Where can I find information on nonprofit boards?

There are a number of Internet resources that specifically address issues concerning nonprofit boards, including the following:

• BoardSource (formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards), "is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations by strengthening their boards of directors." BoardSource has a Q & A file on nonprofit boards available.

• BoardnetUSA.org allows individuals to find boards on which to serve and nonprofits to find potential board members for free.

• The Internet Nonprofit Center's Nonprofit FAQ includes a section on Boards of Directors.

• CompassPoint Nonprofit Services' Nonprofit Genie features a section on board development. Visitors can also subscribe to "Board Cafe," a monthly e-mail newsletter discussing board issues.

• The Nonprofit Manager's Library includes a section on Boards of Directors. Visitors can view sample job descriptions for board members, guidelines for recruiting members, and so on.

• The Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, which provides more than 7,000 tips and resources organized into ten topic areas, has a section on nonprofit board governance.

The following publications address nonprofit board issues including the nature of nonprofit board obligations:

• Andringa, Robert C. and Ted W. Engstrom. Nonprofit Board Answer Book: Practical Guidelines for Board Members and Chief Executives. Expanded edition. Washington, DC: BoardSource, 2002.

• Andringa, Robert C., Outi Flynn, and Sandra R. Sabo. Nonprofit Board Answer Book II: Beyond the Basics. Washington, DC: BoardSource, 2002.

• Carver, John. Boards that Make a Difference. 3rd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Publishers, 1997.

• Carver, John. John Carver on Board Leadership: Selected Readings From the Creator of the World's Most Provocative and Systematic Governance Model. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2002.

• Chandler, Linda C. "Beyond Political Correctness: Discovery the Benefits of Board Diversity." Association Management 57 (January 2005) p. 29-30, 32.

• Ellis, Susan J. The Nonprofit Board's Role in Maximizing Volunteer Resources. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Nonprofit Boards, 1999.

• "Face Off: Board Member Compensation." Board Member 13 (March 2004) p. 6-8.

• Farr, Lona M. "Helping Board Members Understand Their Roles." New Directions for Philanthropic Fundraising 44 (Summer 2004) p. 105-25.

• Flynn, Outi. Meet Smarter: A Guide to Better Nonprofit Board Meetings. Washington, DC: BoardSource, 2004.

• Gill, Mel, Robert J. Flynn, and Elke Reissing. "The Governance Self-Assessment Checklist: An Instrument for Assessing Board Effectiveness." Nonprofit Management & Leadership 15 (Spring 2005) p. 271-94.

• Houle, Cyril O. Governing Boards: Their Nature and Nurture. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Publishers, 1989.

• Howe, Fisher. The Nonprofit Leadership Team: Building the Board-Executive Director Partnership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2004.

• Inglis, Sue, Ted Alexander and Liz Weaver. "Roles and Responsibilities of Community Nonprofit Boards." Nonprofit Management & Leadership (Winter 1999) p. 153-167.

• Nizankiewicz, Michael J. "Building the Best Board." Association Management 57 (January 2005) p. 22-24, 25.

• O'Connell, Brian. The Board Member's Book: Making a Difference in Voluntary Organizations. 3rd ed. New York: The Foundation Center, 2003.

• Regelbrugge, Laurie. Making the Most of Corporate Foundation Boards: Strategies and Practices. Washington, DC: Council on Foundations, 2001.

• Roth, Kimberlee. "Past Presence." Chronicle of Philanthropy 17 (14 April 2005) p. 30-1.

• Werther, William B., Jr. and Even M. Berman. "Leading the transformation of boards." Nonprofit World 22 (March-April 2004) p. 9, 11-3.

• Zimmerman, Robert M. and Ann W. Lehman. Boards That Love Fundraising: A How-To Guide for Your Board. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2004.

For more books and articles on nonprofit boards, try searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL), the Center's bibliographic database. You could start searching on the subject "Board members".

Many of the books and articles found through CNL can be located in Center Libraries and some Cooperating Collections It is best to call ahead to verify a specific library's holdings.

To learn more about nonprofit boards, attend our Your Board and Fundraising: An Introductory Class for Small Nonprofits or Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits, both free one and a half-hour classes. Building a Fundraising Board is a fee-based full-day course developed in partnership with BoardSource and shows you how to work most effectively with your board to raise money.

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