Streetsmart Financial Basics for Nonprofit Managers [Paperback]

Thomas A. McLaughlin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 047111457X | ISBN-13: 978-0471114574 | Publication Date: March 20, 1995 | Edition: 1

Get the financial tools you need to make sound business decisions for your nonprofit organization

Nonprofit managers, let this book show you how to become a better consumer of financial information. To get the most out of the information your bookkeepers and accountants provide, you need to understand and interpret it correctly. Written by Thomas McLaughlin, a nonprofit management expert, it cuts through technical jargon and complex mathematical contortions to give you the nuts and bolts of nonprofit financial management—as it happens in the real world. In a friendly, informal style, McLaughlin schools you in all the important terms and concepts, explains how to read and interpret financial reports, shows you how to analyze and control costs, provides practical tips for budgeting, and much more.

Clear, easy-to-follow explanations of financial management essentials, from balance sheets and cost analyses to budgeting and internal cost control

• More than 50 easy-to-read charts, tables, checklists, and instructive sidebars
• Lots of real-world examples based on the author's experience as a manager, consultant, and instructor
• Discussions centering around IRS Form 990—the government form which drives virtually all nonprofit accounting and financial reporting in the United States
• An IBM-compatible disk containing templates for financial reports, checklists, sample documents and other handy tools that you can copy, modify, and use

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Explains, in plain English, how to use financial information to effectively run nonprofit organizations. Concentrates on how to read, interpret and use financial data from bookkeepers and accountants to make management decisions that ensure the ongoing financial future of your organization. The book is organized into four distinct parts--analysis, accounting, operations and control--and features more than 50 easy-to-read charts, tables, checklists and instructive sidebars. Includes a diskette with handy financial templates to copy, modify and use.

From the Back Cover

Get the financial tools you need to make sound business decisions for your nonprofit organization

Nonprofit managers, let this book show you how to become a better consumer of financial information. To get the most out of the information your bookkeepers and accountants provide, you need to understand and interpret it correctly. Written by Thomas McLaughlin, a nonprofit management expert, it cuts through technical jargon and complex mathematical contortions to give you the nuts and bolts of nonprofit financial management--as it happens in the real world. In a friendly, informal style, McLaughlin schools you in all the important terms and concepts, explains how to read and interpret financial reports, shows you how to analyze and control costs, provides practical tips for budgeting, and much more.

Clear, easy-to-follow explanations of financial management essentials, from balance sheets and cost analyses to budgeting and internal cost control More than 50 easy-to-read charts, tables, checklists, and instructive sidebars Lots of real-world examples based on the author's experience as a manager, consultant, and instructor Discussions centering around IRS Form 990--the government form which drives virtually all nonprofit accounting and financial reporting in the United States An IBM-compatible disk containing templates for financial reports, checklists, sample documents and other handy tools that you can copy, modify, and use

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 20, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047111457X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471114574
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #330,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have nearly 30 years of nonprofit experience as a nonprofit manager, trade association executive, and management consultant.
Among my previous positions, I served as an executive with two major Massachusetts social service agencies and as Associate Director of the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers. I am currently on the management faculty at Brandeis University where I teach mission-based management MBA students.

I am a contributing editor for the Nonprofit Times, for which I write a monthly column. I was the first Nonprofit Scholar in Residence at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. I also serve on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers, and I have served on the board of directors of the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Greater Boston and Family Service, Inc.

At Grant Thornton LLP, I work with all types of nonprofit clients in strategy development as well as nonprofit mergers and alliances. I am also nationally recognized as an expert in nonprofit financial management and organizational restructuring.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent intro to accounting/finance for the novice., August 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Streetsmart Financial Basics for Nonprofit Managers (Paperback)

As a new manager of a small/medium-sized nonprofit organization (20 staff), I needed to get up to speed quickly on accounting and finance principles, but didn't have time to take a course. This book was a great help. It's written in a conversation style, not in dry "accountant-speak," and gives the reader a good overview, with examples of all major accounting and finance concepts you are likely to run across. It even had a floppy disk with a variety of simple spreadsheets for you to learn from as you walked through each chapter. My only complaint was the spreadsheets on the disk are in an early form of Lotus 1-2-3, so those of us with Microsoft Excel have a hard time printing out these older documents cleanly (some of the formatting doesn't translate well).

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, December 26, 2008

By 

Frequent Shopper "AMY" (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Streetsmart Financial Basics for Nonprofit Managers (Paperback)

The book is short, sweet and to the point. Sums things up in a basic manner and gives you the information from more of a point of experience rather than the same old textbook standard jargon.