Customer Reviews

Doing Good Even Better: How to Be an Effective Board Member of a Nonprofit Organization

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2 star:		(1)
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Doing research for an ehow article I was reminded of this great little book. As the former manager of a nonprofit organization I found reading the "how-to" for board members particularly instructive. It helped me clarify my role as the effective executive director. I was also able to give the book to our board during some of their periods of growth and challenge and was told it was very helpful. I keep copies of this book on hand to give to my clients, as well. It's such a great resource! I like how accessible it is, avoiding the jargon that can make my eyes glaze over.

I found this book to be extremely practical and helpful, and I bought extra copies for other members of our board's executive committee. Our board meetings in the past have been long and unfocused, and we have many folks that are new to board service. This book provided practical resources to help us understand our role, how our meetings should be conducted, and how we should work with and support the staff. I really appreciated the templates provided for board orientation and annual review of the executive director.

There is an incredible amount of practical, essential information in this book for anyone serving on a non-profit board. Whether you're new to the position, entrenched and trying to figure out how to contribute more effectively, or on your way out and looking for resources on how to transition gracefully - you need to read this book!

Written in a friendly, professional tone that doesn't glorify the author but in a way that lets you know he has tons of hands-on experience with the material, this is an easy read. At the same time, you'll want to read it more than once and probably with a highlighter in hand.

Subjects covered include:
* Finding & growing strong directors
* The difference between governance and management
* Planning and executing effective meetings/ time management
* The whys and hows of performance evaluation
* Tools for increasing board effectiveness (including valuable information about handling committees)

Resources in the Afterward include:
* Sample assessments/ evaluations
* Examples of effective proposals
* Search guidelines & interview suggestions for CEOS
* Governance guidelines

Consider this a must have!

While this book is written for non-profit boards, anyone on any type of board can gain insight from this book. It is packed with great perspectives to keep a board focused and on track to achieve ultimate effectiveness and efficiency. Edgar uses great examples to drive home his points. If you serve on a board and do not have this book, you are missing a valuable guide!

This book is a fantastic primer for those considering non-profit board service or even for those who have served on numerous board. Stoesz has had a wide experience in boardmanship. He has taken the best of his experience and put it concisely in a handbook for board members. John Carver, the guru on boards, once said, "the one thing all boards have in common is that they do not function". This book will help any board member function as part of a board team and help the board succeed, which in turn helps the non-profit succeed. It would be the best $10 investment any board member could make. This book gives the tools to take a non-profit board to the next level.

With Board membership always changing and some members having never served on a Board this book is an excellent tool for understanding responsibilities.

Honestly expected more than just the average information to be in this book. Seems, in m y opinion now, if you donot know and use the ideas already the author covers - you have been living on Mars. I feel it was not worth my purchase. Sorry to say.