The Nonprofit Leadership Team: Building the Board-Executive Director Partnership (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) [Hardcover]

Fisher Howe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0787959502 | ISBN-13: 978-0787959500 | Edition: 1

The Nonprofit Leadership Team is written for nonprofit executive directors and CEOs, senior staff, board members and nonprofit consultants. It focuses on the key leadership team— the board and its chair and the executive director— and shows how the consitituents can work in partnership to lead an effective, healthy organization.

In this important book, Fisher Howe, an expert on the topic of nonprofit leadership, covers every aspect of leading an organization as a team. He clearly shows what the board expects of the executive and what the executive expects of the board and the individual members, examines the working relationship among them, and demonstrates how the leadership team deals with specific responsibilities and challenges.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is a quick read and would help a new Director and Board establish a healthy partnership." (Charity Channel, 5/17/2004)

Review

"This splendid book is a must-read bible for leaders of any nonprofit enterprise that hopes to thrive in the twenty-first Century. Fisher Howe, legendary counselor to nonprofits across America, here illuminates the nature of successful leadership in the complex world of nonprofit management. His knowledge of nonprofit organizations is boundless, and he writes with memorable wisdom, insight, and clarity. A natural storyteller and a masterful organizer of topics, Howe shares a trove of examples, anecdotes, and experiences to reveal the challenges and opportunities of each important aspect of nonprofit management."
— Kevin Klose, president and CEO, National Public Radio

"Fisher's book should be on the desk of all those on, or desirous to be on, the management team of a nonprofit organization. Constant consultation will remind them of the pitfalls, so often forgotten in the active pursuit of one objective, that could adversely affect the enterprise as a whole. The book also contains an understandable description of ICT and its necessary applications as tools of information and communication in management."
— Francis H. Burr, former member, Harvard University Corporation and former president, Massachusetts General Hospital

"Fisher Howe knows the challenges that leadership teams face— from fundraising to finance, from marketing to information technology. Anyone accepting a board membership or an appointment as a nonprofit chief executive should make The Nonprofit Leadership Team his or her first reading assignment. It's great preparation for the challenges ahead."
— Walter Harrison, president, University of Hartford

"Fisher Howe's book is essential reading for nonprofit executives, board chairs, and board members. It is clear and useful guide regarding the respective roles of the board and the executive, best practices in nonprofit governance, and innovations in the field of nonprofit capacity-building."
— Alice Korngold, president and CEO, Business Volunteers Unlimited

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (November 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787959502
• ISBN-13: 978-0787959500
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #780,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A handbook for nonprofit leaders and managers to use so they can get better at their jobs and make their nonprofits successful., November 17, 2007

By 

Jeff Lippincott "JLIPPIN" (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Nonprofit Leadership Team: Building the Board-Executive Director Partnership (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book. I liked it very much much. I think a better title for it would have been either (1) Leadership in a Nonprofit Organization, or (2) The Nonprofit Organization Management Team. I say this because it is not just about the leadership team. But instead it is about both the players that manage a nonprofit and how to be good at leading AND MANAGING a nonprofit.

The book is very well written and organized. It is split into four parts:

I. The qualities of shared leadership (chapts 1-4)
II. The responsibilities of shared leadership (chapts 5-12)
III. The special challenges of shared leadership (chapts 13-18)
IV. Resources (A-E)

The chapters and resources provided are as follows:

1. What a Board expects of the Executive
2. What an Executive expects of the Board
3. What board members and the Executive expect of the Chair
4. The importance and challenges of personal relationships
5. Hiring and evaluating the Executive
6. The mission, vision, and strategic planning
7. Program direction, oversight, and support
8. Financial management and governance
9. Marketing, promotion, and public relations
10. Fundraising
11. Enhancing Board effectiveness
12. Administrative activities
13. Program evaluation
14. Information and communications technologies
15. Exploring different governance and management concepts
16. Using consultants
17. Special challenges facing the leadership team
18. Accountability
A. Board-staff "contract" for financial accountability
B. Sample terms of reference for governance committee to follow
C. Some guiding principles for nonprofit Board self-assessment
D. Code of ethical online charity practices
E. Standards for charitable accountability

So many nonprofits that come into existence are started by people who don't really know what they are doing when they form and start their "nonprofit baby." They usually know what they want to do for the good of the community or society, but they don't know how to lead and manage. They don't know what the CEO is supposed to do. They don't know who to put on their Board. They don't know what to require of their Board's members before they put them on the board. They don't know how to have the Board do what it needs to do to make the nonprofit successful.

If you think you fit the description of someone just described in the previous paragraph, then this book is for you. You will really be glad you got a copy of this book, read it, studied it, and implemented what it has to say. 5 stars!