Customer Reviews

Managing a Nonprofit Organization in the Twenty-First Century

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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.

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.

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.

The 1999 edition of managing a nonprofit organization in the twenty-first century; formerly titled managing a nonprofit organization is worth its money with more then 350 pages of practical advice. The books discusses those not-for profit organizations that have a public service mission and have an official status.

With many short but clear real life examples and checklist Wolf makes the issues in managing nonprofits clear. The structure of the book enables managers to start today with improving their organization. Subjects include hiring the right staff. personnel policy, marketing, finance and fiscal procedures, fund raising, planning, leadership and the board.

The tools and examples give guidance both for managers and staff of these organizations. With the help of Wolfs book running your nonprofit becomes easier and more rewarding.

I also use this book as a text for an undergraduate class in non-profit management. It is an excellent primer on the key issues in the field, particularly those areas that differ from the management of for-profit businesses. I use Drucker's "Managing the Non-Profit Organization" with this book to add a somewhat higher level overview of the strategic issues and principles in the nonprofit field.

This book does provide some wonderful insights and helpful ideas for managing nonprofits. And since I'm always on the lookout for resources to help me do my job better, I'd like to recommend that readers also purchase The Complete Guide to Fundraising Management, Second Edition by Stanley Weinstein. It was just published (by Wiley, I think), and it offers step-by-step guidance in how to manage just about every aspect of fundraising ((major gifts, planned giving, capital campaigns, etc.). It even has a CD-ROM with customizable forms and worksheets that really will help me day-to-day.

Thomas Wolf gives a clear and detailed view on the corners and tidbits behind starting a Non-Profit organization. I STRONGLY recommend this book before you even think of plunking down the money for your own nonprofit or file the 501 c(3). Too many mistakes can avoided by just reading the basic 101 in this book. Wolf uses a lot of examples to explain, but make sure you have a dictionary nearby. If you don't know the ins and outs of the IRS, etc., you need to start here. Good stuff that is too important to miss, or allow yourself to go bankrupt over.

I read book before forming the Diabetes Hands Foundation, a nonprofit we formed in early 2008. All through the formation process and ever since then, I have found myself going back once and again to revisit passages in this book for confirmation of things I am unsure of: it keeps helping me find answers to just about any question I think of.

As a recent President of a nonprofit, I can only say good things about this book and would recommend it to people in charge of managing any nonprofit: the sooner you read it, the more you will learn before it is too late and you have made important mistakes.

I am teaching a course in nonprofit management, and ordered this book to use as a reference. I think it works well for that, but am using a different book as the main text for the class. The book arrived promptly and in great condition, and the price was very fair!

"Managing A Nonprofit Organization In The Twenty-First Century" by Thomas Wolf is a revised and Updated version of his classic "Managing A Nonprofit Organization." In plain language, Wolf explains how to cope with the changes and shifts in the nonprofit world, such as the growth of more profit-oriented ventures, the overhaul of accounting rules, new partnerships, and the emphasis on customer-oriented service and leadership, as well as deal with the traditional challenges nonprofits face with managing staff, trustees, and volunteers. It is a good book that addresses many issues facing nonprofit leaders, although at times I felt it was more geared toward larger organizations than the small nonprofit I am leading and trying to help grow. Therefore, there were some things in this book that were not as relevant to my personal situation at this time. Nonetheless, it is a good book for anyone leading or managing a nonprofit to read, regardless the size of the organization.

After a short Preface, the book is divided into eleven chapters. The topics covered in these chapters include: understanding nonprofit organizations, the board, assembling the workforce, personnel policy, marketing, financial management, financial statements and fiscal procedures, fund raising, planning, sustainability and leadership, and finally a chapter on making things better.

Some of the topics in this book are only introduced, and a person will want to look toward other resources for additional information. Fund raising is one such topic. The chapter provides some basic advice and strategies, but the other even acknowledges there is much more on this topic than he could put in a chapter. The ten commandments of fund raising he ends the chapter with are good tips to get an organization on the right track. The same can be said of other chapters too. The marketing chapter is short and provides some basics to consider, but for a complete marketing plan, an organization would be suited to find resources on just that single topic.

This is a very good book to get a general overview of managing a nonprofit. Each chapter has a good summary in the Checklist Questions for that chapter. There is a lot of information here, and to act on it all will undoubtedly help the nonprofit non only survive in this difficult time, but grow and thrive as well. I'm sure I'll refer back to this text a number of times as I help lead the small organization I work for to bigger and greener pastures.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., Executive Director of the Community Dispute Resolution Center of Missoula County.