose, who may vote and what happens to a deal with a director, and several rules differ from state to state. Have an attorney licensed in your state review the policy before the board adopts it.
Questions
Is the kit free?
Yes. Enter your name, email and organization once, and every kit in the library opens on this browser.
Can I edit it?
Yes. The Word and Excel files are fully editable: write your choices into the bracketed text, set the gift limit and the date the statements are due, and list your own board and staff in the workbook.
Does it work in Google Docs?
Yes. Upload the Word file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs; the tables and ruled lines carry over.
Can I share it inside my organization?
Yes. Copy it, adapt it and share it with your board and staff.
Read the guide
More kits for boards
Board Resolution TemplatesA blank resolution, samples for bank signers, the budget, pay and policies, and a resolution register
Whistleblower and Document Retention Policy TemplatesBoth policies with each choice marked, a report log, a retention schedule with the federal minimums and a hold notice
Nonprofit Bylaws TemplateAnnotated bylaws with every choice marked, committee charters and a term tracker
With conflicts of interest, the policy is rarely where it goes wrong. The conversations are: asking a board member whose company bids on your work to leave the room, or raising a contract with a founder's family. A coach helps the executive director or the board chair prepare for them.
Six sessions of executive coaching: $300, $400 or $600, set by your organization's yearly operating expenses.
