Special Section: Board Members

Following is a list of organizations, recent publications and on-line offerings that address myriad board and trustee issues.

Advisory Board Foundation
Accountable Good: Program Evaluation in the Nonprofit Sector presents current best practices in program evaluation around the United States. It demonstrates that nonprofits can quantitatively evaluate their work and that the discipline of regular evaluation improves nonprofit service. Advisory Board Foundation, Watergate Building, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037. Call 202/266-5865 or visit www.servicecorpsonline.org/abc. Free.

American Society of Association Executives
ASAE is dedicated to enhancing the professionalism and competency of association executives, promoting excellence in association management and increasing the effectiveness of associations to better serve their members and society. Visit the Board & Volunteers section of their on-line bookstore at www.asaenet.org/bookstore for a bevy of resources on trustee issues.

Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is a global forum that convenes leaders from diverse disciplines to address critical issues that confront societies, organizations and individuals. For more on its offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, visit www.aspeninst.org/default.asp. Recent publications available through its on-line bookstore include Board Practices, Board Effectiveness and Organizational Effectiveness in Local Nonprofit Organizations; Building Board Diversity: A Case Study of the Western Affiliates of Planned Parenthood Federation of America; and Nonprofit Boards of Directors in Third-Party Government. For more information: Publications Office, Aspen Institute, PO Box 222, Queenstown, MD 21658. Call 410/820-5338, fax 410/827-9174 or
e-mail publications@aspeninstitute.org.

Board Café
A brief monthly newsletter exclusively for members of nonprofit boards of directors, copublished by the National Center for Nonprofit Boards and CompassPoint Nonprofit Services (www.compasspoint.org). For a fax subscription phone 415/541-9000 or 408/248-9505 or fax 415/541-7708. For an e-mail subscription contact boardcafe@compasspoint.org and type SUBSCRIBE BOARD CAFÉ in the body of the message.

Board Match Plus
Board Match Plus is a new Web site dedicated to matching interested individuals with nonprofits seeking new members via the Internet. Though limited to the San Francisco Bay Area, Board Match Plus includes an on-line searchable database of open board positions, tips on choosing a board, and information on board roles and responsibilities. Visitors to the site can submit an on-line candidate profile form directly to the nonprofit of their choice. When a nonprofit receives an on-line profile form for a potential candidate, it is then the board's responsibility to contact that candidate regarding board vacancies. Visit www.boardmatchplus.org/develop.

Boardroom INSIDER
This is a monthly on-line newsletter of first-hand tips and advice to produce better boards and better directors. The subscription fee is $179 per year for individuals, $495 for delivery to all members of a board. For further information visit the Boardroom INSIDER Web site, www. boardroominsider.com.

Council on Foundations
COF is a membership organization that serves the public good by promoting and enhancing responsible and effective philanthropy. Visit its on-line publications catalog at www.cof.org/applications/publications/index.cfm, which features an entire section on governance. The Council has also recently formed a department of governing board programs to engage foundation board members in the programs and services that can best benefit from their expertise, leadership and contacts; provide leadership to board member activities throughout the Council; and design and deliver education and training in the practice of effective and accountable philanthropy by board members. 1828 L Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036. 202/466-6512. Visit www.cof.org.

Ginsler & Associates Inc.
Ginsler & Associates Inc. (www.ginsler.com) works with community organizations, donors and governments to bring out the best in community service agencies, local businesses and government programs. Ginsler & Associates Inc. has developed a number of resources that are available free by downloading, including The Effective Board Member's Orientation Manual. For more information call 519/579-9040 (toll-free in Canada 888/289-9996) or fax 519/742-7846. Write 186 Union Blvd., Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2M 2S4.

Independent Sector
IS is a national leadership forum and coalition of voluntary organizations, foundations and corporate giving programs that work together to encourage philanthropy, volunteering, nonprofit initiatives and citizen action to better serve people and communities. For information on its events, conference or publications, visit its Web site at www.independentsector.org. The publications page offers numerous listings under governance as well as leadership and management. 1200 18th Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036. E-mail info@independentsector.org. Call 202/223-8100.

Internet Nonprofit Center
This is an on-line resource with advice about nonprofit organizations. Organizations and supporters can read Nonprofit Online News research programs, foundations and conferences; participate in on-line discussions; and access a database of answers to frequently asked questions—Nonprofit FAQ. For more information, visit www.nonprofits.org.

