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

Everything you need to know as a nonprofit board member to raise more money and help your organization succeed in meeting its goals Engaging and informative, this practical guide to fundraising contains valuable insights that nonprofit boards need to succeed in raising money in today's dynamic economic environment. While written expressly for board members, this useful handbook also provides advice to executive directors and advancement staff on how to partner with your board to build an unstoppable fundraising team. A Fundraising Guide for Nonprofit Board Members shows you how to raise more money by building board leadership and skills in fundraising. This book covers it all—the board's leadership role in fundraising; how to organize and train your board to raise funds; building a team with board and staff; raising funds for operations, major gifts and capital campaigns; how to ask for gifts; plus a guide for conducting a board retreat that will lead to fundraising success. Demystifies the ask by providing a straightforward guide on how to ask for, and close, gifts Features case studies, real life examples, and checklists in an easy to reference format Offers sample materials for a board retreat on building the successful fundraising team Also by Julia Ingraham Walker: Nonprofit Essentials: Jump-Starting the Stalled Fundraising Campaign Entertaining, practical, and easy to use, this book will become a must-read for all board members, executive directors, and staff who want to build an effective fundraising team.

A comprehensive handbook for leading a successful nonprofit This handbook can educate and empower a whole generation of nonprofit leaders and professionals by bringing together top experts in the field to share their knowledge and wisdom gained through experience. This book provides nonprofit professionals with the conceptual frameworks, practical knowledge, and concise guidance needed to succeed in the social sector. Designed as a handbook, the book is filled with sage advice and insights from a variety of trusted experts that can help nonprofit professionals prepare to achieve their organizational and personal goals, develop a better understanding of what they need to do to lead, support, and grow an effective organization. Addresses a wealth of topics including fundraising, Managing Technology, Marketing, Finances, Advocacy, Working with Boards Contributors are noted nonprofit experts who define the core capabilities needed to manage a successful nonprofit Author is the former Executive Director of Craigslist Foundation This important resource offers professionals key insights that will have a direct impact on improving their daily work.

A timely, practical, and concise handbook of best practices for nonprofit financial management In 2010 an estimated 325,000 charities, membership groups, and trade associations?with small nonprofits disproportionately represented?stand to lose their tax exemptions for failure to comply with financial management requirements. Nonprofit Financial Management: A Practical Guide is a timely, functional, and concise handbook of best practices for nonprofit organizations of every size. Addresses federal reporting requirements and discusses methods to decrease expenses, ensure accounting control, increase revenues through professional cash management, and understand budget statements Explains how to read financial statements and analyze a nonprofit's financial condition by using the most recent IRS 990 reporting form Covers the full range of financial-management topics, including accounting, internal controls, auditing, evaluating financial condition, budgeting, cash management and banking, purchasing and contracting, borrowing and risk management Written in an easy-to-read style, with more than 100 exhibits, this book is essential for every nonprofit financial manager.

The bestselling guide to nonprofit planning, with proven, practical advice Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations describes a proven method for creating an effective, organized, actionable strategy, tailored to the unique needs of the nonprofit organization. Now in its third edition, this bestselling manual contains new information about the value of plans, specific guidance toward business planning, and additional information about the strategic plan document itself. Real-world case studies illustrate different planning and implementation scenarios and techniques, and the companion website offers templates, tools, and worksheets that streamline the process. The book provides expert insight, describing common misperceptions and pitfalls to avoid, helping readers craft a strategic plan that adheres to the core values of the organization. A well-honed strategic plan helps nonprofit managers set priorities, and acquire and allocate the resources necessary to achieve their goals. It also provides a framework for handling challenges, and keeps the focus on the organization's priorities. Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations is an excellent source of guidance for managers at nonprofits of every size and budget, helping readers to: Identify the reasons for planning, and gather information from internal and external stakeholders Assess the current situation accurately, and agree on priorities, mission, values, and vision Prioritize goals and objectives for the plan, and develop a detailed implementation strategy Evaluate and monitor a changing environment, updating roles, goals, and parameters as needed Different organizations have different needs, processes, resources, and priorities. The one thing they have in common is the need for a no-nonsense approach to planning with practical guidance and a customizable framework. Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations takes the fear out of planning, with expert guidance on the nonprofit's most vital management activity.

