Book Description
A complete set of tools for applying entrepreneurial strategies and techniques to your nonprofit
As a follow-up to their book Enterprising Nonprofits, the authors of Strategic Tools for Social Entrepreneurs provide a full set of practical tools for putting the lessons of business entrepreneurship to work in your nonprofit. The book offers hands-on guidance that helps social sector leaders hone their entrepreneurial skills and carry out their social missions more effectively than ever before. This practical and easy-to-use book is filled with examples, exercises, checklists, and action steps that bring the concepts, frameworks, and tools to life. Detailed explanations of all the tools and techniques will help you personalize and apply them to your nonprofit organization-making it stronger, healthier, and better able to serve the needs of our communities.
Praise for Strategic Tools for Social Entrepreneurs
"I search constantly for resources that can help provide insight and guidance to take Teach For America to a higher level; Strategic Tools for Social Entrepreneurs does this and more. The book takes the best practices of for-profits and social enterprises and adapts them to the needs of entrepreneurial, mission-driven nonprofits. Strategic Tools for Social Entrepreneurs is a tremendous contribution to social entrepreneurs and to the nonprofit sector-many thanks to the authors for identifying this need and filling it!"
-Wendy Kopp
Founder and President, Teach For America
All of the royalties from this book will be used by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to support continuing work on social entrepreneurship.
Download Description
Turning nonprofit idealism into a reality
Strategic Tools for Social Entrepreneurs is a toolkit for nonprofit organizations on developing real-world strategies for value creation, income generation, and growth. Chapters contain "Action Steps" that put concepts to work immediately; icons identifying key concepts, buzzwords, and pearls of wisdom; and end-of-chapter concept checks. With contributions from some of today's best and brightest social entrepreneurs-including James L. Heskett, Jerry Kitzi, Shirley Brice Heath, Fay Twersky, Melissa Taylor, Kay Sprinkel Grace, and Steve Roling-and profiles of successful enterprising nonprofits, the book is easily the most comprehensive work of its kind.
Customer Reviews:
Social Entrepreneur.......2002-03-04
Very helpful, Offers valuable tools for thinking strategically about value creation, income generation and growth. This book is a must have to keep up with the new changes and challenges arising in the non-profit sector.
Book Description
The Non-Profit Sector: An Overview is a collection of the most insightful and accessible writings about the nonprofit sector in the U.S. and its organizations. The book discusses everything from Andrew Carnegie's turn-of-the-century philosophy of philanthropy, to the most recent writings by current scholars and practitioners. Accordingly, the book contains previously published articles, chapters, and encyclopedia entries that present the most influential theories, concepts, and issues associated with the nonprofit sector.
Furthermore, each chapter opens with a framing essay that identifies the central themes and issues presented within the chapter and provides an overview of sometimes competing points of view. Each framing essay also briefly summarizes the significance of the contribution of each writing to the development of knowledge in the field.
Customer Reviews:
Nonprofit Sector.......2007-02-26
Ott is a great editor and his collection of books on NPOs are interesting and easy to read.
Product Description
China is now the world's fourth largest economy and growing very fast. India's economic salience is also on the rise. Together these two countries will profoundly influence the pace and nature of global economic change. Drawing upon the latest research, this volume analyzes the influences on the rapid future development of these two countries and examines how their growth is likely to impinge upon other countries. It considers international trade, industrialization, foreign investment and capital flows, and the implications of their broadening environmental footprints. It also discusses how the two countries have tackled poverty, inequality and governance issues and whether progress in these areas will be a key to rapid and stable growth.
Customer Reviews:
From the perspective of one of the Giants.............2007-05-20
This is a report by the World bank (and a think tank) to study the impact of the growth of China and India on other countries in the World.
Provides a good insight into the China and India story:
(a) Sorry, China and India are not Giants. Though they house 38% of world population they account for 6.4% of World GDP (yes, purchasing power parity is not useful in evaluating your impact on other countries since size of trade and exchange rates are more important than price levels).
(b) Sorry, this will not change even after sustained growth in the next decade. India would grow from being 1.7% of World economy to 2.4% in 2020 (okay, 3.2% if you are optimistic). China would grow from 4.7% now to 7.9%.
(c) Sorry, India is not a dominant player in providing services to the world. India's export of services is just 1.8% of global trade in services.
(d) Sorry, IT just accounts for 6% of India's service revenue. Nope, it is a myth to believe growth in IT sector would transform Indian economy. It did not. It may not.
(e) Nope, energy economists don't need to worry. India accounts for just 3.4% of global oil usage. In the next ten years any hike in oil price is more likely to come from supply side hitches than from increased demand for oil in India or China.
