Giving Compass' Take:

• Nonprofit Quarterly looks how the influence of even a single board member can help keep an organization from disastrous decisions, citing the example of malfeasance at the University of Louisville.

• This is a good argument for making sure boards at nonprofits are diverse and filled with many different perspectives. Is your org too homogenous at that level?

• Here's more advice on how to acquire your dream board member.

A rubber-stamp board of directors is not helpful to any nonprofit. When an organization bends and breaks rules for an extended period of time — long enough that doing so has become part of the culture — it’s no understatement to say that everything lies with what the board of directors does — or does not — do.

The Chronicle of Higher Education dives deeply into the way sports directed the culture of rule-bending and breaking at the University of Louisville. The tale of the misuse of funds, which led to about $100 million dollars drained from the foundation’s endowment and other conflict-of-interest steps at the University of Louisville and the University of Louisville Foundation, has been ongoing.

What stands out here is the value of a board member asking the right questions. For the University of Louisville, that person might be Emily Bingham, Ph.D. An author with a degree in history, and a teacher at numerous colleges, although not at U of L, Dr. Bingham joined the U of L board as a trustee in 2013. She was one of a few board members invited to the board by the governor and lieutenant governor, who were looking for members who would ask questions.

Read the full article about how one board member can help keep an organization in line by Marian Conway at nonprofitquarterly.org.