Weekly Picks

2010 Publications of the Week

December 19, 2010 - January 1, 2011

The Influential Fundraiser: Using the Psychology of Persuasion to Achieve Outstanding Results by Bernard Ross and Clare Segal

From the publisher: With the explosion of uninspired e-mail solicitations, dull fundraising dinners, and cookie-cutter direct mail campaigns, donors are demanding a new, personalized approach when being asked for money. Drawing on the authors' practical experience and the most current psychological and neurological research, The Influential Fundraiser offers a wealth of approaches that will help fundraisers make significant and successful creative "asks" for money from donors . . . in person. Written by Bernard Ross and Clare Segal—two leading experts in the field of international nonprofit fundraising—the book offers step-by-step guidance for gaining confidence and learning the necessary skills and techniques fundraisers must have to build successful relationships and raise substantial amounts of money. Written in an accessible, engaging style, The Influential Fundraiser will help you to be both highly effective and very flexible. The 5P model outlined in the book—Passion, Proposal, Preparation, Persuasion, and Persistence—will help fundraisers and volunteers learn invaluable skills needed for fundraising success. The Influential Fundraiser is international in scope and includes helpful suggestions for dealing with a wide range of cultural and diversity issues.

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December 12 - 18, 2010

The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods by John McKnight and Peter Block

From the publisher: There is a growing movement of people with a different vision for their local communities. They know that real satisfaction and the good life are not provided by organizations, institutions, or systems. No number of great CEO’s, central offices, or long range plans produce what a community can produce. People are discovering a new possibility for their lives. They have a calling. They are called. And together they call upon themselves.

This possibility is idealistic, and yet it is an ideal within our grasp. It is a possibility that is both idealistic and realistic. Our culture leads us to believe that a satisfying life can be purchased. It tells us that in the place where we live, we don't have the resources to create a good life. This book reminds us that a neighborhood that can raise a child, provide security, sustain our health, secure our income, and care for our vulnerable people is within the power of our community.  This book gives voice to our ideal of a beloved community. It reminds us of our power to create a hope-filled life. It assures us that when we join together with our neighbors we are the architects of the future where we want to live. For nearly three decades, John McKnight has conducted research on social service delivery systems, health policy, community organizations, neighborhood policy, and institutional racism. He currently directs research projects focused on asset-based neighborhood development and methods of community building by incorporating marginalized people. John serves on the Board of Directors of numerous community organizations including the Gamaliel Foundation and The National Training and Information Center. McKnight is a professor of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. Peter Block is an author, consultant. His work is about empowerment, stewardship, chosen accountability, and the reconciliation of community. He’s the author of Flawless Consulting, Stewardship, The Answer to How is Yes, and Community.

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December 5 - 11, 2010

The Change Leader's Roadmap: How to Navigate Your Organization's Transformation, 2nd Edition by Linda Ackerman Anderson and Dean Anderson

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November 28 - December 4, 2010

Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire: A Roadmap to a Sustainable Culture of Ingenuity and Purpose by Braden Kelley

From the publisher: Every successful organization began as a nimble, innovative start-up with the ability to course-correct and quickly adapt to the needs of its customers. But along the way, success and growth may have caused changes in the structure, the culture, and sometimes even the vision of the business. Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire equips your organization to identify and remove those barriers to innovation that have prevented it from achieving sustainable growth and change. Filled with case studies and proven guidance, this book evolves leading innovation theories into coherent, practical applications that you can implement in reinvigorating your own organization. In today's fast-paced marketplace, those unwilling to change are often left behind. With an interactive Web site including health checks and an innovation audit, as well as video and text interviews, Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire provides you with the tools you need to reframe your business's innovation strategy and goals and successfully supply the marketplace with revolutionary solutions to your customers' issues.

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November 21 - 27, 2010

Developing a Learning Culture in Nonprofit Organizations by Stephen J. Gill

From the publisher: How can today’s nonprofits demonstrate effective use of funds? How can they motivate employees and volunteers and combat burnout and high turnover? How can they ensure that they are performing in accordance with their mission and purpose? Author Stephen J. Gill answers these questions and more in Developing a Learning Culture in Nonprofit Organizations. Filled with practical tips and tools, the book shows students and managers of human services, arts, education, civic, and environmental agencies how to implement a learning culture with individuals, teams, the organization as a whole, and the larger community. Key features include:

