Book Description
NEW, UPDATED EDITION! In these days of tightening budgets, organizations cannot afford weak board members. In this time when many qualified persons have few discretionary hours, they have little time for training. Doing Good Better speaks to both needs efficiently and thoroughly. Highly recommended. "A very fine book on board leadership . . . very beneficial." -Millard Fuller, Habitat for Humanity "If you're on a nonprofit board, get this book. It's bound to perk up your performance so you can do even more good than you did before." -The Marketplace "Doing Good Better is the best there is." -Richard F. Celeste, former Governor of Ohio
Customer Reviews:
Essential Reading for ANY nonprofit board member.......2000-06-03
This short book is a necessary resource for any new board member. I read it on first going on my local Habitat for Humanity board, and have recommended it to every nonprofit board member I know. To a one, they come back and thank me for the recommendation. "Doing Good Better!" covers all of the essential information one needs to perform the nonprofit board member fiduciary responsibilities and obligations. And it does so succinctly and understandably. It is also written with an uplifting and positive tone -- it makes you feel good about what you're doing as a nonprofit supporter. I regularly refer back to this book both for support and encouragement, and to refresh my knowledge of my duties as a board member.
Book Description
Here is practical guidance for turning imperfections to one's advantage. Author Joseph Tissot wrote this book to help readers gain a proper sense of themselves and an accurate perspective on their own failings. Drawing on the wisdom of St. Francis de Sales and other great saints, as well as a rich understanding and broad experience of human nature, Tissot offers practical guidance for the interior struggle.
Book Description
The First and Only Complete Guide to Successfully Managing Faith-Based Organizations Faith-Based Management Written by a leading international expert on faith-based management, this book describes proven management strategies and techniques developed at some of the world's most successful places of worship and faith-based service organizations. It also supplies you with a complete action plan for quickly implementing them in your organization. Peter Brinckerhoff begins by exploring the unique challenges faced by managers of faith-based organizations. He then identifies the seven key characteristics of a successful faith-based organization and provides you with clear, easy-to-follow guidelines on how to:
- Assess and examine your organization's strengths and weaknesses
- Clearly define staff roles and responsibilities
- Delegate, evaluate, discipline, and motivate paid staff
- Find, train, motivate, and hold on to top-notch volunteers
- Generate budgets and financial reports and implement financial controls
- Improve your leadership skills
- Conduct sophisticated, cost-effective marketing compaigns that work
- Create strategic, business, and marketing plans
"Brinckerhoff has captured the essence of faith-based management in his latest book. He has successfully integrated proven management concepts and ideas with the spiritual mission that distinguishes faith-based organizations. A must-read for volunteers and staff." —Dana R. Todsen, ACFRE President and CEO Baptist Health Foundation, Inc. Birmingham, Alabama "Faith-Based Management is a concise, accurate, and practical book. It will be a very helpful resource for leaders who are trying to unite faith and mission in today's world." —The Reverend Dr. John R. Buzza Hope Presbyterian Church and Community Ministry Center Springfield, Illinois "Faith-Based Management offers the fourth important contribution in Peter Brinckerhoff's management series for not-for-profit executives. If mission, finance, and marketing are important to not-for-profits' success, core values and beliefs are essential to the faith-based not-for-profits' very existence. Peter once again challenges and provokes thoughtful reflection while providing the reader with a pragmatic prescription for improving the overall management of the faith-based organization. He challenges each of us to accept full responsibility for carrying out God's work. He shows us a way." —Reid S. Thebault President and CEO YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit
Customer Reviews:
Must Read!.......2000-03-31
Brinckerhoff has captured the essence of faith-based management in this book. He has successfully integrated proven management concepts and ideas with the spiritual mission that distinguishes faith-based organizations. This book is a must read for volunteers and staff.
As the foundation executive for the 25th largest health care organization in the USA, I can speak with authority that the concepts included in this text are 100% on the mark.
