Field Guide to Developing, Operating and Restoring Your Nonprofit Board

(Previous edition was "Field Guide to Developing and Operating Your Nonprofit Board of Directors")

See the high praise for our publications.

Table of Contents and Figures Index

by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, partner in Authenticity Consulting, LLC

Testimonials!

"As a facilitator, instructor and consultant to many non-profit organizations, I can attest that this is the most detailed and complete book on the subject matter that I have come across. I particularly liked the references to other sections of the book, references to other contents in external resources and references to content available on the web. The book is a must-read for anyone involved in a nonprofit organization at any level!"
-- Desmond Alufohai, CMP, Miami, Florida

"The guide includes enough background theory to show you how to make change take place. Especially valuable are the practical, active tips that will really bring about change, instead of just talking about it. "
-- Leonard Zych, Executive Director, Executive Service Corps of San Antonio

New Edition of this Book!

This book is a new edition from the previous "Field Guide to Developing, Operating and Restoring Your Nonprofit Board,” which already provided comprehensive, step-by-step information about how to form, operate and evaluate high-quality nonprofit Boards. This new edition adds many more guidelines to ensure strong governance in each of all of the most important aspects of the nonprofit, including strategic planning, programs, marketing, staffing, finances, fundraising, evaluations, transparency, sustainability and lobbying.

This new edition also adds step-by-step guidelines to:
1. detect and fix broken Boards
2. select the best Board model for the nonprofit to implement
3. define how much the Board members should be involved in management, depending on the Board model
4. decide whether to use committees or not, and if so, which ones
5. establish specific, appropriate goals for Board committees
6. conduct comprehensive succession planning of the CEO position
7. ensure legal compliance to the Sarbanes-Oxley act
8. ensure highly ethical behavior of Board members

General Description

There are already plenty of publications about nonprofit Boards. There are few other, if any, guides that provide step-by-step guidelines for building, operating -- and even fixing broken -- Boards. Some publications provide basic, introductory overviews of Boards. There are many small publications that provide practical suggestions about one certain Board practice, for example, how to staff a Board or how to evaluate a Board. Some publications contain highly reflective and even inspirational discussions about the type of governance needed for the 21st Century. If you "boiled down" the information in these publications to the most practical suggestions and then added a lot of other practical suggestions and materials -- including about fixing Boards -- you'd end up with our Field Guide.

This guide is very useful to start a Board or to fix a currently struggling Board. In our experience over the years, Boards rarely struggle because they don't understand advanced concepts. Rather, Boards struggle because they have not mastered, or they have gotten away from, the fundamentals. This guide will help your Board to establish and always maintain mastery of all of the fundamentals. Guidelines are written in an easy-to-implement style, resulting in a highly practical resource that can be referenced at any time during the life of a nonprofit Board and organization.

Numerous, Downloadable Sample Board Policies in This Field Guide!

• Board Job Descriptions
• Executive Director Job Description
• Annual Calendar of Board Activities
• Comparison of Board and Staff Roles
• Board Committee Charter
• Board Staffing Checklist (Board Renewal Cycle)
• Board Member Recruitment Grid
• Board Member Application Form
• Board Conflict-of-Interest Policy
• Board Member Contract
• Board Ethics Policy
• Board Decision-Making Policy
• Executive Director Evaluation Form
• Board Member Self-Evaluation Form
• Board Self-Evaluation Form
• Board Attendance Policy
• Board Media Relations Policy
• Whistleblower Policy
• Document Retention/Destruction Policy

Numerous Guidelines Included for How to Govern the Nonprofit!

• How to Make Sure Stakeholders Are Always Heard
• How to Ensure Relevant and Realistic Strategic Planning
• How to Make Sure Board Operations Are High-Quality
• How to Verify Programs Meet Needs of the Community
• How to Ensure Fair Management and Productive People
• How to Take the Lead in Fundraising – All Kinds
• How to Effectively Get the Word Out About the Nonprofit
• How to Ensure Sound Management of Finances and Taxes
• How to Advocate for Public Needs – and Lobby Legally
• How to Track Performance of Nonprofit, Board and People
• How to Identify and Avoid Risks to the Nonprofit
• How to Ensure Sustainability of Nonprofit, Programs, People and Money
• How to Regularly Measure Overall Health of the Nonprofit
• How to Ensure Transparency and Accountability

Be sure to see the Table of Contents and Figures and Index.

Our Other Useful Nonprofit Publications

• Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation
• Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision for Nonprofit Staff
• Field Guide to Nonprofit Program Design, Marketing and Evaluation
• The above three guidebooks, and this Board book, are offered together at a discount in our
  Nonprofit Capacity Building Toolkit (sm).)
• Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development With Nonprofits
  (book is for consultants and internal leaders)

Other Authors' Publications for Nonprofit Organizations

• Bookkeeping Basics: What Every Nonprofit Bookkeeper Needs to Know
• Coping With Cutbacks: Nonprofit Guide to Success When Times Are Tight
• Venture Forth! Essential Guide to Starting a Moneymaking Business in Your Nonprofit Organization
• Strengthening Nonprofit Performance: A Funder's Guide to Capacity Building
• The Accidental Techie: Supporting, Managing, and Maximizing
  Your Nonprofit's Technology

Our Nonprofit Board Development Services and Training

• We provide nonprofit Board development services, including customizing the process to suit the nature and needs of your nonprofit.
  Learn more about our consultation.
• We also provide a training session, Nuts and Bolts of Developing and Operating Boards of Directors, which helps attendees to start and operate their Board -- or to fix a struggling Board. That training can be customized to suit your nonprofit, as well.

Pricing for Each Board Guide

• Don't be the only expert Board resource in your organization!
• Make sure all of your Board members and your Chief Executive have this guide.
• $32.00 each. Revised July 2008, 296 pages (including sample Board policies and access to on-line policies). 30-day, money-back guarantee.

Carefully Consider Getting Companion Guide for Executive Directors, As Well

• The Executive Director often is the person who first organizes the Board, and in many cases, helps the Board to do its job.
• Therefore, carefully consider getting the Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision for Nonprofit Staff. Having both guides will ensure that the Board and Executive Director are working "from the same page".

To Order Your Guides

• See To Order and Quickly Receive Your Publication
  NOTE:If you experience any problems processing your order, please call
  800.971.2250 or 763.971.8890.