Wisdom on EVERY Page!

I just finished Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom. This is the best "one stop" book on great nonprofit governance that I’ve seen! I would strongly urge every nonprofit board to consider this book a regular part of each board meeting. Take the advice of Chapter 39 and "Invest" 10 minutes for governance "in every meeting" and use THIS BOOK as the lesson guide. If you want to make your nonprofit truly great and truly sustainable, then you MUST invest in building a great board. This book will get you lightyears ahead of most! Guaranteed!

Michael Pate

Timeless Truths for Board Members

Lessons from the Nonprofit Boardroom is FULL of rich wisdom, easy application and timeless truths for board members. I am already looking forward to More Lessons from the Nonprofit Boardroom.

Holly M. Duncan, M.Ed., LPC
Parkridge
Lubbock, Texas

One of the best yet

Of the 100+ books on nonprofit governance, I easily would place this in the top 10%. Readable. Practical. Applicable. It is equally useful for board members and nonprofit CEOs. If you can't find at least ten great best practices in this well-written and designed book, you aren't reading. Also, a nice gift to friends serving on boards. I've purchased several for that purpose.

Bob A.

This is an amazing book for nonprofit governance - the best I've read

This is an amazing book for nonprofit governance - the best I've read. It is particularly relevant to faith-based organizations. The insights are practical, penetrating, and wise. Can't say enough good about it. EVERY nonprofit and almost every church board should read it.

Daniel C.

Good Supplemental Book for Board Members

This is a book you can read in one sitting (as I did) or nibble on chapter by chapter for all 40 chapters over the course of six weeks. It is quite literally a beautiful book: the paper quality of the pages, the hard binding, the clever picture on the book cover all symbolize the care that went into the making of this book. The target audience is board members of 501(c)(3) religious nonprofits, and the main message is that board members of Christian ministries should be leaders who engage in high level spiritual discernment. The book repeatedly emphasizes the importance of prayer, preparation, and the crucial act of learning how to listen.

This is not a technical book. There are no guidelines to Robert's Rules Of Order, no introductory descriptions of what a nonprofit is, and no lessons on how to read a financial spreadsheet.

Rather, the book is true to its title: It's a compilation of lessons learned. The book itself is a mentor that wants to help board mentees avoid problems. The warnings in the book are worth the price (e.g. having a board policy in place regarding what kinds of gifts are received, and of voting on the right kind of person to be board chair, and for potential board members to "date" the board before joining it officially as a voting member.)

Both authors, Dan Busby and John Pearson, bring a wealth of practical experience to this volume. They address subjects as varied as the need to eliminate typos in board-produced documents, the need to eliminate board members who don't fit, and the need to be humble and gentle even as tough decisions are being made. Generously they allude to authors of other books, and throughout the book they appear to take pains to be vulnerable and honest, not grandiose. Their tone is strikingly modest.

As for my critique, I won't say much because this book does not aim to cover the gamut. As I said before, the book delivers what it promises to deliver. I will say, however, that the difference is much greater than this books lets on between being a competent secular board and a competent board that operates in accordance to authentic Christianity. The book's greatest weakness, in my view, is its lack of theological depth.

Still, I recommend it. I'm glad to have invested in purchasing and reading it and taking time (of my own accord) to review it. If all boards would prioritize integrity and prayer, as this book says to do, most nonprofits would far outdo themselves.

Respectfully submitted by Sarah Sumner
President, Right On Mission
-Sarah Summer