Board members discussed a Bank of America checking account SLATE established to function as a pass-through for donations and other funds, and staff confirmed SLATE currently does not have a formal fundraising policy or administrative procedures for the account.

Connie Johnson, a SLATE staff member, told the board an outside firm, Armanino, had been asked to split a single drafted policy into two documents — one covering fundraising and the other covering bank-account administrative procedures — but staff had not yet received the split drafts. She said SLATE will follow up with Armanino and with peer organizations (including a contact in Kansas City) to gather best practices and a model policy for board review.

Why it matters: establishing written policies and procedures would define who may accept donations, how funds are handled, and internal controls for an account that could hold nonfederal or philanthropic dollars. Board members noted oversight and policy clarity are necessary before SLATE pursues certain non-WIOA philanthropic opportunities.

Board direction and next steps: staff will continue working with Armanino on the split policy drafts, reach out to peer organizations for policy examples, and send the materials to the board before the next meeting; no board approval was sought at this meeting.