Organizations Books

I work for a not-for-profit organization that has increased its non-US activity (as measured by revenue) by 150% in the last 10 years. Four years ago, we began considering the governance and operational implications of this change. Going Global for the Greater Good was one of the key tools we used to orient member leaders, managers and staff to what such change really entails. Her continuum, "The Six Stages of International Engagement," helped us understand where we were and to what we aspire. We were on the edge between levels 4 and 5 at that point. As a result of our work, informed by this book, we've brought in new member leaders from outside the US, added technical infrastructure in Europe, and continue to increase our non-US activity every year. A major change being contemplated in our governance structure this year (April and May 2008) could take us to the cusp of level 6.

Nonprofits considering expanding into the global arena are often overwhelmed by the complexities and sensitivities involved. Koenig's book breaks the process into practical steps for integrating global considerations into all the strategic directions and goals of the organization. It is realistic about the challenges but optimistic about possibilities. Useful features include bibliographies, an excellent index and case studies of global efforts by organizations. The book cannot be compared to any others I know of because there aren't any others. Koenig has filled a gap and filled it well.

The practical advice and examples from a variety of organizations both large and small are balanced with clear explanations of the principles as well as the personal and organizational challenges of action on the global stage. This sort of activism is not easy and Bonnie Koenig's insights are very helpful. Eve Sullivan, PARENTS FORUM®

As someone who spent many years working or volunteering in multinational organizations and who cares deeply about international issues, I found the book to be an excellent primer for a nonprofit thinking about entering or deepening its international engagement. I truly believe that it is essential for every nonprofit to become more aware of its role in the global community. This book can get your nonprofit started.
While most of the examples are from US nonprofits, in the spirit of the book, the author also includes examples from other countries.

You might be surprised at the nonprofits that already have benefited from international connections, such as Chicago's StreetWise, Boston-headquartered City Year, or the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

The book is easy reading and raises issues that any nonprofit will need to consider as it deepens its international involvement. It gives very helpful examples of other nonprofits that have addressed some of those issues. It is not in the scope of the book to give detailed answers to every question - for example, the mechanics of fundraising in other countries.

Of particular usefulness is the author's attention to both strategic and practical advice for nonprofits going international - from big picture issues such as organizational structure to more mundane but essential challenges such as setting up phone meetings across international time zones. The book is particularly good at highlighting cross-cultural communication considerations. Ms. Koenig's 20 years of experience working with local, national and international nonprofits, and her time spent living abroad, clearly show through.

Good Governance for Nonprofits takes the somewhat confusing ingredients of board governances and puts it into simple, real, applicable terms. A must read for anyone serving or managing a nonprofit board.

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Having served on a number of nonprofit boards this book describes very precisely how more management organization and thinking can assist those with "good intentions" who often serve on nonprofit boards and probably should not. It should be a book given to all new directors invited to join the board. Given a more structured look, nonprofits will find that they cannot continue with "it's his/her time to be on the board". The annual affirmation statement of board members should be a must for all directors as it brings a focus to why they are there and what is expected.The ideas and suggestions in the book are applicable to nonprofits of every size. While a good portion of the book is obvious and reasonable, it is unfortunate that the obvious is not always practiced by more well intentioned board members. Bringing a longer term strategic focus can only assist an organization in building a more successful future.

This is a readable and USEFUL book for all non-profits. The principles are solid and are adaptable to organizations at any and all stages of growth and development. The authors encourage the quest for good governance as a journey for the board to take together. Their willingness to share their many significant handouts is appreciated for it not only saves work to re-create them but they are a representation of the authors' learning discovery and wisdom. I highly commend it to all who work with non-profits.

This is a practical "add-water-and-stir" book with everything you need for developing a Board Policy Manual. I am recommending it to all of my nonprofit clients.

Proven Strategies Professional Use to Make Their Proposals Work is the rare book that delivers what it promises. It looks under the hood and tweaks the writing process in an insightful and cogent way. From developing a strategic approach, to researching to establish need, to using logic models to develop your grant application, to thinking through your evaluation plan, and using your budget to tell your story -- all the grant development building blocks are here in useful detail. Michael Wells has gifted the reader with street smarts and soul. My two thumbs are way up!

