Why Watching CEO Expense Accounts Matters - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Why Watching CEO Expense Accounts Matters - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Why Watching CEO Expense Accounts Matters

Michael Peregrine

The expense accounts of nonprofit chief executives don’t often command much attention among board members, given the many pressing issues a charity’s leaders must deal with every day.

But some of the most embarrassing and damaging scandals erupt over what sometimes seem like small irregularities—$20,000 or $50,000 out of a multimillion- or multibillion-dollar budget. Abusive spending not only raises questions of general accountability but also damages the reputation of the nonprofit and its governing board.