(f) Nope, US current account deficit is not due to China's import barriers or an undervalued currency. US is just not saving enough.
(g) Nope, China and India are not competing head on for their products. The top 25 exports of China and India have only one product in common! (Yes sire, refined petroleum).
(h) Nope, Dhirubhai Ambani alone is not enough to reform our textiles industry. Our textile exports is $ 10 billion a year. Wal Mart alone buys $ 18 billion textiles from China. Did you know one major impediment is the delivery time from India to US? Yes, 24 days!
(In passing, the economists say that the movie industry in India is not known to produce world class movies; though one did come recently: "Bend it like Beckham"! Apologies Mani Ratnam, economists do not know as much about movies as about GDP!)
Have we handled our economy well? We made some mistakes in the way we managed our economy.
(a) We started with one major disadvantage. Inequality.
(b) Economic growth is rarely balanced. It often results in enhancing inequality.
(c) There are good inequalities (differences in income and wealth because some earned more than others) and bad inequalities (lack of access to education or credit to pursue an economic activity). Good inequalities are necessary to maintain incentive for growth. Bad inequalities prevent people from escaping poverty.
(d) We got our philosophies mixed up. Instead of attempting to eliminate bad inequalities by providing access to opportunities for the poor, we went after good inequalities by suppressing incentive for economic growth.
(e) We restrained firms from freely pursuing economic activity (by reserving several activities for the State or for small enterprises and by introducing a license raj that required government permission to start or expand a business).
(f) We prevented efficient allocation of resources (by protective trade policy that perpetuated advantage to existing players, by a directional tax policy, by state control of all funding and by restrictive labor laws).
(g) On the other hand, we did not provide access to education or market driven micro finance delivery to the poor to acquire human capital to escape poverty.
(h) End result: We did not grow enough; but the inequality went up. The poor did not benefit from economic growth at all.
(i) Since our political system depended on popular support, political administrations "blamed" a variety of targets (businessmen, upper caste, land holders, foreign hands) for the failure to eradicate poverty and used the resultant "popular anger" to consolidate their power base.
(j) Thank God we had a crisis in 1991. Debt service rose to 21% of receipts. Interest burden rose to 20% of expenditure. We ran out of spendable currency. No one was willing to lend.
(k) Prime Minister Narasimha Rao went beyond curing the immediate disease. Rao government cut back industries reserved for State; removed licensing requirements; devalued rupee; allowed current account convertibility; removed quotas and reduced tariffs; and lifted restrictions on foreign investment.
(l) Fortunately the reform process, despite vigorous debate, has developed sufficient consensus to stay on track in succeeding administrations.
(m) We have some more miles to go:
(1) We need to provide access to education and credit to facilitate people escape poverty. Spending money on rural infrastructure alone will not kill "bad inequality". If this is not done, India would continue to be a miracle of "jobless growth" and political consensus for reform would evaporate diluting growth prospects. Equality is not just a nice thing to do; it is essential for going after growth.
(2) We need to get "government" out of "business" even more. Subsidies will have to reduce. Buredensome state enterprises cannot be funded by public expenditure. Bad loans in banks will have to reduce. Regulatory rigidity in labor market will have to reduce.
(3) We need to step up "governance". We need to step up government effectiveness and bureaucracy quality.
(4) We need to manage our "balance sheet" well. We cannot be an economy whose liabilities are in "high cost equity" (FDI and portfolio investments) and whose assets are in "low yield reserves". This asymmetry is expensive.
China has one advantage over us. An early start. China has built a strong manufacturing base with an eye on the global market (40% of its GDP is from exports vs 15% for us). However, in the end, China has one disadvantage. In China the State is determining who will pursue economic activity and who will not by its "hukou" system (license to live in special zones) and "TVE system" (town and village enterprise owned by local governments with limited authority to retain and reinvest super profits). This was useful in creating "private firms" in a socialist economy.
However, this past success is going to be a millstone for China in the future. A very large population got left out in the growth process (though inequality is not as sharp as in India because the inequality in landholding prevented growth in agriculture from reducing inequality in India). Building political consensus to the reform process is going to be even toughter in China when the ability of the government to maintain control over the population reduces. This may hamper growth.
India has a higher chance of sustaining and growing political consensus for reforms because it has developed mechanisms to let differing voices debate vigorously before building consensus. The pace is slow but the traction is firm.
It is nice to think that Left leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury, with their wisdom and ability to disagree, may help India build the consensus on a firmer track and perform better than China!
