The Challenge of Change [Paperback]

Philip Coltoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2006

Leadership strategies for not-for-profit executives and boards. An essential primer by the former director of one of America's most influential nonprofits.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

From Chapter 1 of The Challenge of Change:

"This book is brief for a reason: I don't want it to sit on your bedside table with all the other professional literature waiting for your attention. Instead, I'm hoping you will pick it up, stay with it from start to finish and absorb it in a few quick hours.

"My purpose is to distill the insights I've gained from nearly twenty-five years of leadership at The Children's Aid Society of New York City, one of the largest and best-known not-for-profit organizations in the nation, and to share my ideas and experiences with a new generation of not-for-profit leaders and board members."

From the Inside Flap

At the Crossroads is an indispensable guide to the complex art of nonprofit leadership, written byone of the true luminaries in this field.

This volume succinctly captures the insights Philip Coltoff gained from nearly twenty-five years of leadership at The Children's Aid Society of New York City. Here, Coltoff shares his observations and advice about everything from growing your fundraising and working with volunteers, to the role of technology in your nonprofit's success and making your nonprofit more visible.

Offering wise lessons for all nonprofits in good times and bad, At the Crossroads arrives as the American economy gropes slowly toward recovery and the Great Recession continues to exact painful costs, most of all for people in despair. Its balanced perspective stresses leadership over technical challenges, as well as person-centeredness in the whole agency, from board to staff to clients.

The seminal book every not-for-profit leader must read, At the Crossroads illuminates the important lessons Coltoff has learned along the way and reveals the nature of authentic leadership in the multifaceted world of nonprofit management. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 125 pages
• Publisher: The Children's Aid Society; 1st edition (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0978890302
• ISBN-13: 978-0978890308
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

PHILIP COLTOFF is a national leader and innovator in the fields of social service and youth development. He led The Children's Aid Society in New York City from 1981 to 2005 and consults for many not-for-profits. He is also the Katherine W. and Howard Aibel Visiting Professor and Executive-in-Residence at New York University's Silver School of Social Work. Under his leadership, The Children's Aid Society's budget grew from $10 million to $80 million annually and its award-winning community school and teen pregnancy prevention programs were adopted in more than 1,500 sites nationally and internationally. He currently teaches "Executive Leadership in the Not-for-Profit Sector," a seminar series at NYU.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable Lessons from A Committed Non-Profit Professional, November 10, 2010

By 

Megan A. Quitkin (New York, NewYork) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At the Crossroads: Not-for-Profit Leadership Strategies for Executives and Boards (Hardcover)

A 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 Quitkin

5.0 out of 5 stars Fireside Advice, January 6, 2011

By 

Michael Stoller - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the Crossroads: Not-for-Profit Leadership Strategies for Executives and Boards (Hardcover)

As with his first book, The Challenge of Change, Phil Coltoff shares his vast knowledge and experience in nonprofit management with the next generation. Phil's supportive style makes reading this helpful book like sitting with him by the fireside, absorbing his wise teaching and sage advice.

5.0 out of 5 stars Coltoff, At the Crossroads: Vision and Strategy, November 18, 2010

By 

Rosa Agosto Gutierrez - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the Crossroads: Not-for-Profit Leadership Strategies for Executives and Boards (Hardcover)

At the Crossroads offers insights for both the aspiring leader and the senior leader --- this book succinctly and intelligently portrays the author's own experiences, learning and research. As a CEO, Phil's commitment to the welfare of children created a sense of urgency, from the maintenance worker to the clinician, at the same time that his tactical leadership inspired programs and services that led to evidence based practices. Not for profit executive management programs ought to have this book as required reading---there are gems and pearls in many pages that will resonate for leaders and for those aspiring to leadership positions.

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