Called to Serve: Creating and Nurturing the Effective Volunteer Board [Paperback]

Max De Pree (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2001

Called to Serve is for people with questions about creating and maintaining a successful nonprofit board. How can the board of a nonprofit organization work best? Now that Im on such a board, what should I do? How can we find the best trustees? How should I think about my work for nonprofits? What kind of relationship between a board and the staff will work best? How can we organize and develop the service of busy, committed people? Internationally renowned CEO and best-selling author Max De Pree packs his many years of experience on nonprofit boards into these short letters directed to busy folks active in nonprofit life. Brief, clear, and _ above all _ useful, Called to Serve notes the marks of an effective board, lays out the proper work of boards, gives choices for structuring a nonprofit board, and covers the roles and relationships of board chairpersons, trustees, and presidents. Today there are more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in America, with 109 million people working in this important sector of society. In spite of this surprising fact, very little training exists for this kind of service. Called to Serve is valuable not only because it fills this need but also because it comes from the pen of one of Americas most experienced and respected business leaders.

Product Details

• Paperback: 91 pages
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802849229
• ISBN-13: 978-0802849229
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Primer for Non-Profit Boards, December 10, 2001

By 

KC "KC" (Cincinnati, Oh USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Called to Serve: Creating and Nurturing the Effective Volunteer Board (Paperback)

De Pree's latest addition to his leadership books such as best-selling Leadership is an Art, Leadership Jazz, and Leading without Power, has turned his vast experience with non-profit boards into a helpful volume about creating an effective volunteer board. The book covers generalities like the expectations of board and staff, as well as specifics like how to construct an agenda. De Pree gets as specific as stating, "The chairperson should not permit anyone to read to the board." Amen to that! The book can be read quickly, referenced easily, and would help create basic principles and expectations for the board. Anyone working with a volunteer board would do well to provide a copy for each board member.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a primer for working with volunteers, February 20, 2006

By 

K. King (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Called to Serve: Creating and Nurturing the Effective Volunteer Board (Paperback)

Called to Serve is recommended reading by all YMCA staff who work with policy making volunteers. It is designed as "letters to a friend" and covers the why, how and what in working with volunteers/boards in a conversational way. It is not overwhelming, nor does it get into a lot of governance issues. It leads you to understand the meaning and purpose of volunteerism and many, many lessons as to roles of volunteers, meeting development, strategic planning, effective committees, etc. I highly recommend it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Insights In Concise Form, October 22, 2004

By 

rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Called to Serve: Creating and Nurturing the Effective Volunteer Board (Paperback)

Truly an enjoyable, profitable read with many treasures for the one seeking advice on non-profit or volunteer boards.

This is packaged in letter form of author writing advice to a friend about such board memberhsip and leadership.

Just a few of the many gleans one will get: "the board does have obligations in the short term, but the future, with certain expectations, comes first"; "desigining an agenda by following the lines of a bell curve"; "one of the great time wasters for any group is the routine of giving progress reports when there's been no progress"; and the wonderful story of the postmaster who would not be bothered out of a meeting until he heard it was to receive thanks.

One reading this wants to be on any board that Max is on. Also, to invoke some of his wisdom tenderly yet passionately given in this work. Buy one for yourself and all members on your board. It will bring more joy to the member and more service to the organization.