Book Description
"Masterly on the way philanthropy works." The New York ObserverFor more than a century, the United States has stood as a beacon of prosperity and democracy, proof that big business and big dreams could flourish side by side. Yet few Americans realize the crucial role that generosity plays in keeping that fragile balance. A leading voice for community development, scholar and former Connecticut College president Claire Gaudiani examines the crucial role of philanthropy in American prosperity. She traces the entrepreuneurial spirit of altruism, finding that generous gifts have powerfully invested in the most critical ingredients of the American economy: people, property, and ingenuity. Rather than pitting the capitalists against the populists, Gaudiani draws a blueprint for a just future, full of opportunities, based on giving.The Greater Good is a passionate, pragmatic, and optimistic manifesto for revitalizing the promise of the American economy.
Customer Reviews:
Finding My Generosity.......2005-08-12
This book is a manifesto and an operational guideline. It explains the "third force" of our social-economic system: philanthropy, and its pivotal role in insuring the successful functioning of free-enterprise in the economic sphere and democracy in the political sphere.
The balance struck between capitalism and democracy is what matters, she says. And that balance is struck by acts of generosity.
"Generosity is capitalism's open and pragmatic acknowledgement that, since democracy's freedoms enhance capitalism's economic powers, then democracy deserves assets from capitalism that contribute to its strength." P. 23. "Capitalism needs democracy's value to remain defensible in society. Conversely, democracy needs capitalism's wealth creation for pursuing justice and opportunity for all." (p. 21)
Gaudiani makes the point that philanthropy (including volunteerism and giving) has been a critical component to the success of the American culture. It was particularly strong in the earlier part of the 20th century: during the "Progressive Era." Since 1970, however, the philanthropic urge has dissipated in relative terms. Because the distribution of wealth continues to get more skewed, and with the conservative trend in today's politics and zeitgeist fostering further disparities between rich and poor and the dismantling of social services such as universal health and social security, the need for philanthropy is never before greater.
But the need isn't simply for more dollars to be given. The crisis is in understanding generosity and how it is part of human happiness. A correct understanding of self interest is needed, she says.
We are at a crossroads and a crisis in our sense of philanthropy and generosity, according to Gaudiani. And, with the incredible rise in millionaire families, the next 30 years will see a class of people who face the choice: keep it all for myself and my children, or give some to insure that the society and culture in which I live will continue to thrive and be great.
It is the American tradition of generosity, according to Gaudiani, and not religion, empathy, or social pressure, that is the most likely cultural force that will sustain the philanthropic spirit. P.168.
Gaudiani speaks in terms of universal human values and wisdom (generosity is a value shared by all world cultures), and forcefully shows with example after example how this force operated in US history. Thus, her book is a great example of interpretive speaking for concrete social action. Her words invoke a cultural shift, and disclose a new world of possibility, while showing us that it can be based on beliefs we already hold, and actions that we already do. She does not introduce new metaphysical premises, but merely reframes, reconfigures, and adds emphasis to what is already within our capacity.
The strength of the book is its organic vision of philanthropy as necessary to fulfill democracy in a free enterprise economy; its comprehensive overview of the main areas of social capital (human, physical, and intellectual capital) and the scores of historical examples of how generosity and philanthropy made important investments in social capital; and its pragmatic program, with specific targets for philanthropy (e.g. increased home ownership by the poor) and plethora of possible mechanisms to achieve these targets (e.g. microlending, ROSCAs, matching donation banks, among others).
The questions that went unanswered by Gaudiani's book, for me, are in the realm of psychology and personal, emotional intelligence. Gaudiani speaks to the need for finding that "correct understanding of self interest" where giving, generosity, and concern for the collective is part of one's personal happiness. She references Enlightenment philosophy about living the good and honorable life, and the new direction in 'behavioral economics'. But she is light on detailing the emotional and psychological dimensions of generosity and altruism. How do I embody a generous outlook and make it work in my life? What does my motivation feel like when I pursue my self interest as incorporating the greater good? What do my interpersonal relationships look like? How do I balance my ego's need for recognition and my concern for others? How do I get from co-dependence to interdependence? How do I transcend my fears of not having enough money or not being good enough so that I am compassionate and know a sense of interconnectedness?
Gaudiani's case is compelling from an objective, systems point of view. And I agree, from this standpoint, with her provocative point: America is rich because it is generous (not vice versa). But from the subjective, personal, 'human interior' point of view, I still wonder how I can be generous and successful. From a personal standpoint, it seems, I can't be generous until I am rich. Perhaps the psychological aspects are for another book.