It is rare to find a book directed towards the experienced professional. The logic model section is especially helpful for planning more complicated applications including those to federal agencies. I found the information thorough, well presented, and usable, which is refreshing in a book about writing grant applications. I also found the case study exceptional. Seeing a winning proposal is always helpful but seeing the thought process behind the writing is a great way to get the point across. No matter how long you have been writing grant proposals, you can always learn more. This book gives excellent insight into today's funding world.

Michael Well's book is an excellent resource for grant professionals who have moved beyond the basics and are interested in expanding their knowledge and professional skills.

Michael has been actively involved as a leader in the developing grants profession, and his many years of professionalism and experience are evident in this work. He covers a wide range of topics that are faced when developing grant proposals, as well as managing and tracking grants. Further, he offers excellent real-life examples and samples.

I especially found the section on developing logic models to be useful. This is an area of grant proposals that many grantwriters handle poorly, and Michael has provided clear guidance and excellent examples that will help developing grant professionals take their work to the next level.

I would definitely recommend it to grant professionals interested in moving behind "Grantsmanship 101."

Although the title says that this book is to cover "Beyond the Basics," it will also serve as a good primer checklist to tell you what you need to get started. It begins with a general discussion on the rising number of nonprofits that are seeking grants from the rising number of granting organizations.

From there it goes into what it takes to make your grant fit what the grantor is looking for. It lightly covers each point of grant seeking including mundane things like accounting/budgets and the impact of various laws and IRS rulings like Sarbanes-Oxley. It also goes into what the reader is going to be looking for such as how the grant will be managed, why the foundation doesn't like to fund adminstration, operating costs and endowments, and other points.

Perhaps the most important part of the book is its discussion of where to go for more information on nearly every aspect of the grantwriting project. Many of these are web related at no cost, others such as the authors favorite books on grant writing have fairly nominal costs.

Reading "Guiding Growth" has been a joy - finally a practical book about vision. Like Lipton, I was suspicious about the whole vision industry, but his book has helped to look at the concept in a different light.
The distinction between the 3 principles - raison d'etre, strategy and values is most insightful (especially since raison d'etre and strategy are often mixed up).
Despite all good intentions, the reality is that the vision process often ends with the communication of a vision statement. Lipton shows how the real impact can go far beyond just an energising event: it is pivotal in guiding and sustaining growth.

In my own experience vision is often treated with more suspicion in Europe than in the US. Lipton's book, however, is as valuable for those who are in charge of building or changing an organisation in the US as in Europe (or any other part of the world) - Guiding Growth goes beyond the hype. It asks some tough questions and invites you to think about how you can unlock the wholehearted commitment of your workforce by providing meaning to the existence of the organization. A must.

I was the founder and CEO of a small software company ..., and was approached by a much larger technology company ... . After making an acquisition offer I could not refuse, I sold my business to them and agreed to run it for four years.

If only we had read this book about using vision to guide growth during our transition. Ultimately, the acquisition failed within two years for the buyer. This book offers three components of a well-developed organizational vision: raison d'etre, strategy and values. The buying company never took the time to go beyond a "bumper sticker" for a vision statement. Although it did seem on track with my company's reason for being, there was never an agreement on the strategy. The tension and disagreement (not to mention the time taken) related to these differences effectively crippled my previously highly motivated and productive staff. The key values of the two companies could not have been more different. The centerpiece of our values before acquisition involved doing whatever it took to make our customers happy-most of which had on-going consulting contracts with us. The executive from the buying company literally told my staff that this philosophy was both unnecessary and an expensive luxury.

This book struck a real chord with me because it made it so clear where the gaps were. It obviously would have taken more than a book to convince the buying company to think more carefully through their plan, but having it all documented could've made the upcoming potholes in the road more obvious. And if we had actually implemented an agreed vision, I am sure the business could have continued on its previous success.

The first half of the book lays out how vision is important and why it is not just another buzzword, but how it is a crucial element to grow a company. The second half gives more guidelines on the details of implementation. It took some patience to pull all the ideas together in Part I-it is much more conceptual than Part II-- but stick with it-its worth it. The anecdotes are great and the corresponding checklists and appendices give it a lot of substance. The second half is an easier read and filled with practical management advice-some related directly to vision and some just good solid management practice guidelines.

