Ten books you might think about reading if you work in nonprofit organizations

What I am discovering the more I do "board" work is that it is somewhat surprising that any non-profit organization survives. We all do good work but most of us who serve on boards are not as effective as we might/should be and most programs for stewarding our constituents are at best, inadequate. As I move toward that final day at Goddard College, I prepared a bibliography for those of you who may have any interest at all. Here are my top fifteen in alphabetical order rather than in order of importance.
Annotated Bibliography
1. Tom Ahern T. (2007) Raising More Money with Newsletters than You Ever Thought Possible, Medfield MA, Emerson and Church.
An unlikely title to find on a serious annotated bibliography, but this small book offers more practical and effective advice for successful fundraising than many texts with more serious academic titles and authors, especially as relates to using media as a means to achieve fundraising goals. Ahern includes advice on everything from format to content to targeted prospects. Best of all, his suggestions work quickly for real world nonprofits.

2. Bartkowski, J and H. Regis (2003) Charitable Choices: Religion, Race, and Poverty in the Post-Welfare Era, New York, New York University.
For those who have witnessed the shift from government responsibility to a “faith based partnership” in the provision of social services in the United States, this book provides an objective look at the “Charitable Choice Act.” It details the historical context of such a shift as well as the problems on both sides for such an economic expedient. Although the study focuses on the social and cultural impacts in Mississippi, there is much to extrapolate here for not only the United States, but the world.

3. Block, S. (2004) Why Nonprofits Fail, San Francisco, CA Jossey Bass.
Both practical and pragmatic, Why Nonprofits Fail describes the most common pitfalls for nonprofit organizations and offers strategies for recovery. Block uses examples from real world organizations to validate his observations and solutions. Although the solutions are useful, perhaps most useful is the knowledge that dysfunctional nonprofits are not unique to the reader. It makes it a lot easier to admit to the problem and to begin to work toward resolution.

4. P. Burk, (2003) Donor Centered Fundraising, Chicago, IL, Cygnus Applied Research.
Penelope Burk didn’t intuit why donors support the non-profit organizations they do, she studied and validated her research in a large sample of Canadian citizens. By doing so, she offers advancement and development professionals some of the first solid research in the field of donor attitudes. The reader understands from Burk’s book that there is a difference between an organization’s needs and what a donor needs to support the organization. By basing fundraising activities and stewardship on the donor, the organization has a foundation of practices for more sustainable fundraising.

5. Carver, J. (1997) Boards That Make a Difference: A New Design for Leadership in Nonprofit and Public Organizations. 2nd edition. San Francisco, CA, Jossey Bass.
Chief Executive Officers and members of Governing Boards who seek continuous improvement of the work they do should begin with the books by Carver. By separating the work of the CEO (means) and the Board (ends) he describes a framework for keeping roles straight and organizational focus on appropriate goals and strategy, ultimately resulting in a more sustainable future for the organization. This simplified and understandable structure for governance allows both CEO and board clarity of purpose.

6. Christensen, C. (2003) The Innovator’s Dilemma, New York, Collins Business Essentials.
What does it take to make quantum leaps in organizational change? ‘Disruptive Innovation’ is what Christensen terms a shift in thinking from using the same answers when one should be developing a new set of questions. This business classic details examples of innovations in industry that succeeded because they disrupted ‘business as usual.’ It’s an easy extrapolation from examples used in this book to the kind of thinking required to go beyond incremental shifts in social change.

7. Cooperrider, D. and Whitney D. (2005) Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change, San Francisco, CA, Berrett-Koehier.
Commonly one may approach interventions for organizational dysfunction with negative observations. Appreciative inquiry as a tool for solving problems may be best described as beginning to teach someone to build a boat by first motivating them to yearn for the sea. Cooperrider and Whitney believe that inquiry is change and if that inquiry is positive, i.e. appreciative, change is more likely to be both lasting and positive. Practical application of appreciative inquiry is also much less stressful for those of us who are somewhat conflict averse.