Gaudiani points to the world's culture wisdom traditions as providing the possibilities for restoring generosity as a prominent value in society. Generosity is truly a universal human value. All cultural traditions esteem it highly. The very concept of human being in the Chinese tradition incorporates benevolence. The Hindu concept of Ahimsa includes sharing one's prosperity with others. The Islamic tradition discourages interest and debt-based financial cooperatives in favor of equity sharing arrangements.
Gaudiani suggests that the cultural diversity of the US - with all the wisdom traditions represented here - is a huge untapped asset for bringing forth new understandings of generosity in our culture. This multidimensional value, that interpenetrates all domains of life, can be re-energized in our culture, she suggests, by encouraging the different ethnic traditions to bring it out.
To me this is an area where citizen discussion groups and workshops could play a big role. These programs would have individuals come together to share their experiences and emotions around the realities of making a living, taking care of oneself, and taking care of others. This is a big complex thing for people to work on, and it is better done within groups, not by individually reading a book. If a companion book is to be written to Gaudiani's important current book, it would be a guidebook for discussion groups to unpack these many personal, life history, and cultural aspects around self interest, the pursuit of happiness, and cultural renewal.
The Christian community should read this book.......2004-07-19
"Most people think that Americans are generous because we are rich. The truth is that we are rich...because we are generous..." So writes Claire Gaudiani. Why should Christians read this book? We don't want to save "Capitalism," do we? Perhaps not, but we know we'd miss it, if it was destroyed. Yes, the Christian community ought to find time to read this wonderful book on the history of American Philanthropy and how it has, in the past, played a vital role in helping to maintain the uniqueness of the American experiment. More importantly, Gaudiani explains the perils of our current "giving habits," the cultural reasons for the trend, and solutions to restore the spirit of philanthropy. She writes, "As more of us are better able every year to satisfy our wants and needs, we are not sharing a larger percentage of our income and wealth. We are retaining it in savings or spending it on ourselves and our families. Yet some segments of the population...are experiencing reductions in their well-being, notably children." Christians for the most part should appreciate America's history of philanthropy, for much of it stems from either the Judeo-Christian worldview or simply from a genuine Christian faith that seeks to "give away what God has given to make other people's lives better." The Christian community should also find a welcome friend in her words: "Philanthropy has, in the past, been quicker than government to imagine, test, and implement innovative methods for solving social problems." Of all people and social groups, the Christian community should read this book, if for anything to learn to appreciate the history of Philanthropy. Giving and developing strategies for philanthropic adventures are more than mere altruism. After reading Gaudiani's book, I find that philanthropy of any kind (American or Christian charity) is the human experience where self-interest and compassion are not in conflict. It is in the best interest of Americans (dare I say Christians) to ensure that everyone has access to the American Dream--the dream of upward mobility. In the humble opinion of this reviewer, more Christian communities and churches should design their own philanthropic adventures and meet the social needs that are knocking on their church doors.
Not so Ancient Wisdom.......2003-12-11
The Philanthropic Revolution started thousands of years ago in the fields of Eygpt when people then new that we need to "care" for each other. Give water to the thirsty passer by.
Claire, with a lot of compassion and breadth, reminds us the the "greater good" needs to be reenvigorated, as did Jane Addams' project to care for the larger community.
Chapter 6 go directly to the undrlyting feeling of the American Spirit.
The past 100 years shows us how to really appreciate and gain from that original intent. This book put's it into perspective and rekindles the spirit of giving.
Happy New Year.
What have you done for mankind lately?.......2003-11-14
I felt compelled to write this review because of the poor content by some of the other contributors -- one who didnt event read the book and the other ranting a personal attack with no focus on the book itself.
As a teacher, Colleen Kyle should know better than anyone else to actually read books before judging them. She might find herself actually learning something from the research of others. This is not a history book, and it doesnt claim to be one. Its encouraging people to re-think philanthropy and the long term impact generosity can have by showing how we have all benefitted from private giving already.
Mr. Chuck Jones needs to spend more time actually giving something back to society and little less time complaining about those who choose to take the personal and professional risks required to be a leader.
I would encourage people to read Gaudiani's book, to learn about how generosity affects society, and then think about what they can do in their local community to improve the lives of the less fortunate.