As a seller of my business, I was very successful. I would have preferred to make the buyer even more successful and watch my company flourish with their greater resources. This book came four years too late for me. I will certainly recommend it to current clients in my consulting practice and keep it handy for my next venture.

Yippee! No academic psycho-babble, overly complex diagrams, or overly simplistic management fables in this one. "Guiding Growth" is smart, witty, and engaging - a must-read for business leaders concerned about sustainable competitive advantage.

Lipton begins by admitting something few other professor/consultant/authors would ever dare: he was wrong. Convinced that the link between vision and growth was over-rated, that vision statements were just a passing fad, Lipton was surprised when his research proved exactly the opposite. Now, readers can reap the benefits of Lipton's change of heart. In "Guiding Growth," he leads us through the journey of understanding how valuable a clear vision can be when articulated and acted upon in a powerful way.

Mark Lipton's writing voice is passionate and profoundly personal. While this book is well-grounded in research and experience, it is Lipton's use of stories and metaphors that will have a long-lasting effect on you. Yes, he makes you think; more important, he makes you feel something in your heart and in your gut. It is this quality that sets this book apart from other business books.

Be forewarned: the feelings "Guiding Growth" provokes can be very uncomfortable at times. Throughout the early chapters, I stopped often to think and jot down notes about my own vision, my own raison d'etre, as Lipton raised "Why?" questions over and over again. By the end of Chapter 4, I was saying "Yes! Yes! Yes!" as the vision for my work became clearer. Reading Chapter 5 brought tears to my eyes as he described the strong connection between vision and deeply held values based on life experiences.

The second half of the book holds valuable advice for all business leaders: how to put that vision into action, overcome obstacles, and avoid pitfalls. Lipton's Vision Framework has been tried and tested - he proves his points with examples drawn from well-known companies.

Kudos to Mark Lipton for having the guts to publicly concede that he was wrong and for taking the time to share his lessons learned with us in this book. -- Cynthia C. Froggatt, author of "Work Naked: Eight Essential Principles for Peak Performance in the Virtual Workplace" (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2001), ...

Ah, corporate vision statements. Before reading Guiding Growth I did not put great faith in them. I, as the author, Mark Lipton, was not convinced of the power of corporate visions at the beginning of his research. Visioning to some extent has been a management fad that has come and gone. However Lipton's research finds that for companies who truly have a vision that helps their companies stretch and grow, and is deeply embedded in their organizations; the market returns are demonstrably better.

Vision, in Lipton's model is composed of three elements: raison d'être, strategy and values. In Guiding Growth Whole Foods Market is quoted as saying `our vision statement reflects the hope and intentions of many people. We do not believe it always accurately portrays the way things currently are at Whole Foods market so much as the way would like things to be. It is our dissatisfaction with the current reality, when compared with what is possible, that spurs us toward excellence and toward creating a better, company and world.' Strong stuff indeed. And in ManyWorlds' experience, for many companies the articulation of a vision is often based on their heritage, not to where they want to grow, and not what differentiates them.

Lipton also examines the role of executive groups (not teams) and the alignment of people processes with vision, to bring the vision alive, real and accountable. The book is as much about leadership and organizational culture as it is about growth and vision, which are of course the fruits and seeds of each other, within the organizational greenhouse. He writes, `Organizations rocketing through extended periods of growth. To succeed, they need a combination of all the right ingredients and they must be in near-perfect alignment. If one element is missing, or out of alignment, then the potential for failure rockets as well...all organization share the same need to have the right ingredients in place and to ensure they are aligned and that is what the executive group accomplishes through the vision framework.'

Peppered with examples from a range of companies and with deeper analysis of high-growth organizations such as Oakley, Lipton has done an excellent job of presenting both a visioning framework and insights into culture and leadership into a practical and usable work. Helpful lists of questions, checklists and exercises bring this already enthusiastic text to a more approachable and actionable level. Highly recommended for executives and managers from a variety of functional areas including business unit heads and `service lines' such as HR.

Apart from being a great book on working with RSS, this is a great Python book. The running theme in the book is extracting information and presenting it in RSS form. Since you have to get the information from somewhere the non-RSS code provides a wealth of documented examples that you can put use in your own projects. It's worth getting this book just for the code samples.