Jossey-Bass
Now a part of the Wiley family of companies (www.wiley.com), this book publisher offers a wide range of materials on many topics, including the nonprofit sector. Call 415/433-1740, fax 415/
433-0499, e-mail webperson@jbp.com or visit www.josseybass.com. Recent publications include: 

• The Policy Governance Fieldbook: Practical Lessons, Tips, and Tools from the Experiences of Real-World Boards examines 11 diverse organizations in the United States and Canada that have implemented John Carver's principles of policy governance. $29.95.     
• Creating Caring and Capable Boards: Reclaiming the Passion for Active Trusteeship explores the historical context of board service, explains the duties of board trustees and offers straightforward exercises to help trustees fulfill their responsibilities. $26.95.    
• Boards That Make a Difference: A New Design for Leadership in Nonprofit and Public Organizations (Second Edition) presents a bold new approach to board job design, board-staff relationships, the chief executive role, performance monitoring and virtually every aspect of board management. $43.43.    
• The Art of Trusteeship: The Nonprofit Board Member's Guide to Effective Governance outlines how to meet ten key trustee responsibilities and includes detailed guidance on the definition of a nonprofit's mission, strategic planning, executive selection and evaluation, fundraising and financial oversight. $25.95.

Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits
MAP provides management consulting and board recruitment services to more than 600 organizations each year and engages over 700 volunteers to help manage nonprofit organizations. For more on its on-line resources, classes and workshops, services, volunteer opportunities and publications, visit www.mapnp.org, e-mail mail@mapnp.org or call 651/647-1216. Write MAP at 2233 University Avenue West, Suite 360, St. Paul, MN 55114.

National Center for Nonprofit Boards 
NCNB is the world's largest publisher of material on nonprofit governance, offering printed materials, a Board Information Center, a Web site, workshops and governance consultants that work directly with nonprofit leaders to provide customized training. It also holds an annual National Leadership Forum bringing together 600 to 700 board members and executives of nonprofit organizations. 1828 L Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036-5104. E-mail ncnb@ncnb.org or service@ncnb.org. For more information call 800/883-6262 or 202/452-6262 or fax 202/452-6299. Visit www.ncnb.org. Recently released publications include: 

• The Board Building Cycle: Nine Steps to Finding, Recruiting, and Engaging Nonprofit Board Members lays out year-round activities to perfect the board development process. (A diskette containing worksheets and forms is also included.) $27 members, $36 nonmembers.     
• Beyond Collaboration: Strategic Restructuring of Nonprofit Organizations highlights findings from a study commissioned by the James Irvine Foundation that develops an approach allowing foundations to help nonprofits in strategic restructuring. This republication of the 1997 Beyond Collaboration report includes an expanded reference section. This resource may be downloaded at www.ncnb.org/bookstore/free.shtml.     
• Measuring Board Effectiveness offers a full board self-evaluation questionnaire to help assess and improve board performance, as well as to incorporate ongoing board education into regular board business. Information on planning retreats and building group cohesion is also included. $46.50 members, $62 nonmembers.     
• Keeping the Peace: Resolving Conflict in the Boardroom, a primer on conflict resolution, discusses conflict structure as well as identifying and analyzing conflicts, balancing power and conducting the resolution process. $22.50 members, $30 nonmembers.     
• Self-Assessment for Association Boards and Self-Assessment for Foundation Boards are kits, complete with user's guides and questionnaires, to address the responsibilities and challenges specific to foundation and association boards. Each is $179 for members, $239 fornonmembers.     
• Nonprofit Governance: Steering Your Organization with Authority and Accountability defines the difference between policymaking and management and outlines how nonprofit boards set direction, ensure necessary resources and provide oversight. $12 members, $16 nonmembers.     
• Nonprofit Governance Index 2000 reports on findings from interviews of nonprofit board members and CEOs, which cover topics such as board composition and structure, fundraising, board policies and practices, the role of the board, board member skills, recruitment and training, and board effectiveness. $22.50 members, $29.95 nonmembers.     
• Youth on Board, produced in conjunction with the Boston-based organization Youth on Board, discusses the benefits of involving teens and young adults in board service. $12 members, $16 nonmembers.

Volunteer Consulting Group
The Volunteer Consulting Group (www.vcg.org) is a nonprofit organization that works nationally and regionally to strengthen the governing and managing capability of nonprofit boards of directors. In 1999 VCG initiated www.boardnetUSA.org, the first site-specific intermediary on the Web with (1) information on finding a board to serve and how to find a board member; (2) a searchable national database of boards needing trustees and individuals wishing to serve as board members (nonprofit boards and board candidates find each other through the matching utility of custom profiles); and (3) e-mail and telephone support. For more information: 6 East 39th Street, Suite 602, New York, NY 10016. Call 212/447-1236, fax 212/447-0925. E-mail boardinfo@vcg.org.