Public Policy Subject Guide — Nonprofit Leadership

Over the last 30 years nonprofit organizations have grown massively in capacity, scope, and authority across the world. With growing demand for services, there are numerous opportunities for nonprofits to respond innovatively and sustainably. Any experienced nonprofit manager knows the role is sometimes frustrating but always exhilarating, working with people and empowering them. Severe funding cuts make this more testing, but new prospects are appearing. If you are new to management or the sector, you need a book describing good practice to inform and guide you. Managing a small nonprofit, requires you to multitask, manage your time and prioritize tasks, while taking on extra responsibilities, you need new skills such as fundraising, all covered in this book. This book covers essential aspects (staffing, communications, charity governance, donations, corporate social responsibility, crowdfunding). With useful case studies, resources and links, it avoids jargon and intellectualizing. Topics include effective business planning, empowering staff and clients, writing successful fundraising applications and preparing government tenders for the U.S. and UK. Don used his experience as a nonprofit manager, volunteer, staffer, fundraiser, community fund overseer, trustee and consultant to make the book relevant, topical and helpful.

The United States today supports the strongest, most varied nonprofit sector in the world, an economic force of about $2 trillion, responsible for 5.4% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product in 2014, and accounting that year for 10.3% of the country's private-sector workforce. Roughly three-quarters of all households in America give to charity, with the average total donation being $2,030 annually. Yet for all this, few Americans, and more specifically, a surprisingly small proportion of the sector's practitioners, know where the nonprofit sector came from, or how it developed and came to be what we know it as today. This work is a historical overview of that sector, presented less as a chronology than as a discussion of the major influences--some legal, some social, some political--that helped shape the arena. The core message of the book is that the developmental trajectory of nonprofits has not been a straight line. Rather, its path over the years might be compared to that of a pinball, moving straight and building up momentum for a time, but then ricocheting off some event or social trend and taking off in a new direction altogether. Equally important, however, the sector is also the product of a founding genome that came out of colonial, Puritan-inspired New England and spread as that culture and its values became one of the dominant forces in American society. Knowing this history is a prerequisite for understanding and appreciating the character of this deeply influential part of American social culture.

Nonprofits and the social sectors are taking on an increasing share of the world's most vital work. Make sure your organization is ready for the challenge. If you read nothing else on nonprofits and the social sectors, read these 10 articles. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you align your organization's mission and strategy, deliver immediate impact, and create lasting change. This book will inspire you to: Choose the right problem to solve Understand when the best practices of for-profits don't apply Assemble an engaged and goal-driven board of directors Make the most of for-profit initiatives and corporate partnerships Drive demand, scale up, and be ready to change course Learn from the success stories of the world's most respected nonprofit leaders This collection of articles includes "Lofty Missions, Down-to-Earth Plans," by V. Kasturi Rangan; "What Business Can Learn from Nonprofits," by Peter F. Drucker; "Life's Work: An Interview with Desmond Tutu"; "Are You Solving the Right Problem?" by Dwayne Spradlin; "Life's Work: An Interview with George Mitchell"; "Enterprising Nonprofits," by J. Gregory Dees; "Life's Work: An Interview with Wynton Marsalis"; "State Street's CEO on Creating Employment for At-Risk Youths," by Joseph Hooley; "Life's Work: An Interview with Salman Khan"; "Do Better at Doing Good," by V. Kasturi Rangan, Sohel Karim, and Sheryl K. Sandberg; "AEI's President on Measuring the Impact of Ideas," by Arthur C. Brooks; "Life's Work: An Interview with Michelle Bachelet"; "The New Work of the Nonprofit Board," by Barbara E. Taylor, Richard P. Chait, and Thomas P. Holland; "Life's Work: An Interview with Bill T. Jones"; "Reaching the World's Poorest Consumers," by Muhammad Yunus, Frederic Dalsace, David Menasce, and Benedicte Faivre-Tavignot; "Life's Work: An Interview with Muhammad Yunus"; and "Audacious Philanthropy: Lessons from 15 World-Changing Initiatives," by Susan Wolf Ditkoff and Abe Grindle.

An expansive discussion of the most current scholarship, theory, and best-practices in the field of nonprofit leadership and management In the newly revised fifth edition of The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management, veteran nonprofit leader and researcher Dr. David Renz, along with co-authors Fredrik Andresson and William Brown, deliver a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the research, theory, and practices influencing contemporary nonprofit organizations. The book contains a particular focus on the unique challenges confronting all modern nonprofit leaders, including the concept of accountability and the pressure to demonstrate concrete outcomes and results during a time of extreme economic challenge. The editor includes original contributions from 28 of the sector's leading voices, on everything from the institutional context in which nonprofits operate to the effective recruitment, selection, retention, and management of staff and volunteers. You'll also discover: Substantial updates and revisions to rapidly evolving subjects, including diversity, equity, and inclusion at nonprofits, social entrepreneurship, and financial leadership Expansive exploration of the transformed political-legal climate and context in which nonprofits operate In-depth consideration of the management of relationships with internal and external stakeholders and constituents Perfect for leaders, educators, researchers, managers, and students of contemporary nonprofit leadership and management, The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management is an invaluable, one-stop resource for sitting board members and engaged volunteers at forward-looking nonprofit organizations.