So if you are interested in getting started with Python or you are a competent Python hacker you will definitely learn something by reading the code and be able to add more tricks to your Python toolbox.

The book is very logically arranged into 3 parts. For using feeds, making feeds and mixing feeds. Most readers will probably deal with the first part and maybe the third part.

Using feeds is explained as being able to aggregate data from websites offering these using RSS or Atom methods. From which, you can see how to recast the output into HTML pages for your website. Or maybe send it to your mailbox. Actually and more realistically, to the mailboxes of those who visit your website and ask for this feed.

Orchard deliberately does not go much into the fine distinctions between the different and incompatible RSS standards. Or likewise with the various Atom formats. More technical books can discuss these points ad nauseum. But Orchard is aiming this text at a programmer who just wants to put together a news feed, and does not really care about lower level details.

Making a news feed is the second part of the book. Only a fraction of readers will head here. It's not easy to produce original content, after all.

The last part of the book is essentially an advanced continuation of the first part. You are shown how to embed higher level logic into processing the feeds. With an extensive example on using a Bayesian to try to identify news articles that might be of interest to your readership. Be aware that the Bayesian method is not perfect. Occasionally, you might get an incongruous article.

Definitely, Orchard has produced a nice programming book. (In Python.)

Often times there's information somewhere on the web that you want to use in your own computing. Perhaps you want to look at news stories and display the headlines of what's happening today with a link to the site of the story. In the early days of the web, when you wanted to do something like that you had to do it manually or do some kind of hard coding to parse the information you wanted out of the HTML. Tedious, and if they ever change their web page you're re-doing your code.

This is the problem that RSS/Atom are intended to fix. These are standards that, when followed, present the information from a site in a standardized manner that makes it easy to parse.

First, what this book is NOT. This book does not tell you all the details about how to put RSS/Atom information up on a site. Instead, this book is on taking the information from an RSS/Atom 'page' and getting into a form you can use.

The book is broken down into three parts: Consuming Feeds, Producing Feeds, Remixing Feeds. In each part the author programs a few simple applications to show you what can be done. The programming is in Python, the operating system he uses is Linux.

The only complaint I could make about this book is that it would help the newbie to have another chapter at the beginning that talked about some common feeds and the nature of the tags they use to encapsulate their data.

Rather than just read RSS feeds, would you like to *do stuff* with RSS and Atom? I received a copy of a really good book that goes beyond the nuts and bolts of RSS formatting... Hacking RSS and Atom by Leslie M. Orchard.

Contents:
Part 1 - Consuming Feeds: Getting Ready to Hack; Building a Simple Feed Aggregator; Routing Feeds to Your Email Inbox; Adding Feeds to Your Buddy List; Taking Your Feeds with You; Subscribing to Multimedia Content Feeds
Part 2 - Producing Feeds: Building a Simple Feed Producer; Taking the Edge Off Hosting Feeds; Scraping Web Sites to Produce Feeds; Monitoring Your Server with Feeds; Tracking Changes in Open Source Projects; Routing Your Email Inbox to Feeds; Web Services and Feeds
Part 3 - Remixing Feeds: Normalizing and Converting Feeds; Filtering and Sifting Feeds; Blending Feeds; Republishing Feeds; Extending Feeds
Part 4 - Implementing a Shared Feed Cache
Index

This book starts with the assumption that you either already understand all the details of RSS/Atom formatting, or that you're willing to learn the details on your own as you go. This is *not* a reference book on RSS standards. Rather, Orchard answers the question "what can you *do* with RSS that's cool and useful?". Using a series of projects, he starts to get you thinking about how you might use RSS technology in ways you haven't considered. For instance, having your log files report things via RSS feed could give you immediate notice of unusual situations. Or perhaps having RSS feeds go to your IM client would allow you to react quickly to news and information. The possibilities are endless, and Orchard does a good job in getting you to think.

