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Govern More, Manage Less: Harnessing the Power of Your Nonprofit Board, Second Edition

Author: Cathy A. Trower
ISBN: 9781586861193

$40.00 inc. GST
Boards should primarily govern and not manage. As many nonprofit board members and chief executives know, this is more easily said than done, is simpler in theory than in practice. Though nonprofit leaders may agree in principle, they often are confused, tense, and have differences of opinion about the appropriate spheres of influence and responsibilities of boards and executives.

That's because effective governance is a balancing act between procedural accountability – assurance that an organization is in compliance with legal and regulatory provisions – and performance accountability – how an organization is achieving its mission.

In Govern More, Manage Less, author Cathy Trower suggests actions that will help boards balance their responsibilities and understand how to practice macrogovernance and avoid micromanagement, despite increasing demands for procedural accountability. She provides guidance on how to shift the board's central focus from management to governance, from compliance to performance.

This must-have resource addresses when and how the board should engage and on what issues.
You'll learn:
  • the roles of the board and chief executive in governing and managing
  • what micromanagement is, why it happens, and what can be done about it
  • what events are catalysts for the board overstepping its role and micromanaging
  • the advantages of being a board that governs rather than manages
  • the six characteristics of effective boards

The book is designed for chief executives and board members interested in raising the board's sights and its strategic value to the organization.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1
    Definitions  1
    The Impact of Sarbanes-Oxley on Nonprofit Governance  2
    Effective Governance as Balancing Act  3
    What’s Ahead in This Book  4

CHAPTER 1: WHY SOME BOARDS MANAGE MORE THAN GOVERN  5
    Reasons Boards Manage  5
    Chief Executive Issues That May Lead the Board to Manage  8
    What Can the Chief Executive Do?  9
    What Is Not Micromanagement?  9

CHAPTER 2: THE EFFECT OF ORGANIZATIONAL EVENTS IN BLURRING THE LINE OF DUTIES  11
    Chief Executive Transition  11
    Strategic Planning  12
    Times of Crisis  14

CHAPTER 3: THE ROLE OF THE BOARD IN GOVERNING  17
    Create Clear Expectations for the Board  18
    Create Clear Expectations for the Chief Executive  19
    Structure Meetings to Direct the Board’s Attention to Matters of Policy and Strategy  21
    Collect Feedback on the Board’s Performance  22

CHAPTER 4: THE ROLE OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE  25

CHAPTER 5: A BOARD THAT MACROGOVERNS IS A STRATEGIC ASSET  29
    Six Characteristics of Effective Boards  30

SUGGESTED RESOURCES  37
ABOUT THE AUTHOR  41


 

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