The Carver Policy Governance Guide series includes six booklets that offer board members a description of John Carver's Policy Governance model of board leadership. Policy Governance enables a board to fulfill its accountability to its organization's «owners,» whether the owners are association members, city residents, company shareholders, or a community of interest. Policy Governance addresses the board's engagement in financial, programmatic, and personnel matters; roles of officers and committees; reporting and evaluation; agendas; and other aspects of the board job. Evaluating CEO and Board Performance offers board members information on the importance of evaluation as part of a greater systematic view of governance. The guide includes principles for effectively and honestly evaluating CEO and board performance. The Policy Governance model is based on the functions rather than the structure of a governing board. It outlines commonsense principles about governing that fit together into an entire system. The practices of the Policy Governance board, which are consistent with the principles, allow it to control without meddling, focus on long-term organizational outputs, powerfully delegate to a CEO and staff, and discharge its fiduciary responsibility in a visionary, strategic manner. Because the model is a total system, the Carver Policy Governance Guide series offers boards a complete set of principles for fulfilling their various obligations.

The essential guide to e-business security for managers and IT professionals Securing E-Business Systems provides business managers and executives with an overview of the components of an effective e-business infrastructure, the areas of greatest risk, and best practices safeguards. It outlines a security strategy that allows the identification of new vulnerabilities, assists in rapid safeguard deployment, and provides for continuous safeguard evaluation and modification. The book thoroughly outlines a proactive and evolving security strategy and provides a methodology for ensuring that applications are designed with security in mind. It discusses emerging liabilities issues and includes security best practices, guidelines, and sample policies. This is the bible of e-business security. Timothy Braithwaite (Columbus, MD) is Deputy Director of Information Assurance Programs for Titan Corporation. He has managed data centers, software projects, systems planning, and budgeting organizations, and has extensive experience in project and acquisition management. He is also the author of Y2K Lessons Learned (Wiley: 0-471-37308-7).

A thoroughly pragmatic guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) This is a critical FCPA training resource for executives, managers, sales, marketing, finance and accounting personnel, as well as high level professionals. The ideal resource for any business that takes FCPA compliance seriously and truly desires to foster a deep understanding of real-world corruption issues in their employees A great resource for business school courses on international business or business ethics and anyone interested in understanding these issues for their own professional growth Includes in-depth analysis of all major FCPA risk areas, including discussions of how FCPA issues arise in real-world business situations Covers all aspects of bribery and FCPA compliance issues to ensure that your business is not exposing itself to financial scandal or criminal prosecution FCPA compliance is mandatory for nearly all international businesses operating in today's global economy. This book serves as the perfect training tool to mitigate your organization's risk to FCPA violations, which is one of the top enforcement priorities for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Praise for Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: A Practical Resource for Managers and Executives «Aaron Murphy's book is absolutely fantastic. As a seasoned lawyer and compliance professional, having worked for fortune 100 companies with global operations for many years and being an FCPA expert myself, I have never come across a more detailed yet easy to read book on FCPA. It contains practical advice and provides examples that are put into context, that the reader can easily relate to and that take into consideration different cultures and customs. A must read for any individual/ organization doing business abroad.» —Fabiana Lacera-Allen, Senior Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer, Elan Drug Technologies «This book is essential reading for anyone conducting business outside US borders. Executives, managers, sales, marketing, finance, and legal professionals will find sound practical advice to protect themselves and their companies from FCPA violations when operating globally. Much more than a general survey, this book offers scores of real world examples and serves as an easy-to-read, how-to resource for employees at all levels of a company. It will be a valuable reference tool for many years to come.» —Jeff Taylor, former US Attorney for the District of Columbia and former counselor to Attorneys General John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales «If you are a manager involved in any kind of international dealings—which is to say, if you work for any major firm in today’s global marketplace—you need to study Aaron Murphy’s comprehensive, precise and highly readable analysis of life under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Few FCPA violations are intentional, yet the consequences even of unwitting violations can be drastic for you, your colleagues, and your firm. Murphy’s book shows why business practices perfectly acceptable at home are federal crimes in other settings, how to think your way through ambiguous situations, and—perhaps most important—when to get expert advice. It is a field guide to a world where authority and discretion are all too often up for sale, and a resource that will help you avoid trouble—and even succeed—within the bounds of this crucial yet little-understood legislation.» —Michael Johnston, Charles A. Dana Professor of Political Science, Colgate University "Every businessperson working in the emerging markets should read and understand the way in which their actions and behaviour may fall subject to the FCPA. This

