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

Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, used to say, "My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions.""Behind every good answer lies a good question," says BoardSource in the introduction to this third edition. Now with 85 questions and answers, it's a must-have resource for both new and veteran board members as you inspire them to be life-long governance learners. Suggestion: bring it to every board meeting--and pass it around the room. It will be irresistible to your board members in their search for proof texts!When you scan the table of contents, dozens of relevant questions will jump off the page--and tempt you to read the crisp, well-written two- to four-page answers. Examples:Part One: Basic Board Functions1. What are the basic responsibilities of a nonprofit board?5. What is the board's role in strategic planning?7. What is the board's role in fundraising?9. How does the board avoid the extremes of "rubber stamping" and micromanaging?Part Two: Board Structure13. What is the best size for our board?19. What is the role of the board chair?21. How should we select our board officers?Part Three: Board Member Selection and Development23. How can we recruit active, involved board members?25. What is the chief executive's role in board recruitment?30. Should members of the same family serve on a board?32. What should we do about uninvolved board members?35. Should board members be compensated?37. Should individual board members be evaluated, and, if so, how?Part Four: Board and Committee Meetings39. How often and where should we meet?41. How can we encourage debate while promoting civility in the boardroom?42. What is the purpose of a board retreat?44. How should staff members participate in board and committee meetings?47. How can e-governance improve board and committee work?Part Five: The Board's Role as a Fiduciary52. What are the signs of financial distress in an organization?54. What policies and practices should we adopt to manage conflict of interest?55. How can we protect the organization--and ourselves--from lawsuits?57. Why should every board member make an annual monetary contribution?58. How can we develop board members' fundraising skills?59. How can we generate revenue beyond fundraising?61. What's the best way to keep track of board policies?Part Six: Board-Staff Relations64. What is the ideal relationship between the board chair and the chief executive?66. Should board members be hired as staff members?67. How should we evaluate the chief executive?68. How do we set fair compensation for the chief executive and the staff?70. What is the board's role in relation to the staff?72. How can we facilitate the end of a chief executive's employment?Part Seven: Organizational Change75. What is the typical lifecycle for a nonprofit organization?76. How do we ensure that the organization thrives after the founders depart?82. How should we respond to an organizational emergency or controversy?83. What is the board's role in hiring a consultant?84. When should the board consider closing a nonprofit organization?The first edition, written by Robert Andringa and Ted Engstrom, built the reliable rails for the second and third editions. I hope you're convinced. This is an excellent resource.

Excellent book

Well thought through content that enables Boards and EDs to quickly establish common grounds, steps to consider and guidance to accomplish great things!

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

The wealth of knowledge presented demands at least two readings to absorb. The 5 stages of a non-profit and accompanying explanation is worth the price of the book by itself. Read it, let it sink in, then read it again.

This was a great read and I will keep handy for reference as we go along. I am new to the executive director roll and it was very helpful to have definitions, roles, expectations, recommendations clearly spelled out.

This is an easy, quick read, but remains pretty general. I guess it will look nice on the shelf after I'm done, but won't need to reference it too often again in the future. Kind of a book you should consider getting from a library instead of owning.

This is an amazing resource. It clearly lays out the board's responsiblity;especially in the area of fundraising. The Mini Board Self-Assessment Surveyis a great tool for avoiding mission drift and evaluating whether the board is ontrack. I share this resource with individuals preparing apply for 501 (c) (3) designation asa charitable organization.Thank you for compiling this essential guide.Cecelia Dawe-GillisCelegrand Consulting