Customer Reviews

The Nonprofit Board Answer Book: A Practical Guide for Board Members and Chief Executives

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really liked this book a lot. It includes sound theory and is practical. And it was an easy read. It has 80 chapters broken into 7 sections as follows:

1. Basic board functions (1-12)

2. Board structure (13-22)

3. Selection and development of board members (23-36)

4. Board and committee meetings (37-46

5. The board's role as a fiduciary (47-58)

6. Board-staff relations (59-70)

7. Organizational change (71-80)

Each "chapter" ended with suggested action steps. And I found them to be very informative. It was very well written, but I thought there were too many chapters. I felt kind of like I was reading an online blog.

This is a VERY practical guide or handbook for board members and executives of nonprofit organizations. It is totally consistent with how things at well-run nonprofits work and/or should work. If you are responsible for running a nonprofit organization and and want to know how to do things the right way, then get a copy of this book and take advantage of what it has to offer. It will definitely prove to be helpful unless you are already an expert on the subject matter. 5 stars!

I picked up "The Nonprofit Board Answer Book" a month or two after being named to (and then elected president of) the board of directors of a small non-profit organization; the organization had been previously mismanaged pretty terribly, so I wanted to make sure I could pick up some good practices.

In that regard, "NPBAB" does its job both very well and not very well; I loved the guiding questions, as well as the outlining of a couple of different accepted practices per major area. However, many of the sections were simply not pertinent to my NPO.

This is not the fault of the book. But I do wish that it had more practical procedural advice on how to, say, transition an executive director (or another first paid employee) from being a volunteer to being salaried (even if that advice was: "consult an accountant and a lawyer, but first figure out these things").

The short chapters were nice, but there were a few instances in which I wanted more substance. That said, this is a good survey of issues and of getting started with practical solutions, and I'd recommend it, as well as perhaps one or two other texts that were more directly pertinent to the struggles of your particular organization.

This book was fantastic. Our organization really needed to make upgrades to our board but did not know where to begin. This book gave us excellent ideas to the many questions we had plus many excellent ideas that we did not even think of. I highly recommend this book to every organization with a board to utilize as a tool.

Robert Andringa and Ted Engstrom, who are responsible for almost all of the content of this book, have had a phenonminal impact on nonprofit management -- as presidents and CEOs of large organizations, and as consultants for nonprofit leaders and boards across the country. The book's format is easy to reference, and the material is excellent. This is one of the best sources on boards that you can own, and I highly recommend it to board members, CEOs, pastors, executive directors, and others working regularly with nonprofit boards.

Very well laid out. The book is eay to read and a huge guide to developing a board. Also invaluable for leaders to update their game. SusanQ

This invitation to write a review arrived on the same day that I finished the book. Couldn't have been better timing. If you have worked with non-profit boards for a while, a lot of the ideas here will seem familiar and unexciting. But if you are new to Board service, much of this may be new for you. The advice here is solid and realistic. It recognizes that non-profits (like everything else) are made up of humans, with weaknesses and feelings, etc. It takes these facts into consideration in discussing what to do if a Board member -- or an executive -- is not performing in a way that is good for the organization: it's a difficult situation, but there are ways to approach it.

Some specifics: How do you get good people on the Board? How should Board members interact with staff members? How do you make sure you're not failing in your responsibility to be sure funds are handled right? (What IS your responsibility?)

Almost any question that could come up for you as a Board member is dealt with here, briefly but sensibly.

Excellent book for all board members, including paid staff. Everything you need to know is in there. Many practical ideas.

This is an amazing resource. It clearly lays out the board's responsiblity;

especially in the area of fundraising. The Mini Board Self-Assessment Survey

is a great tool for avoiding mission drift and evaluating whether the board is on

track. I share this resource with individuals preparing apply for 501 (c) (3) designation as

a charitable organization.

Thank you for compiling this essential guide.

Cecelia Dawe-Gillis

Celegrand Consulting