Practical strategies for ensuring leadership success within nonprofit organizations In Managing and Leading Nonprofit Organizations: A Framework For Success, veteran senior leader and CEO Paul L. Dann, PhD, draws on over 30 years of developing and advancing nonprofits to walk you through practical strategies that support success as a nonprofit leader. The book is filled with universally applicable examples of how to implement its leadership techniques. Leaders working in a variety of sectors will benefit from the author's careful balance of theory and practice. In the book, they'll also find: How to choose a leadership style that suits your personality, the people you work with, and your organization How to engage in the co-creation of leadership through generative leadership practice, including the development of an organizational philosophy, practice, and structure How to manage employee performance and engagement and how to choose successful management systems to leverage success Ideal for practicing and aspiring nonprofit organization managers, board members, and directors, Managing and Leading Nonprofit Organizations: A Framework For Success is an indispensable, one-stop resource for the development and deployment of leadership skills in challenging as well as complex nonprofit environments.

Nonprofit Law provides lawyers who represent nonprofit organizations with basic information and guidance on legal issues that commonly arise for nonprofits. It provides an overview of the law with regard to particular issues with limited statutory and regulatory citations. This resource covers the formation, tax, governance, and documentation, as well as other areas including mergers and sale of assets of nonprofits, and dissolution of nonprofits. For lawyers who need a quick reference, this guide: - Reviews some basic questions an attorney should ask a client when advising on nonprofit issues, whether the attorney is asked to help form a new nonprofit corporation or advise on some other nonprofit matter- Addresses issues relating to formation and describes important documents that are part of the formation process, including articles of incorporation and bylaws- Discusses taxation issues with a focus on the types of federal tax exemptions that are available under the Internal Revenue Code- Addresses governance matters and describes the individuals involved in the governance of a nonprofit corporation as well as the fiduciary duties imposed on the board of directors- Focuses on other matters that often arise in representation of a nonprofit and includes discussion on subsidiaries of nonprofits, the merger, sale of assets and other entity combinations involving nonprofits, and dissolution of nonprofits- And much moreThe appendices include a checklist for articles of incorporation and bylaws, a list of tax exemptions under the Internal Revenue Code, as well as resource materials that can provide more detailed information on the subject matter.

Recent decades have seen a significant transformation of the not-for-profit (NFP) sector. This includes rise in the number of organisations and people employed, shift from charities and philanthropic agencies to hybrid social enterprise business models, competing stakeholder interests and increasing expectations regarding accountability and transparency. The role of NFPs has also become more complex ¿ they not only serve the disadvantaged and fulfil social needs but also actively advocate for and implement public policies and promote social and economic inclusion. The growth and complexity has brought with it a need for innovative and entrepreneurial approaches to leadership that stems from an in-depth understanding of the changing nonprofit landscape. Addressing this need, for Not for Profits and Social Enterprises will help readers navigate extant challenges by drawing on conceptual literature, both theoretical and empirical and emphasising practical real world experience through case studies and vignettes The key aim of this book is to help existing and future NFP leaders at all organisational levels to support their organisations and employees and in turn clients and communities, through theoretical insights and practical approaches by focusing on transformational leadership aspects for contemporary Not for Profits. for Not for Profits and Social Enterprises is key reading for researchers, academics and policy makers in the areas of Non-profit Management, Leadership, Public Sector Management and Charity Management as well as related disciplines such as Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship.

"There are no easy solutions to the complexities faced by nonprofit leaders and managers. This textbook addresses the governance, leadership, and management functions of the thousands of organizations in the nonprofit sector that provide an enormous range of services. This thoroughly revised fourth edition of Understanding Nonprofit Organizations does not simply recount and summarize seminal literature; it presents 22 of the most important and informative articles, chapters, and essays written about the workings of nonprofit organizations, alongside 18 case studies that illustrate the complex governing, leading, and managing issues raised in the chapters. The introductions that open each of the sections explore important issues and concepts, provide context, and explain what students should be looking for as they read each of the chapters. Each section introduction has been extensively rewritten or updated to address recent movements and changes in the nonprofit field, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on all aspects of nonprofit organizations functions and ability to raise funds, increasing social and political divides within countries and communities, the gains and problems that have arisen with dramatic expansion of social media, and the need for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in our organizations and our society. Understanding Nonprofit Organizations provides a cohesive set of relevant readings for a course on nonprofit organizations and management, and instructors and students will appreciate the original case studies that parallel the major themes presented. The book is also designed for individuals who are hoping or planning to move into paid or voluntary leadership and management positions in nonprofit organizations - as well as for those already involved with nonprofits seeking to improve their skills and understanding of their chosen field"--