Lake County nonprofits describe finances, challenges and ask commissioners for closer partnership

At a Feb. 12 work session of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners, a group of local nonprofit leaders laid out how nonprofits in Lake County are governed and financed, described operational constraints such as restricted grant rules and delayed reimbursements, and urged closer, clearer collaboration between nonprofits and county government.

The presentation, led by Emily Olson, executive director of Cloud City Conservation Center, and Idalia Conderas, CEO of Full Circle of Lake County, covered nonprofit legal structure, board duties, budgeting and reporting requirements. ‘‘We believe that nonprofits are a vital part of our community,’’ Olson said, explaining the session’s goal of helping county officials understand how nonprofit decisions and finances work.

Nonprofits’ role and internal rules

Speakers described common governance features: volunteer boards that generally approve budgets and set executive salaries, a legal obligation to invest surplus funds back into an organization’s mission, and the requirement to file IRS Form 990 and an annual report with the Colorado Secretary of State. Alice Pew, who founded Full Circle in 1991 and spoke as a citizen, described nonprofits as ‘‘the soul of the community’’ and noted the sector’s long history in Lake County.

The group emphasized that boards have three legal duties — care, loyalty and obedience — and that many organizations rely on board approval to take on new programs or spend outside the adopted…