Book Description
Amish culture has been rooted in the soil since its beginnings in 1693. But what happens when members of America's oldest Amish community enter non-farm work in one generation? How will hundreds of cottage industries and micro-enterprises reshape the heart of Amish life? Will traditional eighth grade education still prove adequate? What about gender roles, child-rearing practices, leisure activities, and growing ties with outsiders? Amish Enterprise was the first book to discuss these dramatic changes that are transforming Amish communities across North America. Based on interviews with more than 150 Amish entrepreneurs, the authors trace the rise and impact of businesses in Lancaster's Amish settlement in recent decades. In this new edition, the authors update demographic and technological changes, and also describe Amish enterprises outside of Pennsylvania in a new chapter.
Customer Reviews:
Surprising entrepreneurs: Old Order Amish.......2000-12-29
* Kraybill, Donald B. and Steven M. Nolt. 1995. _Amish Enterprise; From Plows to Profits_. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. Pp. xiv + 300. Notes, photographs, references. ISBN: 0-8018-5063-0 (pbk).
Kraybill and Nolt present a history and analysis of Amish businesses in the 1980s and early 1990s. These authors tell how hundreds of Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, engaged in an unprecedented economic adaptation after hundreds of years during which their devotion to family farming as the economic center of life did not change. The new adaptation was a remarkable fluorescence of entrepreneurial activity in which Lancaster Amish created enterprises catering to Amish and non-Amish market needs. These enterprises operate within the strictures of Amish thinking about how people should exist in the world, and this is the central question the authors explore. The contents are broad and include a profile of Amish businesses in chapter three, technology in chapter eight, and marketing and networking in chapter nine. Other chapters cover labor issues, business morality, Amish businesses and the law, and relations with the state.
What is surprising about Amish enterprise is that it exists. To explain this, both in its vigor and in the ways business owners refrain from fully adopting present-day business plans and procedures, the authors use a culture-centered model. They describe how the Amish interpret their beliefs in negotiating the new behaviors and statuses businesses require (pp. 16-19). From one perspective, the process described in this book is a prime example of conscious, selective acculturation.
Negotiation and tension between adopted business behaviors and _Gelassenheit_, a core value informing normative behavior, is highlighted throughout. Gelassenheit asks Amish to be patient and yielding, to submit to the community and to avoid individuation and excess. Gelassenheit asks Amish to be plain and not fancy (pp. 13-16). Business success threatens Gelassenheit. Success creates wealth differentials greater than ones in the farm-based economy. Success affects gender roles because women entrepreneurs own and operate their own enterprises. Success can mean that children receive less attention as business demands increase. Success increases the visibility and importance of business people in district churches, and has fundamental implications for the status of less wealthy but culturally more highly valued farmers.
Kraybill and Nolt do not strive for theoretical finesse but let a few well chosen concepts carry much of their argument about cultural negotiation and economic adaptation. Core values presented early surface throughout as they discuss the problems, solutions and limits of the business adaptation. Like another book that Kraybill edited, _Amish Enterprise_ "...shows no awareness of postmodern theory." (Reschly, 1997). But considering what readers the authors are apparently trying to reach, the anthropological analysis is as theoretical as it should be. That is, Kraybill and Nolt do a workmanly job explaining complex information within a framework of 1) economic behavior influenced by religious beliefs; 2) seemingly inflexible cultural norms that are malleable; and 3) ideas about the family, community and church that are specifically Amish.
The authors are academic experts on the Amish and base the book on a survey of Lancaster businesses, on intensive interviews profiling entrepreneurs and on ethnographic observation. Anthropologists, rural sociologists, microeconomists, church historians and economic development specialists will all find something interesting and insightful in it. _Amish Enterprise_ occupies the middle ground between the mass market and a thoroughly academic monograph; the contents are accessible to a wide range of readers who have a sincere interest in the Amish and their culture.
The text is well illustrated with photographs. The bibliography provides sources of further reading but it is somewhat dated. Comparative material on Amish economic adaptations elsewhere is missing and would add to the analysis. _Amish Enterprise_ is a clear, succinct and detailed discussion of a surprising change in Amish life.