The Carver Policy Governance Guide series includes six booklets that offer board members a description of John Carver's Policy Governance model of board leadership. Policy Governance enables a board to fulfill its accountability to its organization's «owners,» whether the owners are association members, city residents, company shareholders, or a community of interest. Policy Governance addresses the board's engagement in financial, programmatic, and personnel matters; roles of officers and committees; reporting and evaluation; agendas; and other aspects of the board job. The Policy Governance Model and the Role of the Board Member sets out a clear vision for excellence in board leadership. It gives board members an understanding of the concepts and principles that are at the very heart of John Carver's innovative Policy Governance model. This guide details members' main tasks and presents the guidelines needed to transform a board into an effective group that consistently leads powerfully. The Policy Governance model is based on the functions rather than the structure of a governing board. It outlines commonsense principles about governing that fit together into an entire system. The practices of the Policy Governance board, which are consistent with the principles, allow it to control without meddling, focus on long-term organizational outputs, powerfully delegate to a CEO and staff, and discharge its fiduciary responsibility in a visionary, strategic manner. Because the model is a total system, the Carver Policy Governance Guide series offers boards a complete set of principles for fulfilling their various obligations.

The Nonprofit Leadership Transition and Development Guide In this dynamic resource, Tom Adams (an expert in succession planning who has worked with hundreds of organizations) shows how intentional leadership development and properly managed leadership transitions provide nonprofits with the rare opportunity to change direction, maintain momentum, and strengthen their capacity. This accessible guidebook is filled with illustrative stories, instructive lessons, best practices, and practical tools that can be used to ensure a successful nonprofit leadership transition. «It is terrific to have a book which so effectively addresses the unique challenges and opportunities of leadership in the nonprofit sector, replete with sound advice and concrete examples. Tom Adams brings a wealth of experience and savvy to the topic. Paid and volunteer leaders of nonprofits at all levels will benefit from reading it.»—Irv Katz, president and CEO, National Human Services Assembly «The guide is one of its kind in providing a realistic frame for the world of nonprofit leaders. It is long overdue in the sector as a real tool for leaders. Maybe even more important, it helps nonprofit boards of directors and philanthropic organizations to understand the connection between their investment in leadership and achieving organizational goals.» —Diane Bell McKoy, CEO, Associated Black Charities «Rich with instructive examples and advice, this book is grounded in the reality of nonprofits. It will be an extraordinarily useful guide to nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes.» —Ruth McCambridge, editor in chief, Nonprofit Quarterly «Make no mistake: attracting and retaining top talent should be priority number one for the nonprofit sector. Adams's book offers practical advice for how to embed this priority into the sector's DNA. All who care about nonprofit effectiveness would be well-served to give this book a close read.»—Kathleen P. Enright, president and CEO, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations

Praise for Fundraising Consultants «In Fundraising Consultants: A Guide for Nonprofit Organizations, Gene Scanlan provides a thoughtful and deliberative guide for how to select, develop, and maintain successful relationships with consultants that can help organizations achieve their goals. It is also an excellent resource for consultants, both new and experienced, on how to best serve our clients.» Barbara L. Ciconte, CFRE, Senior Vice President, Consulting Services Donor Strategies, Inc. «Finally, a book that provides a balanced and informative perspective about fundraising consulting. Gene provides solid information for organizations to consider when using a consultant while also describing the consultant's point of view. All this can only lead to a more effective use of consultants and more successful nonprofits.» Sandra Renner, MSW, CFRE, Renner Consulting Strategic Philanthropic Counsel «This book is an excellent source for a development or foundation director to read before hiring any type of consultant. It guides you through the search process and tells you how to evaluate your prospects. This is especially important for small development offices or foundations that rely on outsourcing fundraising projects or campaigns to consultants. It even suggests how to use consultants as a creative resource!» Jeanne G. Jacob, CAE, CFRE, Executive Director Goodwin House Foundation