Hot off the presses!

BUY IT FOR YOUR BOARD TODAY! Thank you!.

Gayle’s newest book was just released by Emerson and Church, publishers of Contributions Magazine.

It’s an updated version of How are we Doing? her one-hour read to help your board start a conversation about its own effectiveness.

We’ll be sharing excerpts from chapters in future blogs. Meanwhile, here’s what the publisher said:

A high-performing, diligent board that takes its responsibilities seriously is the Holy Grail of nearly every nonprofit in the U.S. Such a board means more money raised, swifter policy decisions, steady governance, and less ibuprofen for the CEO.

But can you realistically get there from here? Can you put your average or good board on the road to greatness? Indeed you can, says Gayle Gifford in How to Make Your Board Dramatically More Effective, Starting Today. And you’re closer than you think.

Gifford’s approach is ingenious. She doesn’t lecture, doesn’t scold, doesn’t harangue. Instead she challenges your board to transform itself by answering a series of trenchant questions. Here’s a sampling:

• How well do we know our community’s needs?
• Do we know if our programs are having an impact?
• Have we given our CEO the necessary support?
• Have we decided the board’s role in fundraising?
• Do our committees improve the functioning of our board?
• Does our board govern and resist the temptation to manage?
• Is our relationship with staff what it should be?