Resource Library
All of CAPLAW’s resources and publications are now available in CAPLAW’s new Resource Library. Use the search filters below to find the resource you need.
Featured Resources
Bylaws Toolkit
This updated Bylaws Toolkit will help CAAs develop bylaws that are clear, effective, and up-to-date. The toolkit outlines key concepts for an agency’s bylaws, such as the authority of the Board of...
Dynamic Duos Podcast
Mutual respect and trust between leaders at a Community Action Agency (CAA) is essential to the stability of the organization. Without a strong relationship between a CAA board chair and executive...
Tips on Preparing for a Possible Government Shutdown
With the possibility of a federal government shutdown looming, what should CAAs be doing to prepare? Review 10 tips to consider when preparing for a possible shutdown. Summaries of federal agency...
Joining Forces: Evaluating Merger Opportunities
Now more than ever, CAAs are thinking about innovative ways to maximize their impact while conserving resources. One method for doing so is a merger with another CAA or nonprofit organization. CAPLAW recently issued a new merger decision-making tool that helps CAA leaders understand critical...
FQHC Opportunities: Designation to Collaboration
Reductions in funding and reimbursement have made it increasingly challenging for Community Action Agencies (CAAs) to furnish critical outpatient health care services to their high need and often medically underserved communities. For many CAAs, structuring certain health care lines of business to...
Leadership Lessons: Pro Action of Steuben and Yates
When the board of directors of Pro Action of Steuben and Yates, Inc. gathered for their monthly meeting at the organization’s offices in Bath, New York on February 18, 2020, they had no idea that it would be the last time they would sit in the same room for over half a year. Fortunately, CEO Laura...
Leadership Lessons: Northern KY Community Action Commission
Catrena Bowman-Thomas picked up her office phone and called Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission’s (NKCAC) board chair, J.C. Morgan. She had just left an early March 2020 executive leadership team meeting at NKCAC headquarters in Covington, Kentucky, and had a lot to report. The team had...
Combining Forces: A Merger Manual for CAAs
Now more than ever, CAAs are exploring mergers as a strategy to improve their sustainability and enhance their efficiency and effectiveness. This new tool and the accompanying webinar can help CAA leaders understand the risks and benefits associated with merging, identify and evaluate potential...
All a-Board! Series: Duty of Loyalty (Purpose)
Understand the great responsibility of being a board member through the lens of the duty of loyalty: each board member's obligation to place the interests of the CAA before their personal interests. Learn how to identify and address conflicts of interest, whether they be good, bad, or ugly.Whether...
All a-Board! Series: Engage & Retain Board Members (People)
Join late-night talk show host Carlton Caplaw and renowned band leader Carmen Alto as they discuss five practices that CAPLAW has found to be the hallmarks of engaged and committed boards: educating board members, communicating openly, requiring participation, continually enforcing policies, and...
All a-Board! Series: Board Meeting Ecosystem (Process)
Discover the wonder of the CAA board meeting ecosystem and how board members navigate survival in a world of compliance and governance responsibilities. Follow one group's use of a consent agenda to save time and resources at a board meeting, and allow for in-depth analysis and discussion of...
New FASB Reporting Rules: CAA Management
Now that the new FASB accounting standards for nonprofit organizations have taken effect, it’s time to step back and evaluate whether your CAA’s board and senior staff are familiar with the new presentation of financial statements, and how each is effectively using the information to inform its...