	Demonstrates how to create a culture of intentional learning that uses reflection and feedback, focuses on successes and failures, and builds a strong organization that motivates employees and volunteers
	Offers specific, hands-on tools for each level of the organization, from the individual and team to the whole organization and the community
	Discusses not only the need for a learning culture but also the barriers that may stand in the way
	Takes a step-by-step approach that facilitates managers’ and students' understanding and learning
	Incorporates practical tools that can be used in nonprofit management and in actual field instruction

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November 14 - 20, 2010

The Nonprofit Marketing Guide: High-Impact, Low-Cost Ways to Build Support for Your Good Cause by Kivi Leroux Miller

From  the publisher: This down-to-earth book shows how to hack through the bewildering jungle of marketing options and miles-long to-do lists to clear a marketing path that's right for your organization, no matter how understaffed or underfunded. You'll see how to shape a marketing program that starts from where you are now and grows with your organization, using smart and savvy communications techniques, both offline and online. Combining big-picture management and strategic decision-making with reader-friendly tips for implementing a marketing program day in and day out, this book provides a simple yet powerful framework for building support for your organization's mission and programs.

	Includes cost-effective strategies and proven tactics for nonprofits
	An ideal resource for thriving during challenging times
	Fast, friendly, and realistic advice to help you navigate the day-by-day demands of any nonprofit

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November 7 - 13, 2010

Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability by Jeanne Bell, Jan Masaoka and  Steve Zimmerman

From the publisher: Co-authored by CompassPoint's Jeanne Bell, Blue Avocado's Jan Masaoka and Spectrum's Steve Zimmerman, this new book offers nonprofit executives and board members a simple yet powerful framework for analyzing and adjusting their business models for greater organizational sustainability.  It introduces the Matrix Map, a practical tool for determining the current impact and financial performance of core programs and fundraising activities.  It also provides guidance on how leaders can make strategic business decisions on an as-needed basis, rather than wait for episodic strategic planning.

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October 31 - November 6, 2010

The Politics of Partnerships: A Critical Examination of Nonprofit-Business Partnerships by Maria May Seitanidi

From the publisher: The Politics of Partnerships contributes to the sustainability debate a holistic framework for partnership building, based on in-depth accounts of ways and means of collaborative working to incorporate conflict as a successful way of delivering change. This is a must read book for the business community but equally for the non-profits and governments. Seitanidi's book urges us to step up to the challenge of accepting and adapting our responsibilities within our increasingly beyond boundaries social realities. Based on detailed empirical research, Seitanidi shows us the reality behind the rhetoric of partnerships. This book is animated by a profound belief in the necessity for social change and shows us how partnerships can make a real difference, but also why they so often under perform. ... An outstanding book that combines theory with practice and provides both context and challenges to our understanding of the complexity of the ethos of very different sectors and how they can work together. This is a vital book for all private sector managers engaged in voluntary sector relations and vice versa on how to do it properly.  

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October 24 - 30, 2010

Renewal Coaching: Sustainable Change for Individuals and Organizations by Douglas B. Reeves and Elle Allison

From the publisher: Renewal Coaching provides a series of personal assessments that will guide individuals and teams through the seven stages of renewal. Each assessment includes both survey and narrative responses, and readers can use the journal pages in the text or convenient on-line formats to respond. The Renewal Coaching framework consists of these seven elements: Recognition Finding patterns of toxicity and renewal; Reality Confronting change killers in work and life; Reciprocity Coaching in harmony; Resilience Coaching through pain; Relationship Nurturing the personal elements of coaching; Resonance Coaching with emotional intelligence; Renewal Creating energy, meaning, and freedom to sustain the Journey.

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October 17 - 23, 2010

The Five Most Important Questions Self Assessment Tool: Participant Workbook, 3rd Edition by Peter F. Drucker, Leader to Leader Institute

From the publisher: The new edition of this transformational tool offers leaders a critical resource for better understanding their organizations and themselves, honing their skills to become accomplished long-range planners and strategic thinkers. By working through the Participant Workbook, leaders will gain the insight needed to plan for results, learn from customers and clients, and ascertain how to achieve extraordinary levels of performance. The Participant Workbook draws on Peter F. Drucker's The Five Most Important Questions and is grounded in his management philosophies that address the critical aspects that make organizations viable and valuable entities. When leaders answer these questions thoughtfully and address them with purpose, these questions take one down a path to organizational transformation and enlightenment. By leveraging these essential questions, the Participant Workbook challenges leaders to take a close look at the very heart of their organization and what drives it, giving them a means to assess: how to be and how to develop quality, character, mind-set, values, and courage. Drucker's The Five Most Important Questions lead to spirited discussions and action, inspiring positive change and renewed focus. Designed for today's busy professionals, this concise, clear, and accessible workbook for social sector, nonprofit, and socially minded business and government leaders can be used as preparation for a workshop, organizational self-assessment, or as a stand-alone leadership development tool for individuals looking to develop themselves and their organizations.