Bravo to an exceptional leader, scholar, and human being!.......2003-11-09
Any leader, executive, or member of our world society can learn and immediately benefit from this book. Dr. Gaudiani is one of the most exceptional and worthy leaders of our time. Her words of wisdom in this book exemplify the essence of her daily leadership practices. Just as the best leaders of our time have displayed, she is optimistic about human behavior and motivation. Critics' opinions expressed only underscore her importance and our need for her as a leader. Ironically, these opinions bring to light the necessity for a civil society and the "Greater Good." Where there is resistance, there is dissatisfaction with the current state in a social system, and Gaudiani is the ideal leader to provide the vision and first steps to bring us to a more democratic, unified, and satisfied state. Read this book with an understanding that you are learning from an exceptional, understanding, compassionate, highly emotionally intelligent, extremely knowledgable, cultured, worldly leader.
Book Description
A hands-on resource that shows nonprofits how to adopt entrepreneurial behaviors and techniques
The rising spirit of social entrepreneurship has created all kinds of new opportunities for nonprofit organizations. But at the same time, many are discovering more than their share of challenges as well. This essential book will help anyone in the field gain the necessary skills to meet these challenges. Written by the leading thinkers and practitioners in the field, Enterprising Nonprofits offers concise and engaging explanations of the most successful business tools being used by nonprofits today. The authors clearly describe all the concepts so you'll be able to embrace the methods of social enterprise for your organization. With this book, you'll learn how to use practical business techniques to dramatically improve the performance of your nonprofit.
Praise for Enterprising Nonprofits
"I can't imagine a better team to bring powerful insights and practical guidance to social entrepreneurs. Readers will be inspired by the examples, and then they will roll up their sleeves to apply the many useful management tools in this engaging book."-Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School, Author of Evolve!: Succeeding in the Digital Culture of Tomorrow
"In one book, Enterprising Nonprofits does for social entrepreneurs what countless volumes have done for entrepreneurs in the business sector. A wonderful mixture of analysis, practical advice, and inspiration."-Paul Brest, President, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
All of the royalties from this book will be used by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to support continuing work on social entrepreneurship.
Customer Reviews:
An academic but useful view of social entreprenuers.......2007-09-23
Its a good and useful book. For me it affirmed what I am already doing is on track so I guess it didn't teach me more, but knowing the direction and style I use is in fact entrepreneurial was very helpful. The chapter on accounting was a great potted view of accounting for the real world uncomplicated by jargon, not to deep into detail, very useful indeed.
Social Enterprise for Nonprofits.......2007-04-23
Wonderful source of information on the role of social enterprise or partnership donation alternatives as a way of funding non profits in 2007.
Comprehensive and Quite Useful.......2007-02-07
I found this book to be extraordinarily helpful in outlining how nonprofits can adopt better practices towards creating more sustainable social entrepreneurial models. While my background is in the profit world, it helped me to recognize how my existing knoweldge could be adapted to social entreprenuership. I highly recommend this book. It is well-written, comprehensive in its topics and it contains very useful tips and "how to" material.
A Must Read for those in the Non-Profit Sector.......2001-06-29
As a businessperson with an MBA, I readily identified with and agreed with the advice and strategies presented in this book. For people with a passion to help improve things in a not-so-perfect world, this book is a gift. It provides real life examples and turns theories into step-by-step directions. Each chapter makes good use of subheads and bullet points and ends with a concise summary. The authors have real-life experience working as social entreprenuers and it shows. I highly recommend this book.
Phenomenal resource.......2001-05-26
This book is destined to become a classic. It is full of such useful information. Not only is the content fantastic but the format is an outstanding feature of the book. I predict many will read it and all of those will value it and refer to it often. Thanks for providing us with such a comprehensive and easy to use resource.
Book Description
A seminal work in fleshing out the kind of leadership we need to renew and prepare communities for the demands of democracy in the coming era.
Ronald Heifetz, director, Leadership Education Project, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Jolted by the economic downturn of the early 1990s and the rapid globalization of the economy, a group of California business, government, education, and community leaders formed Joint Venture: Silicon Valley, a collaborative regional alliance that helped create a strengthened economy and an improved quality of life in their community. Now three of Joint Venture's advisers outline the process that led to this dramatic turnaround, as well as success stories in Florida, Ohio, Kansas, and Texas. They reveal the powerful new concept of civic entrepreneurship, and they offer practical, proven strategies that community leaders across the country can employ to foster local economic development and renewal.
Grassroots Leaders for a New Economy explains the unique leadership qualities that set civic entrepreneurs apart, and illustrates how these leaders can emerge from all levels of private, public, social, and civic organizations. The book shows how civic entrepreneurs forge powerfully productive linkages at the intersection of business, government, education, and community, and it demonstrates how they operate at the grassroots level to create collaborative advantages that make it possible for their economic communities to compete on the global stage.