Reference:
Reschly, Steven D. 1997. Review of Kraybill, D. and M. Olshan, eds. _The Amish Struggle With Modernity_. _Journal of Church and State_ 39(2):372. Spring 1997.
Book Description
William Pollard draws upon his spiritual and practical insights--and those of other business and thought leaders--to show readers that principles of faith and smart business practices are not mutually exclusive, but can unite to strengthen corporate culture and lead to extraordinary financial success.
Customer Reviews:
God and Mammon.......2007-02-27
Praise Jesus and pass the stock portfolios! Since Rick Warren and Joel Osteen have cornered the quasi-religious self-help market, Christian imprints need a new angle to get the folks back home to drop more money in the name of God. Enter C. William Pollard, here to tell us that, when Jesus instructed his disciples to give up all they owned and follow him, he was just kidding! Simply meditate on Pollard's hackneyed platitudes, then sit back and let the Holy Spirit wash away the moral ambiguity of runaway CEO salaries. If there's anything more frightening than the merger of corporatism and the state, it would be the merger of corporatism, the state, and fundamentalist Christianity.
Proving wrong the assumption that "you cannot serve both God and money".......2006-05-07
Serving Two Masters? Reflections on God and Profit wasn't exactly what I expected. As a sole proprietor, it didn't quite address my particular situation in the manner I had hoped. With the reflections contained within running an average of 3-4 pages, I also found the chapter-closing Points to Ponder sections repetitive. They do, however, serve as a handy reference point for someone who doesn't have the time to read through a full chapter. All these things considered, from a personal standpoint, I give Serving Two Masters? an average rating. That, however, would not prevent me from recommending it to someone who better falls within its intended audience: managers of corporations. Geared toward corporate America, Serving Two Masters? offers some keen insight as to how God and financial profit can coexist. It also proves wrong the following assumption: "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
An Encouraging Message From The Corner Office - "Serving Two Master? Reflections On God And Profit" by C. William Pollard.......2006-05-03
What a striking and ironic juxtaposition! On the same day that MSN.com ran an article on the ten best prisons for CEO's, Harper Collins published a book by former ServiceMaster CEO, C. William Pollard. Seeing the recent pathetic performance of Enron's Kenneth Lay in the dock trying to explain away egregious acts of misfeasance and malfeasance, it is a refreshing change to hear from a CEO who wrestled with his conscience before being prodded to do so by a Grand Jury!
In this book, that consists of a compilation of short inspirational messages that Pollard delivered to the ServiceMaster Board of Directors over the course of twenty-five years, the author leads us gently through a healthy questioning over the over-arching question: "Are principles of faith and principles of smart business practice compatible?"
ServiceMaster's formal Corporate Objectives make it clear that the company's leaders believe that it is possible to integrate these two streams of principles into one organization. The ServiceMaster vision is:
To honor God in all we do
To help people develop
To pursue excellence
And to grow profitably
"We are often asked if these four objectives are compatible. Some people believe there is an inevitable conflict between spiritual values and economic objectives. Can a person, they wonder, honor God and make a profit?" (Pages 108-109)
Through the book, Pollard answers with great clarity this rhetorical question. He offers one inspiring example and case study after another to reinforce the fact that a company can successfully navigate the tricky waters of being faithful to God while at the same time keeping faith with all of the company's stake holders.
At the heart of the ServiceMaster philosophy is the principle of "Servant Leadership."
