Nonprofit Financial Planning Made Easy (Wiley Desktop Editions) Review

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Nonprofit Financial Planning Made Easy (Wiley Desktop Editions) Review
[This review is actually for the Second Edition of this book which I read at B&N on Saturday, February 09, 2008. See ISBN 0471715271.]
This is a gem of a book. I have a financial background, so it was a pretty easy read for me. Like the author I too hold the CPA designation. But unlike the author I don't use that designation professionally any longer. The book has the following 8 chapters:
1. Introductory concepts
2. Structuring the organization for fiscal strength
3. Financing the dream
4. Budgeting
5. Asset management
6. Nonprofit accounting
7. Special financial tools
8. Obtaining and maintaining tax-exempt status
For two years not too long ago I worked as a consultant to nonprofits that needed help with multi-million-dollar capital campaigns. The nonprofit world was new to me then, except for the time I spent in Washington DC a number of years ago as a staff auditor auditing trade associations for E&Y. As a result of my fundraising experiences I found it necessary to read lots of books about aspects of nonprofits. I read books on nonprofit management, nonprofit fundraising, nonprofit capital campaigns, nonprofit endowment campaigns, major gifts, grant proposals and writing, and nonprofit strategic planning.
I didn't read nonprofit books on nonprofit accounting, bookkeeping, or financial planning since I basically knew that stuff. But some people who are not well versed in such subject matter would do themselves a favor to get a copy of Ms. Blazek's book on nonprofit financial planning if they want a well written and well outlined book on the subject. CEOs and CFOs of nonprofits should be adept at their organization's (1) operations, (2) financial planning, and (3) fundraising efforts and abilities. By getting a copy of this book the nonprofit executive can get a good handle on the second leg of the three-legged stool. 5 stars!Nonprofit Financial Planning Made Easy (Wiley Desktop Editions) Overview

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The Executive Director's Survival Guide: Thriving as a Nonprofit Leader Review

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The Executive Director's Survival Guide: Thriving as a Nonprofit Leader ReviewBeing new to the Non-Profit arena, I was looking for an insider's guide. I found it in this book. It has specific examples and suggestions that pertain to daily life as an ED. I know that it will always be with me as a reference guide for what and what not to do..The Executive Director's Survival Guide: Thriving as a Nonprofit Leader Overview

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The Nonprofit Board Answer Book: A Practical Guide for Board Members and Chief Executives Review

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The Nonprofit Board Answer Book: A Practical Guide for Board Members and Chief Executives Review
I really liked this book a lot. It includes sound theory and is practical. And it was an easy read. It has 80 chapters broken into 7 sections as follows:
1. Basic board functions (1-12)
2. Board structure (13-22)
3. Selection and development of board members (23-36)
4. Board and committee meetings (37-46
5. The board's role as a fiduciary (47-58)
6. Board-staff relations (59-70)
7. Organizational change (71-80)
Each "chapter" ended with suggested action steps. And I found them to be very informative. It was very well written, but I thought there were too many chapters. I felt kind of like I was reading an online blog.
This is a VERY practical guide or handbook for board members and executives of nonprofit organizations. It is totally consistent with how things at well-run nonprofits work and/or should work. If you are responsible for running a nonprofit organization and and want to know how to do things the right way, then get a copy of this book and take advantage of what it has to offer. It will definitely prove to be helpful unless you are already an expert on the subject matter. 5 stars!The Nonprofit Board Answer Book: A Practical Guide for Board Members and Chief Executives Overview

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At the Crossroads: Not-for-Profit Leadership Strategies for Executives and Boards Review

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At the Crossroads: Not-for-Profit Leadership Strategies for Executives and Boards ReviewA seasoned non-profit executive and former CEO of the renowned Children's Aid Society, Philip Coltoff demonstrates his commitment to improving the lives of the world's most underserved people in "At the Crossroads." As enjoyable, informative and easy to read as his first book, "The Challenge of Change," Coltoff's second narrative is also well-organized, thoughtful and instructive; each page conveys lessons learned and best practices the author synthesizes with grace and ease. Whether he is enumerating how a non-profit can best brand itself and fine tune its mission to accommodate a changing global landscape or deconstructing United States federal law such as Sarbanes-Oxley, the writer engages his reader with prose that is accessible to everyone, from the idealistic undergraduate contemplating a career in social services to a visionary leader who is slowly settling into retirement after decades building a grassroots organization from the bottom up. While its primary goals may be to educate inform and inspire current and future non-profit leaders and their board members, "At the Crossroads" also imparts invaluable wisdom that can benefit the private sector. Staff management, monitoring and evaluation, and theories of change are all eloquently addressed, rendering the book mandatory reading for anyone interested in the world of work. The non-profit world is, as Coltoff writes, "growing, changing and becoming more complicated." Fortunately, one of its greatest contributors provides a voice of reason, helping us charter a clear path across a complicated landscape, turning obstacles into opportunities.
--Megan QuitkinAt the Crossroads: Not-for-Profit Leadership Strategies for Executives and Boards Overview