Citing numerous real-life examples, authors Douglas Henton, John Melville, and Kimberly Walesh illustrate the necessary steps to build an economic community. They show how civic entrepreneurs motivate and network to organize for action, set priorities, and mobilize resources to get things done. Finally, they demonstrate how to sustain cross-sector collaboration over the long haul for the good of the community. An indispensable resource, Grassroots Leaders for a New Economy offers step-by-step guidance and practical advice equally useful to business executives, elected officials and public managers, community development practitioners, or concerned citizens who want to take an active role in shaping the future of local economic development.
Customer Reviews:
Prescription For Community Change In The Early 21st Century.......2002-05-13
Beginning several decades ago with Alvin Toffler and carried on by Peter Drucker, Thomas Friedman and a host of other writers, a number of examinations of change in our world and how we can/should/may cope with all of it have made their way to bookstore shelves.
This current epistle by three writers who've had some hands on experience in working with communities who want to adapt to the switch in the United States from that of a manufacturing based society to a technology based one offer some insights garnered over the past decade or so by communities that are changing the focus of their notion of what the change means to their communities.
Using diverse regional examples such as San Jose, California and Silicon Valley, Austin, Texas, Cleveland, Ohio and Phoenix, Arizona, the notion of the civic entreprenuer as the force for change is nicely developed. The writers demonstrate how leaders from government, business, as well as the education sectors can come together to become a powerful source of community improvement. A specific example of this used in the book is Enterprise Florida; an organization clearly focused on garnering a fair share of the economic opportunities available to communities in the Sunshine State.
For those who understand the forces being brought to bear on communities, and for those who want to practice the mantra of thinking globaly while acting locally, this work can be especially meaningful, and well worth the time it takes to read.
Going Global instead of Going Local.......2002-01-04
Having looked at the sample pages, I am led to be very skeptical about the thesis. Anyone reading this book should also read Michael Shuman's "Going Local." Some of the examples Henton et al. use appear as counerexamples in "Going Local."
Henton et al. are right in one sense, it is possible to create a more prosperous community by going global, but it may not be the most desirable prosoperity:
1. There is likely to be more inequality, as the split between lucky winners and unfortunate losers increases.
2. The prosperity is likely to be cyclical and unstable because it will be dependent on the world economy and the whims of external investors.
The correct solution (Shuman's solution) is to focus on providing the basics to as many local community members as possible.
New hope for South Africa found in Amazon!.......1997-07-12
As we grapple to build a new society in South Africa, Grassroots Leaders for a new Economy shone like a beacon to show there is a way. A way to build trust and collaborative relationships in an emerging economy.
Although based primarily on examples of US communities, many of the problems faced by cities and regions around the world have remarkable simialarities. There is much we can all learn from each other and this book is remarable in sharing the insights gained by 1000's of community leaders.
Practical and down to earth, Doug Henton and his co-authors give a step by step guide to building the necessary trust and dynamic working relationships in a diverse community.
This is essential reading for anyone involved in community development.
Tony Heher,Pretoria,South Africa
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Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations, Second Edition
ASIN: 0471395730 |
Book Description
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
As not-for-profits must increasingly achieve greater results with less resources, they are continually seeking ways to use such scarce resources with more economy, with greater efficiency of processes and people within their organizations, and with increased effectiveness of results in order to further their missions. Whether used alone or together with other tools such as benchmarking, activity-based management, and flexible budgeting, the operational review is the tool best used to perform an evaluation of these crucial three e's-economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. This book shows not-for-profit managers why conducting an operational review can be beneficial, explains the tools and personnel needed to conduct the review, and shows in detail how to conduct a review of operations in each area. It includes case study materials for a social service agency, a museum operation, an arts organization, a community service agency, and a college business office. Here is accessible, comprehensive coverage of:
- How to approach an operational review, judge its results, and make recommendations to management
- How to position your not-for-profit organization more effectively in the competitive world of funding, personnel, resources, and service results
- How to identify and implement best practices within funding and operational constraints in all areas of the not-for-profit's operations in an organized program of continuing improvements
. . . and much more, including extensive exhibits, forms, working tools, checklists, and examples for conducting an operational review throughout all functions of a not-for-profit organization. Executive directors, outside auditors, CPAs, manage-ment consultants, boards, fund-raising executives, and all others involved in the not-for-profit's operations will learn to get the most for their mission from this indispensable book.
Book Description
Nonprofit organizations are all around us. Many people send their children to nonprofit day-care centers, schools, and colleges, and their elderly parents to nonprofit nursing homes; when they are ill, they may well go to a nonprofit hospital; they may visit a nonprofit museum, read the magazine of the nonprofit National Geographic Society, donate money to a nonprofit arts organization, watch the nonprofit public television station, exercise at the nonprofit YMCA. Nonprofits surround us, but we rarely think about their role in the economy, or the possibility of their competing unfairly with private enterprise.
