Building Successful Relationships Between Boards and Nonprofit Managers

The Nonprofit Leadership Team
by Fisher Howe

This book focuses on the relationship between nonprofit executives, board members, and board chairs and how these leaders can best work together to fulfill their group’s mission. Fisher Howe, a principal at Lavender/Howe and Associates, a Washington consulting company that works with nonprofit groups, discusses the qualities of a leader, how board members and charity directors can tackle managing and governing, and special challenges facing charity leaders.

Mr. Howe begins by describing what boards should expect of executives, and executives of boards, and what both executives and other board members should expect of board chairmen. He includes a list of attributes that people in each of those categories should possess. Mr. Howe also delineates the duties of boards and executives and gives advice on how to carry out those responsibilities. For example, the book provides suggestions designed to help board members hire and evaluate executives. The author also discusses some of the problems that can occur and gives tips for avoiding them.

The last section features challenges that nonprofit organizations face. Mr. Howe gives advice on how charities can conduct program assessments, use information technology effectively, and work with consultants. He also discusses “venture philanthropy” and how foundation efforts to strengthen the management of nonprofit organizations affect nonprofit boards.

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94103-1741; (317) 572-3986 or (800) 956-7739; fax (317) 572-4002; http://www.josseybass.com; 224 pages; $32; I.S.B.N. 0-7879-5950-2.