Managing a Nonprofit Organization in the Twenty-First Century [Paperback]

Thomas Wolf (Author), Barbara Carter (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 1999

Since this classic work was originally published in 1984, there have been major shifts in the nonprofit world -- the growth of more profit-oriented ventures, the overhaul of accounting rules, new partnerships, and an emphasis on customer-oriented service and leadership. In easy-to-understand language, Thomas Wolf explains how to cope with these changes and deal with the traditional challenges of managing staff, trustees, and volunteers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Harvey Picker former trustee, New York Philharmonic and United Nations Institute for Training and Research Every nonprofit organization needs this book to improve its operation...Its checklists and explanations will improve the performance of even the most experienced board chairperson, CEO, treasurer, or fund raiser.

Anne Cohn Donnelly Professor of Nonprofit Management, Kellogg Graduate School, Northwestern University It is hard to believe that anyone could put everything you need to know about managing a nonprofit organization in one book, but Tom Wolf has done so.

Hodding Carter III President and CEO, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation As a newly arrived foundation executive, I put Wolf's volume at the top of my stack of reference books. It answers all the important questions about managing a nonprofit -- in a style whose clarity is matched only by its depth of knowledge. Thomas Wolf has given the field an invaluable resource, meeting a need that has never been greater.

Christine W. Letts Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and author of High Performance Nonprofit Organizations I recommend this book and use it in my nonprofit management class. It is an excellent primer providing insight and prescription for the thinking nonprofit leader.

About the Author

Dr. Thomas Wolf's career spans over four decades and encompasses the fields of philanthropy, education and the arts. He established the Cambridge office of WolfBrown in 1983 after serving as the founding Director of the New England Foundation for the Arts. His clients have included ten of the fifty largest U.S. foundations, government agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts, and treasured international cultural institutions like the British Museum, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Kennedy Center. Dr. Wolf is the author of numerous articles and books. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Fireside / Simon & Schuster; Revised & Updated edition (July 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684849909
• ISBN-13: 978-0684849904
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Nonprofit Organizations & Charities

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TAKE HEED NON-PROFITS, June 18, 2000

By 

Bonita L. Davis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Managing a Nonprofit Organization in the Twenty-First Century (Paperback)

For anyone considering going into the non-profit field as a manager or thinking about starting a non-profit organization, " Managing A Non-Profit Organization in the Twenty-first Century" must be on their required reading list. Non-profits are organizations which sit in between the profit and public sectors. Such an organization requires a different type of management style. Thomas Wolf takes the mystery out of the management of non-profits and clearly shows how they must be organized and adaptable to the changing environment of public need. Wolf's text serves as a standard as to what a non-profit should be and how it can avoid various pitfalls. For example, corporations have went through the period of downsizing. Many non-profits have not followed the lead and have ended up duplicating programs that are no longer needed and have caused stagnation in the organization. Non-profits have also come to the point where they no longer serve the need for which they were originally founded but are unable to effectively go out of business. Those above examples are some of the many issues addressed in the text. If you are ignorant about the nuts and organizational bolts of non-profits this is the book for you. Are you trying to start a non-profit organization? If so Wolf's work sets out the guidelines which will help ease your initial attempts. Is your non-profit becoming a dysfunctional entity? If so, the text provides you with the diagnostic tools to get to the source of the problem. I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to get a basic understanding of the non-profit sector.

62 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and Informative for experts and novices alike, June 21, 2000

By 

"nakiya74" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Managing a Nonprofit Organization in the Twenty-First Century (Paperback)

This book is comprehensive and informative and a benefit to both novices and experts in the nonprofit field. Thomas Wolf's use of case studies allows the reader to understand his ideas through real world examples. This work kept my interest from beginning to end and has encouraged me to continue my research. As I continue to pursue my interests in the nonprofit industry I will return to this book again and again for insight. Its breakdown into workable chapters that outline key factors to nonprofit management (such as: board designation and effectiveness, financial management and fund raising, and accountability and sustainability) and use of discussion review questions at the end of each chapter make it easy to use as a reference. He also provides managers with guidlines to use in managing their nonprofit organization.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great text for nonprofit management class, January 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Managing a Nonprofit Organization in the Twenty-First Century (Paperback)

I use this as the only text for an undergraduate nonprofit management course. It is easy to read and easy to understand, but not simplistic. The book covers the basics and provides enough information to get an overview of the main functions of a nonprofit organization.