Burton Weisbrod asks the important questions: What is the rationale for public subsidy of nonprofit organizations? In which sectors of the economy are they of real importance? Why do people contribute money and time to them and why should donations be tax deductible? What motivates managers of nonprofits? Why are these organizations exempt from taxes on income, property, and sales? When the search for revenue brings nonprofits into competition with proprietary firms--as when colleges sell computers or museum gift shops sell books and jewelry--is that desirable?
Weisbrod examines the raison d'être for nonprofits. The evidence he assembles shows that nonprofits are particularly useful in situations where consumers have little information on what they are purchasing and must therefore rely on the probity of the seller.
Written in a clear, direct style without technicalities, The Nonprofit Economy is addressed to a broad audience, dealing comprehensively with what nonprofits do, how well they do it, how they are financed, and how they interact with private enterprises and government. At the same time, the book presents important new evidence on the size and composition of the nonprofit part of the economy, the relationship between financial sources and outputs, and the different roles of nonprofits and for-profit organizations in the same industries. The Nonprofit Economy will become a basic source for anyone with a serious interest in nonprofit organizations.
Book Description
The decade of the 1980s marked a triumph for market capitalism. As politicians of all stripes sought to reinvent government in the image of private enterprise, they looked to the voluntary sector for allies to assuage the human costs of reductions in public policies of social welfare. This book details the "savage side" of market capitalism in Appalachia and explains the social, political, and economic roles that mediating structures play in mitigating it. Profiling the work of twenty-three such mediating structures—community-based organizations that battled to provide social safety nets, fight environmental assaults, and upgrade the education and job skills of Appalachian residents—Richard Couto distills the practical lessons to be found in their successes and shortcomings.
Couto argues that a broader set of democratic dimensions be used in taking the measure of civil society and public policy in the twenty-first century. He shows that mediating structures promote the democratic prospect of reduced inequality and increased communal bonds when they provide and advocate for new forms and increased amounts of social capital—the public goods and moral resources that we invest in one another as members of a community.
Customer Reviews:
community mediation is essentail for problem-solving.......2007-05-09
Dr. Couto says, "Mediating structures are a prerequisite to democracy. They preserve the liberty of citizens to act on public matters apart form government. They permit their members representation and participation in the sociopolitical arrangements of the neighborhood, community. nation, or state....The test for the democratic nature of mediating structures involves the stringent test of all three elements--liberty, equality, and political action--not only one of the three." With examples drawn from the Appalachia region, community social capital, in his view, are often adequate to meet local decision-making and problem-solving needs, but must be supplemented by outside resources to ensure adequate long-term solutions.
Civil Society and Democracy Need Government Resources.......2001-07-14
This book furthers the general understanding of social capital, civil society, democracy, nonprofit organizations, voluntary action and, to a limited extent, philanthropy.
A primary contribution of this book is a resurrection and development of a different conception of social capital than what Robert Putnam has articulated. Couto elaborates on Robert A. Nisbet's 1962 conception of social capital as including a material base as well as the moral or value base about which Putnam writes.
According to Couto, "Nisbet relates the failure of intermediate associations (family, community, church, and the whole network of informal interpersonal relationships) to provide the psychological and symbolic functions of social capital -- that is, its moral element -- directly to their diminished capacity to perform the material and economic functions of social capital" (identified as "mutual aid, welfare, education, recreation, and economic production and distribution") (p.53).
Borrowing also on Julian Wolpert, Couto says, "People have different amounts of social capital depending on the actual or potential resources, the size of the network to which they are linked, and the amount of economic and cultural capital the members of that network have." And citing Pierre Bourdieu, Couto adds, "Social capital is never independent of the other forms of capital..." (p.62).
The book then proceeds to narrate the stories of 23 community-based "mediating structures" in Appalachia and discuss how they contribute to social capital, civil society and democracy from a regional economic base that is among the poorest in the country.
At first blush, this seems to contradict the theory above. How can this economically impoverished area produce mediating structures that can succeed in adding to social capital (both moral and material)?
And how do the mediating structures promote democracy?
Recognizing that Nisbet, Wolpert and Bourdieu are correct, nevertheless, Couto demonstrates that increases in social capital and democracy are possible through the interventions of mediating structures even in the most economically devastated and politically corrupt areas of our country.