"Several months ago, while teaching a ServiceMaster case study at Harvard Business School, I was asked by one of the students, `What is the most important trait you would look for in your successor?' My answer was, `A person who had or could develop a servant's heart.'" (Page 42)
Pollard continues his explanation of the centrality of servanthood to the ServiceMaster way of life:
"The theme of our annual report this year is `Leading and Learning by Serving.' The sculpture on the cover was created by Esther Augsburger and depicts Jesus Christ washing his disciples' feet - a striking and practical example of servant leadership. This sculpture and the granite wall behind it listing those who have contributed twenty-five years or more of service to our company, will be at the entrance of our new office facility at One ServiceMaster Way. It will be a reminder that our company has been built by those who have made career commitments to serve with a mission and a purpose." (Page 45)
Skeptics might wonder if a corporate culture in which faith in Jesus Christ is part of the public persona of the CEO is a place where those who are not practicing Christians might feel oppressed or uncomfortable. Is ServiceMaster a company that beats its employees and customers over the head with the Bible? Pollard addresses these concerns as he tells about his friend and colleague, Bisher Mufti:
"Now, for me as a follower of Jesus Christ and also a leader in this firm, I must live my faith in such a way that it is not imposed upon my colleagues, but instead can be examined, understood, and in some cases, embraced by them as they seek not only to do things right, but also to do the right thing."
"One of those colleagues and friends is currently serving as vice president of our international division with primary responsibilities for our businesses in the Middle East. Bisher Mufti joined ServiceMaster twenty-eight years ago as a young immigrant from Jordan. His first job was a second-shift floor cleaner in one of the hospitals we were serving. He has grown in our business and in his essay in this year's annual report, he specifically comments on how, as a Muslim, he has been accepted and nurture in our community. He has learned that there can be a common ground in our business for people of different faiths. It begins with `the way we respect and treat others.' As he has witnessed our values working in the lives of others and in his own life, he has concluded that the ServiceMaster objectives transcend differences and cultural backgrounds." (Pages 123-124)
This book is one that I will keep on my desktop, and refer to on a regular basis as a way of reminding me to keep my priorities in their proper order. This little gem of a volume comes with my highest recommendation. Whatever your religion, reading the thoughts of this successful business leader may help to restore your faith in the ability to succeed while maintaining ethical standards. We can all profit from such a vision and approach!
Al
Average customer rating:
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Governance Matters: Balancing Client and Staff Fulfillment in Faith-based Not-for-profit Organizations
Les Stahlke , and
Jennifer Loughlin
Manufacturer: GovernanceMatters.com, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Nonprofit Organizations & Charities
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| Business & Investing
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General
| Christian Living
| Christianity
| Religion & Spirituality
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Business
| Christian Living
| Christianity
| Religion & Spirituality
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Church Administration
| Ministry & Church Leadership
| Christianity
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ASIN: 0973368500 |
Book Description
Finally! One model for governance, leadership and management built on a foundation of biblical values and common sense. This book puts the pieces together with clarity and conviction.
Governance Matters is an extensive 368 pages of practical application built on a solid conceptual framework covering everything you need to know to build a solid governing board. It even includes a complete governance manual and a model strategic plan. This book works for secular not-for-profit as well as for faith-based organizations.
The insights, principles, and practical knowledge presented in this book extend from author Les Stahlke's 40-year professional career in leadership positions in not-for-profit organizations. His experiences and passion for his work have resulted in this compelling new book. It keeps on giving.
Book Description
Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes, and as innocent as doves. --Matthew 10:16
. . . remarkable example of practical humanities scholarship. . . .Those who lead all sorts of nonprofit organizations can benefit from this bracing encounter with political realism.
--James Wind, president, Alban Institute and author of Places to Worship
Leaders of nonprofit enterprises are often motivated by a completing vision of how the world should be. Too often, however, this prevents them from understanding and skillfully operating in the realm of pragmatic realism. For nonprofit leaders who want to succeed in their efforts to change the world without selling their souls, Jinkins and Jinkins offer a guide to pragmatic and principled politics.
This book includes case studies of the political successes and failures of talented, good-hearted leaders in a variety of roles including seminary presidents, pastors, and leaders of social service agencies. The authors show us that realistic leaders know that in the rough and tumble of the real world, we must strive to create a place where our values can be translated into policy and common life--learning how to do this is the task that confronts us.
