July 26, 2001 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Strategic Board: The Step-by-Step Guide to High-Impact Governance
by Mark Light
In an ideal world, a nonprofit board would be “visionary about the future, explicit in delegating that future into the present, clear about the tasks that must be executed today, and disciplined about monitoring performance,” writes Mark Light.
But the challenges to nonprofit boards are formidable, writes Mr. Light, president, of the Victoria Theatre Association, in Dayton, Ohio. Boards face at least one, but sometimes several, of the following problems: limited time to accomplish tasks, uneven knowledge of the organization, uncertainty about proper board size and composition, lack of accountability for board performance, inability to provide consistent leadership because of changing membership, and the need to work with inexperienced executive directors.
The best method, Mr. Light suggests, is to design a program that works within those constraints. He aims to create a simple plan that will help nonprofit boards set overall strategies, carry out strategic plans, and monitor progress. A successful board, he says, will ask four vital questions: Where should the organization “go tomorrow”? Who should be responsible? What should be done today? Was the goal accomplished?
The book contains forms, checklists, agendas, group-management techniques, and real-life examples from Mr. Light’s work.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 1 Wiley Drive, Somerset, N.J. 08875; (800) 225-5945; fax (800) 597-3299; http://www.wiley.com; 245 pages; $29.95; I.S.B.N. 0-471-40358-X.