These Appalachian mediating structures ranged from very local organizations -- such as Dungannon Development Commission (VA), Brumley Gap Concerned Citizens (VA) and Bumpass Cove Citizens Group (TN) -- to statewide and regional organizations -- such as West Virginia Primary Care Association, Virginia Black Lung Association and Southern Empowerment Project (TN). They were organized to deal with economic development, environment, health, families and children, housing, human resources, culture and the arts, organizational and leadership development, and broad public policy.
A key factor in the mediating structures' successes (though not all the nonprofit organizations were successful in everything they conceived or undertook) was the ability of the organizations to extract material assistance from local, regional, state and federal governments and occasionally from for-profit businesses.
Sometimes they developed non-controversial partnerships with governments and businesses to add to the material basis of their communities. Sometimes they undertook controversial direct action to challenge unfair corporate or government policies. And sometimes organizations did both. Couto maintains that the dichotomy between "community development" -- which is usually non-controversial partnering -- and "community organizing" -- which is often associated with controversial direct action -- is a false one when considering the activities and achievements of these 23 Appalachian mediating structures.
Viewing these Appalachian nonprofit organizations from another perspective, many of them delivered services to their constituencies. Many advocated for changes in public policies at both the bureaucratic and the legislative levels. And many did both. Couto demonstrates through his narratives about the 23 organizations that the services and advocacy dichotomy is just as false as the community organizing-community development one.
Couto says, "Community-based mediating structures spend a considerable portion of their effort mitigating the worst consequences of a market economy predicated on rugged individualism and unadaptive capitalism. (They) promote the democratic prospect in places where public social welfare policies are most desperately needed" (p.299).
They promote democracy by building self-esteem in individuals who are often patronized for their poverty, illiteracy and poor health. They promote democracy by teasing out larger visions of how the world could be better against a backdrop of corporate rapaciousness and governmental indifference. They deliver services to their members and others in the community which help recruit people to participate in collective action. They promote democracy by organizing the individuals and their visions into collective action -- whether it be community development or direct action. Even when they fail, or when they succeed then fall apart, they promote democracy by having built self-esteem, enabled vision, and gave birth to concepts of collective action, community development and direct action which frequently translate into new organizations and action that are frequently more effective than the earlier incarnations. Everyone who participated in these Appalachian mediating structures was more aware of the possibilities -- and difficulties -- of democracy after their participation.
But at the same time, Couto suggests that these "mediating structures only supplement efforts to redress market failures." (p. 300) They might provide some help in alleviating the problems associated with workers' injuries or stopping the constant destruction of the enviroment by the coal companies, but they cannot make up for the short supply of public goods and services that might provide full recompense for such situations.
Nevertheless, the rich histories of these community-based organizations in Couto's book demonstrate a complex set of political, social and economic roles. In their political roles, the community-based organizations assist their members and their communities to discover the historical, social and economic origins of their conditions and to develop methods of redress. In their social roles, the organizations create the networks that Putnam and others suggest are critical to building social capital. Finally, in their economic roles, the organizations "weave government programs into these networks far more than limited-government advocates understand." (p.299)
While social theorists portray these local organizations as defenses against government intrusion, which they are, they do more than that by leveraging government money to provide goods and services otherwise in short supply, an essential ingredient to their organizational members and communities to both create and expand key social capital networks.
Robert Bothwell is President Emeritus/Senior Fellow of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, Washington, DC, USA
The essence of grassroot democracy.......2000-01-02
As the title indicates, this work builds upon (but independant from) Robert Putnum's "Making Democracy Work." In a book both approprate for univeristy level study and laymen alike, Couto presents the subject in three parts. First, Couto provides a well versed lesson in the civic sphere and mediating structures. The middle provides a virtual overkill of sucessfull mediating structures as examples. These examples help the reader understand that the civic sphere isn't some intangable ideal discussed by high-minded professor types, but rather a vital active (and very real) aspect of democracy. The examples lead the reader into the third part where Couto argues that a true and healthy democracy can only be achieved through citizen participation.
Couto focuses upon the central and southern Applachian regions in this work. He shows that if these people historically oppressed by industrial greed, political corruptness and belittling cultural sterotypes can stand up to the tide of Corporate globalism and demand demorcatic justice, then everybody can also. Couto doesn't break new ground, but rather expands upon this very important subject. These are issues addressed by Tocqueville and expanded upon by many great minds since then. Couto has futhered the intellectual pursuit of this concept.
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Free Ride: The Tax-Exempt Economy
Gilbert M. Gaul , and
Neill A. Borowski
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Pub
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ASIN: 0836280296 |
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