NFA to incorporate as a not-for-profit

Niagara Federation of Agriculture President Chris Mullet Koop explains some of the rationale behind the board’s decision to have the NFA become an incorporated non-profit organization during a special meeting held last month. ~ Luke Edwards photo

By Luke Edwards

Plans for the Niagara Federation of Agriculture to incorporate as a non-for-profit organization will help it secure funding in the future, its president says.

The NFA held a special meeting last month to discuss the plans after the board supported the move. Members in attendance agreed with the board in general, though there remain some details to be ironed out in the coming months.

“It was really because we came up against a number of road blocks,” NFA President Chris Mullet Koop, explaining the decision.

Incorporated not-for-profit organizations tend to have an easier time applying for funding through granting agencies. The new structure also provides better liability protection for directors and officers.

Mullet Koop said other similar groups have undergone the process and the board reached out to a lawyer who had experience in this area.

“We didn’t want to reinvent the wheel,” he said.

The board did require membership support to implement a few changes to push the move forward. That included voting to move the membership under the new organization and having the current board move into director positions in the newly incorporated organization and continue their term.

Finally, the NFA’s constitution needs to be transferred into the new organization as bylaws. It was this decision that caused some discussion among the members, as they looked for more clarity, better wording and consistency throughout.

The move into a new incorporated not-for-profit structure does allow some time to tweak and finalize the bylaws. Members ultimately decided to table those talks for the time being. 