Welcome to the Board

Foreword xi
Preface xiii
The Author xix
Part I: Board Membership in Perspective 1
1 On Joining a Board 3
2 The Qualities of a Good Board Member 5
3 What You Should Know About the Law Governing Nonprofits 9
4 A Nonprofit is not a Business 13
Part II Board Member Responsibilities 21
5 Your Role as a Board Member 23
6 Attending Board Meetings 27
7 Defining the Mission and Strategic Planning 29
8 Choosing and Evaluating the Chief Executive 35
9 Assuring Financial Responsibility 41
10 Supporting and Overseeing Programs 47
11 Participating in Fundraising 51
12 Keeping the Board Effective 63
Part III: Board Members and Boards 67
13 Board Organization and Procedures 69
14 Rights, Obligations, and Liabilities of Board Members 77
15 Leadership: Every Board Member Has a Role 85
Resources 89
A A Donor Bill of Rights 91
B The Council of Better Business Bureaus' Standards for Charitable Solicitations 93
C National Charities Information Bureau's Standards in Philanthropy 101
References 111
Index 113

FISHER HOWE is a former Foreign Service officer and a consultant for nonprofit organizations with LavAnder/Howe & Associates in Washington, D.C. He has served as assistant dean and executive director at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and director of institutional relations for Resources for the Future. Howe is the author of The Board Member's Guide to Fund Raising (Jossey-Bass, 1991).