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The Nonprofit Leadership Team: Building the Board-Executive Director Partnership (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) Review

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The Nonprofit Leadership Team: Building the Board-Executive Director Partnership (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) Review
This is a wonderful book. I liked it very much much. I think a better title for it would have been either (1) Leadership in a Nonprofit Organization, or (2) The Nonprofit Organization Management Team. I say this because it is not just about the leadership team. But instead it is about both the players that manage a nonprofit and how to be good at leading AND MANAGING a nonprofit.
The book is very well written and organized. It is split into four parts:
I. The qualities of shared leadership (chapts 1-4)
II. The responsibilities of shared leadership (chapts 5-12)
III. The special challenges of shared leadership (chapts 13-18)
IV. Resources (A-E)
The chapters and resources provided are as follows:
1. What a Board expects of the Executive
2. What an Executive expects of the Board
3. What board members and the Executive expect of the Chair
4. The importance and challenges of personal relationships
5. Hiring and evaluating the Executive
6. The mission, vision, and strategic planning
7. Program direction, oversight, and support
8. Financial management and governance
9. Marketing, promotion, and public relations
10. Fundraising
11. Enhancing Board effectiveness
12. Administrative activities
13. Program evaluation
14. Information and communications technologies
15. Exploring different governance and management concepts
16. Using consultants
17. Special challenges facing the leadership team
18. Accountability
A. Board-staff "contract" for financial accountability
B. Sample terms of reference for governance committee to follow
C. Some guiding principles for nonprofit Board self-assessment
D. Code of ethical online charity practices
E. Standards for charitable accountability
So many nonprofits that come into existence are started by people who don't really know what they are doing when they form and start their "nonprofit baby." They usually know what they want to do for the good of the community or society, but they don't know how to lead and manage. They don't know what the CEO is supposed to do. They don't know who to put on their Board. They don't know what to require of their Board's members before they put them on the board. They don't know how to have the Board do what it needs to do to make the nonprofit successful.
If you think you fit the description of someone just described in the previous paragraph, then this book is for you. You will really be glad you got a copy of this book, read it, studied it, and implemented what it has to say. 5 stars!The Nonprofit Leadership Team: Building the Board-Executive Director Partnership (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) Overview

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Nonprofit Board Answer Book: Practical Guidelines for Board Members and Chief Executives Review

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Nonprofit Board Answer Book: Practical Guidelines for Board Members and Chief Executives ReviewThis is a must-have book for nonprofit senior staffs as well as for volunteer board members who aspire to leadership and stewardship of the organizations they serve. It definitely lives up to the promise of the assertion on the book jacket that the authors, "...who collectively have more than 70 years of experience as chief executives, board members, and facilitators in the training of more than 20,000 board members in 20 countries..."
The book is comprised of 37 short chapters (typically 3-6 pages each) in five sections, designed to address all aspects of board service and board/staff issues. Each chapter provides facts, opinions, tools, and a few "suggested action steps" to help a board address the issue or situation presented in the chapter.
In general, the authors reference John Carver as a good resource for the theory and practice of nonprofit governance, but they don't make Carver the precise and proscriptive recipe that some adherents do. They admit the possibility that other techniques and structures can work well for certain organizations, while "sticking to their guns" in presenting their experiences and insights as having inherent value for most nonprofits.
I was especially impressed by the distinction made between the role of the board and the role of board members. Many policy governance disputes stem from a misunderstanding that, somehow, all board members should have the same responsibilities and be treated interchangeably.
I would have liked to see a clearer treatment of the issue of board diversity; interestingly, the authors seem to agree, admitting that it's a very difficult subject to address. Many board "diversity" programs focus on narrowly-defined "diversity" and run the danger of leading to "tokenism," according to the authors.
The charts and checklists that supplement the text are simple and effective. They're easy for readers to re-create and use in their own organizations.
The book even admits of the possibility that nonprofits can (and sometimes should) dissolve and disband, and provides strategies for helping board, staff, and community understand, accept, and even support the natural cycle of life as it applies to organizations. It's an important message and not a negative one.
Although originally published in December, 1997, it has already had three printings as of August, 1999. With 15 million volunteer board members in the U.S. alone, the publishers could run through many more printings.Nonprofit Board Answer Book: Practical Guidelines for Board Members and Chief Executives Overview

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The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management (Essential Texts for Nonprofit and Public Leadership and Management) Review

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The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management (Essential Texts for Nonprofit and Public Leadership and Management) ReviewThis update of the classic work on non-profit leadership is a must for everyone who's interested in leadership and governance in the non-profit sector. The editor has assembled a diverse and talented cast of authors who have produced a treasure-house of provocative and informative material on a wide array of important topics.
I wish Karen had explained her mystifying description of the book as "Marxist to the max." I found discussions of competition but not communism, and markets, but not Marxism. Non-profits rely on gifts, grants, and, sometimes, auxiliary sales to support themselves. How does she think they'll plunder anyone's wealth?
The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management (Essential Texts for Nonprofit and Public Leadership and Management) Overview

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