December 11, 2003 | Read Time: 1 minute
Capacity Building for Nonprofits
edited by David J. Kinsey, J. Russell Baker III, and Lilya D. Wagner
This summer 2003 installment of the quarterly series New Directions for Philanthropic Fundraising discusses how nonprofit groups can strengthen their organizational structures to make their work more effective.
David J. Kinsey and J. Russell Baker III, both fund raisers at Loma Linda University and Medical Center, in California, and Lilya D. Wagner, associate director of public service at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, in Indianapolis, compiled essays on how different types of nonprofit organizations—including arts, health, and international groups—can evaluate how efficiently they run their operations, and monitor and improve the quality of their services.
The authors caution that making lasting improvements often entails overcoming hurdles, including a tendency among donors to earmark contributions for specific programs, and the reluctance of some charity directors to divert funds from the delivery of services to support administrative expenses. Successful nonprofit managers, say the authors, are able to step back from the daily operations of a group to consider how to strengthen its overall financial situation and how best to carry out its mission.
The book includes chapters that focus on programs to help arts groups attract larger audiences, consortiums that allow higher-education institutions to offer a wide range of classes and facilities, and educational programs to teach church leaders how to encourage religious giving.
Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94103-1741; (888) 378-2537; fax (888) 481-2665; http://www.josseybass.com; 118 pages; $28; I.S.B.N. 0-7879-7205-3.