The caveat here is that he assumes a particular software language and platform for building these hacks. Python is the language used, so this book would be most helpful if you already knew the language (or were willing to figure it out on the fly). Likewise, he writes for the Unix platform primarily. You can use Unix emulators like Cygwin to run Unix-like command in Windows, or you can mentally adapt the concepts to whatever hack you want to build. At first I was thinking that single focus might be a liability for the book. But after thinking about it, I don't think it's that bad. It maintains the focus on the hack instead of on how every different platform needs to be coded, hence the book is more concise. Also, his goal is to get you to hack and experiment, not to teach you a technology via a tutorial. Since hacking is experimenting, you may end up hacking these ideas on a couple of different fronts...

Excellent idea and application book... If you're interested in going beyond simple feed readers and building stuff for yourself, this is a definite purchase you want to check out...

I'm a massage therapist and used part of this book to study for the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCETMB). This book is really helpful for showing you how to take a client history. This book is needed because it shows you the legalities and proper way to run a massage business. Documenation protects you in cases of audits and also is a source for assessing the client's progress and contraindications. I also studied the following for the National Certification Exam:
The Ultimate Study Guide for the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Key Review Questions and Answers (Volume 1), (Volume 2), and (Volume 3)
(Author: Patrick Leonardi)
The last 3 books helped me to prepare for the type of questions encountered on the national certification examination. I highly recommend all 4 books. I passed the first time with the help of these books

Very thoroughly explains why to document manual therapies, professionalism, and how to document effectively. Diana Thompson has lots of experience and know-how to share!

Her first edition of "Hands Heal" was a collection of forms used for charting massage therapy sessions. When I saw the new book on the shelf being three times as thick as the first I thought "Oh my what more can be done with charting!" I now understand her obsession with charting. It is not just charting your sessions, but learning to communicate what you do, so the medical community and the public will begin to understand massage therapy as a healing modality. Communication starts with the therapeutic relationship with the client. Healing begins when the client becomes involved in the process. Then you can pass the information along to all parties involved - the lawyers, the doctors, whoever. If you document every treatment, you will be able to find out what is working and what is not with each individual. Documentation can assist you in builing your practice and support the massage profession as a whole. I particularly liked the section on ethics as she supports the idea of peer groups, mentoring and supervision as a means of development for the practitioner. I believe the future of the profession lies in those areas.
If you are a massage therapist in any state, this will guide you to a successful practice whether you are involved in billing insurance companies or not.

I've watched this book evolve over a number of versions. Each one gets better and better. Yes, at times Dianna Thompson appears obsessive but on the other hand, that's what makes it great. Recently I was asked to write a detailed case summary that will be used as evidence in a lawsuit for a client I saw over a year ago. My SOAP notes are what saved the day for me. Thanks Diana. This book is essential for anyone working in a therapeutic environment.

I have read this booked and really wished I had come across it earlier in my Masonic career. The author has provided us with an excellent and authoritative explanation of the esoteric meaning of Freemasonry, albeit from a Co-Masonic and Theosophic perspective. I will strongly recommend the book to all Master Masons and above who are desirous of having the true explanation of the esoteric meaning of Masonry, as well as its true origins in the Ancient Mysteries. Unfortunately it will not be as meaningful to a non-Mason who does not possess the Masonic keys to unlock the numerous abbreviated key words in the book. The book takes account of and drills deeper down than the equally excellent explanations provided in THE MEANING OF MASONRY by WL WILMSHURST. I rate it five stars. Highly recommended Masonic reading.

Being a Mason for years, and having read many books on the subject in search of what Freemasonry was really all about, I could not help feeling, when I had finished this book, that this was it. Yes, This is Freemasonry from a Theosophical perspective. I Think it is the true perspective.

An excellent resource guide for the serious Mason who wants more than superficial rah-rah and to really understand the esoterica their lodges were based upon. Leadbeater does a fine job at bridging the gaps. Good reading!

Leadbeater being a Theosophist had a very deep knowledge of the inner workings of a Masonic Lodge. A very interesting book.

Coaching is a concept that is being utilized in a wide spectrum of human activity. It is however essential for cell churches. Proper coaching can spell the difference between successful cell leaders or those pushed to the edge and ready to jump ship. Joel is a coache's coach ready to impart a lifetime of experience in the cell church arena. Why did you ever think of not having one? Buy, buy!

I am a small group/cell group coach in my local church and this book has helped me a lot. If you have not read it, you should get it and apply what Comiskey recommends.