Customer Reviews:
The Character of leadership: Political Realism and Public Vi.......2001-04-04
The character of leadership: Politic Realism and Public Virtue in nonprofit organizations
An overlooked gem.......1999-12-24
Machiavelli has been unfairly portrayed for centuries--kind of a Renaissance Dick Morris (minus the propensity for prostitutes and toe-s#&king). But the authors recognize the truth of Machiavelli's advice in the proper historical context and apply what he has to say to leadership in the modern world, especially as it relates to nonprofits. The section on determining whether your organization is a republic or a principality is worth the price of the book by itself. The authors' examples of skillful political maneuvering on behalf of worthwhile causes--not to mention bungling by well-meaning, but hopeless executives--are also enlightening.
Essentially, this book gives you some wonderfully useful strategies and ideas for making progress toward your organization's mission. You may have to learn to settle for incremental progress, for not always accomplishing everything you'd like to as soon as you'd like, but you can make a difference without compromising your values. The lessons in this book are practical for leaders of nonprofit and for-profit organizations. A little slow in parts, but well worth it overall.
Book Description
A complete tax and financial guide for churches and other nonprofit organizations, written in plain English.
Customer Reviews:
Great reference not a replacement for a professional.......2006-08-23
As an accountant, treasurer of a non-profit, and a director at a church, this book has been a great reference for me. It is pretty thorough and very readable. We also keep a copy at our accounting firm. However, with the complications of these issues, I must caution that it is not a replacement for routinely consulting a professional (such as a CPA) who is well-versed in this area.
Layman's Terms.......2006-08-21
This book is much easier to understand than the IRS publications or Tax Code. The "helpful hints" offer best practices that are easily adopted. The "10 worst mistakes" are right on in that my church's problem areas are listed as Mistake 1 and Mistake 2. As a CPA, I purchased one set for me and one set for my church so we can discuss issues over the phone while referring to the same book. This is very helpful. Thank you for the great resource.
Book Description
Why do most churches erect buildings in dilapidated neighborhoods without ever seeking to improve the conditions and appearances in those neighborhooods?
Customer Reviews:
A READER FROM OAKLAND CA. 1/27/01.......2001-01-28
WHAT A GREAT BOOK! VERY ENLIGHTEN TO PROMOTE THE LIBERATION AND SERVANT THEOLOGIES OF CHRIST. TO BRING ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT INTO THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY. HE SPEAKS ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL,SOCIAL,ECONOMIC,EDUCATIONAL,AND HEALTH NEEDS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. REBUILDING THE BLACK COMMUNITY AND ADVOCATING ECONOMIC SELF-HELP.HE SPEAKS ABOUT THE ECONOMIC INJUSTICES.I AM HAPPY THAT THERE ARE CHURCHES ADDRESSING THESE PROBLEMS.DR.WALTER MALONE,JR.ALSO GIVES A CASE STUDIES:RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS WITH MINISTRIES OF ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT.THIS BOOK IS A MUST!READ.VERY INFORMATIVE!
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- Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
- Edward in the Jungle
- Egil's Saga (Penguin Classics)
- Epicenter: Why Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future
- Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life
- Farther Than I Meant To Go, Longer Than I Meant To Stay
- Feeding the Hungry Heart: The Experience of Compulsive Eating
- Four Plays by Aristophanes: The Birds; The Clouds; The Frogs; Lysistrata (Meridian Classics)
- Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before
- God Is a Woman: Dating Disasters
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Human Side of Organizations, The
- Chairmaking & Design
- 1997: política y economia.
- A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs: Northeastern and north-central United States and southeastern and
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Common Sense For Board Members
Called to Serve: Creating and Nurturing the Effective Volunteer Board
Nonprofit Boards: Roles, Responsibilities, and Performance (Nonprofit Law, Finance, and Management Series)
The Ultimate Board Member's Book: A 1-Hour Guide to Understanding and Fulfilling Your Role and Responsibilites
Welcome to the Board: Your Guide to Effective Participation (Jossey Bass Nonprofit & Public Management Series)