8. Ellerman, D. (2008) Helping People Help Themselves: From the World Bank to an Alternative Philosophy of Development Assistance, Ann Arbor MI, The University of Michigan Press.
Ellerman focuses on the deepest layer of economic life: The cultural values that determine the institutions that support the economy. His hypothesis is that in order for change to be sustainable, it must come from those within who are changing—not donors or nonprofit leaders. The premise seems obvious but Ellerman presents his argument with such clarity that the potential relationships between industrialized and other countries can be easily understood, at its best and at its worst. He also suggests constructive paths on which to travel the rocky road of “helping” in underdeveloped countries.

9. Hofstede G. and Hofstede G.J. (2005) Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, New York, McGraw-Hill.
This book is a fascinating study of cultural norms in which the authors interviewed thousands of people in dozens of countries who were employed by IBM, a methodology that allowed for a more controlled look at fine distinctions and differences, even in countries where language and geography are similar. Hofstede and Hofstede’s interpretation of the data provide organizing principles for thinking about not only culture, but its consequences. This text is a classic and should be read by anyone working or studying in a culture not his or her own.

10. McCarthy, K.D. (ed) (1990) Lady Bountiful Revisited: Women, Philanthropy and Power, New Brunswick NJ, Rutgers University Press.
This collection of essays on the history of women’s philanthropy illuminates how women have used philanthropy to create social change in a culture that has allowed them few avenues to do so. What strikes the reader most is that despite cultural, economic and political barriers, women have been at the forefront of social justice issues in the United States and Europe at least since recorded history.

11. McIntosh G. and Rima S. (2007) Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: How to Become an Effective Leader by Confronting Potential Failures. Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Books.
The strength of this book is not in its title, but in the examples that assist the reader in understanding that what makes some leaders great also leads to their undoing. For those seeking to go beyond evaluation to assist with both personal and leadership growth, Mc Intosh and Rima offer some very important insights. It is especially useful in dealing with people of faith who may be wrestling with the fine line between their inner demons and divine direction.

12. McLaughlin, T. and Backlund A. (2008) Beyond Founder’s Syndrome: Moving to Nonprofit Success, Washington D.C., BoardSource.
Founders are unique in terms of their roles in organizations which offer idiosyncratic opportunities and challenges for the sustainability of a nonprofit organization. These challenges and opportunities are ably addressed in this book, which also provides suggestions for both avoiding and repairing founders’ syndrome, a dysfunction of non-profit organizations in which the founders fail to allow for or provide for succession or shared responsibility.

13. Principles and Techniques of Fundraising (2007 edition), The Big Red Book, The Fundraising School, The Center on Philanthropy, University of Indiana Fundraising School, Indianapolis, IN.
The only way to acquire this book legitimately is to enroll in the University of Indian Fundraising School basic course, which is worth it if only to have the book. It is a compendium of everything anybody might need to know about fundraising and includes hundreds of resources on dozens of related topics. Anyone involved in nonprofit organizations should have a copy, whether staff or volunteer.

14. Riggio R and Orr S.S. (2004) Improving Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations, San Francisco, CA, Jossey Bass.
Passion alone does not make for an effective non-profit organization. Riggio and Orr have written a book well-grounded in theory, research and practice that provides a comprehensive resource for both boards and CEO’s who wish to lead social change. Not just another management book, this one truly focuses on such important issues as the moral dynamics of charity and effective strategies for the twenty-first century.

15. Senge, P. Scharmer, C. O. Jaworksi J. Flowers B. (2005) Presence: Exploring Profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society, New York, Doubleday.
“Presence” is a concept adapted by Senge, Scharmer, Jaworkski and Flowers who write that the whole is entirely present in any of its parts. When problem solving we tend to think of individual parts (or issues) rather than seeing the greater whole. Solving difficult problems requires a new way of thinking that encourages deeper levels of learning for more complete awareness. Too often, the authors write, we remain stuck in old patterns of seeing and acting. This books details a methodology for a method that encourages new ways of seeing and discovering new possibilities for problem solving. Given the complexity of today’s problems, new ways of finding solutions are invaluable.