I see Joel Comiskey is sincerely want to inform anyone who wants to lead the cells of the church effectively. I think it's a good book. The only thing is it replicates some of the points of the author's other publications.

This book not only explains the importance of the cell coach, but then goes on to explain the practical things a cell coach should do. If we did not read this book, we would not be putting an emphasis on coaching, and our cells would be dying off. Instead, our cell leaders are being challenged.

Fast read, easy to understand concepts of church leadership being presented, seems to speak mostly to ministers. Probably could have been done in half as many pages.

This book leverages the "Leading Change" model of John Kotter in a highly effective manner within a ministry context. Paul speaks as a real leader with successful experience in coaching, equipping and releasing real leaders in the mission field.

If you have never visited an organic church this is the place to begin! And even if you have visited or belong to an organic church this is the book to help you better understand and implement the effective, yet fluid, approach to ministry that is producing so many fruitful disciples and churches. Dr. Whitesel gives an academic, practical, and applicable introduction to twelve emerging organic congregaions from across the U.S. with examples from England and Canada as well. As a pastor and former youth minister and Christian school teacher, I greatly appreciate the author's insights into philosophic background, worship style, and church growth mechanisms of these multi- and younger generational churches that are effectively reaching the post-modern thinkers. Having just spent a week with thirty other church leaders in the San Franciso area of California studying and experiencing emergent worship and ministry with Dr. Whitesel, I can say this author lives out and teaches with an authentic passion to help all Christian leaders communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a culturally relevant way without marginalizing the Biblical message of redemption. Everyone interested in growing the church in a post-modern and often, post-Christian society needs to read this book!

Few in the North American church scene have as much experience with local church turnaround as Paul Borden. What makes Direct Hit so useful is that Borden addresses why turnaround is so often talked about, but so rarely achieved. He gives very clear rules about: the timing of turnaround, the role of pastors and leaders, using outside help, and the necessity of mission. Many congregations do not look to the deep issues behind why their church is the way it is. Not so with Direct Hit. Borden is up-front and passionate about his subject. A previous reviewer has put in this space a review of some other book about "Organic Church", not by Borden. There are a few typographical and syntactical errors here, but a lot fewer than his previous book Hit The Bullseye. The Appendices are worth the purchase price alone. Five stars.

I've been a grantmaker for approximately five years now. During the course of my on-the-job training, I've heard certain maxims over and over again until they've become ingrained in my mind and in my responses to applicants for grant funds -- now, after reading this book, I actually understand the philosophies behind them.

Every grantseeker who bemoans the fact that foundations don't want to fund ongoing operating expenses should read this book simply for the explanation of the difference between charity and philanthropy and where foundations fit in.

Likewise, the tips on meeting etiquette, attributes of a good grant proposal, and top four reasons proposals are denied will benefit professionals on both sides of the proposal.

Had the opportunity to see the author speak -- if you get the same opportunity, don't pass it by.

Dr. Joel Orosz continues his tireless efforts on behalf of philanthropy and those interested in philanthropy in his current book.

The Insider's Guide to Grantmaking is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in seeking funds from a foundation, or anyone interested in a career in a foundation. His years of experience give both experienced and inexperienced readers a window into a sometimes-shadowy world. Orosz lets the light shine in a way that is understandable and justifiable.

This long over due body of work is a must have for everyone in the third sector and especially should be required reading for those working in and leading foundations.

It's an art, it's a science, and it doesn't need to be a mystery -- since there's no academic training for a career in philanthropy (it's harder than you think!) Insider Orosz bridges the gap with this warm and rewarding User's Guide.

Outsiders will read it for its clear-cut description of philanthropy worklife and practice; insiders will find themselves affirmed or inspired. Both will enjoy the author's mix of humor and scholarship. Sure to be a classic in its field.

This is a much needed look at life in foundation grant making. As a retired executive director of a corporate foundation,books such as The Corporate Contributions Handbook and Corporate Social Investing were extremely helpful to the corporate grant maker. This book is a well-thought out look at foundation reality. While it is not meant to help those seeking grants, it certainly gives the donor a window on the inside process. It will serve as a good reference for those who wish to enter this field and provides sage advice to those who have been there for some time. The historical research was a plus.