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October 10 - 16, 2010

Women and Philanthropy: Boldly Shaping a Better World by Sondra Shaw-Hardy, Martha A. Taylor, Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz and Debra Mesch

From the publisher: Women's philanthropy has led the way in virtually reinventing the world of fundraising and ways of giving. When women make a gift, are in a leadership position, or volunteer their time to a nonprofit or charitable organization, they tend to base their efforts on solid principles such as compassion, values, vision, and responsibility. Women are increasingly engaged in giving circles, global giving, transformative gifts, entrepreneurial giving, faith-based giving, family and couple giving, and social change gifts. Based on extensive interviews and the authors' combined half century of experience, Women and Philanthropy shares new ways to better engage women in giving, as well as insights into developing women leaders in the nonprofit arena, and advises women seeking to develop as philanthropic leaders and shape the future for the better. Women and Philanthropy explores women's philanthropic endeavors, offering a wealth of information on key topics such as how and why women give, what it takes to develop a gender-sensitive fundraising program, how to develop a strategic plan to involve women as leaders and donors, and suggestions for working with women of wealth.

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October 3 - 9, 2010

Leading the Way to Successful Volunteer Involvement: Practical Tools for Busy Executives by Betty B. Stallings and Susan J. Ellis

From the publisher: Lay the foundation for achieving impact with volunteer engagement! Move forward from thinking "volunteers are nice to have" to initiating strategic plans for engaging community members as key ingredients in accomplishing your organization's mission. Hit the ground running with step-by-step worksheets, checklists, idea stimulators, real life examples, self-inquiry assessments, and other practical how-to tools to:

	Develop a philosophy statement about volunteers and make it a mantra for everyone in the organization
	Create a budget for volunteer involvement
	Secure funding for volunteer engagement
	Write a position description (and pick the right title, salary, and placement) for a director of volunteer involvement
	Integrate support for volunteers into every unit and department of your organization
	Assess staff training needs for working with volunteers, and much more

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September 26 - October 2, 2010

Advanced Facilitation Strategies: Tools & Techniques to Master Difficult Situations by Ingrid Bens

From the publisher: From Ingrid Bens, the author of the best-selling book Facilitating with Ease!, comes the next-step resource for project leaders, managers, community leaders, teachers, and other facilitators who want to hone their skills in order to deal with complex situations. Advanced Facilitation Strategies is a field guide that offers practical strategies and techniques for working with challenging everyday situations. These proven strategies and techniques are based on experience gleaned from hundreds of facilitated activities in organizations of all sizes and in all sectors. Both novice and seasoned facilitators who have had firsthand experience designing and leading meetings will benefit from this reality-based playbook. Advanced Facilitation Strategies is filled with the information facilitators need to:

	Become better at diagnosing facilitation assignments and creating effective process designs
	Broaden their repertoire of tools to make impromptu design changes whenever they are needed
	Learn to be more resilient and confident when dealing with dysfunctional situations and difficult people

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September 19 - 25, 2010

ROI For Nonprofits: The New Key to Sustainability by Tom Ralser

From the publisher: Nonprofits face the same challenges as for-profits when it comes to raising money and keeping investors happy. When investors in nonprofits are shown that their money is making a difference-that their investment is paying off-they are more likely to keep investing. Written by Tom Ralser-a CFA uniquely qualified to apply ROI methodologies to the nonprofit sector-ROI For Nonprofits: The Key to Nonprofit Sustainability details the methods and processes your nonprofit can effectively use to demonstrate the value of your organization's efforts. Filled with an abundance of case studies as well as pragmatic tips, tools, and methods used successfully by hundreds of nonprofits, this practical book covers topics including

	Defining ROI
	The Leverage of Investors
	Learning from the For-Profit World
	Moving to an Investment-based Mindset
	Treating Investors as Investors

Your nonprofit's prospective investors want to know "What are you accomplishing with my money?" ROI For Nonprofits: The Key to Nonprofit Sustainability offers you immediately useful concepts that accentuate, enhance, and augment solid fundraising and represents a major change in how to capitalize on the motivations of those who are likely to invest in your organization.

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September 12 - 18, 2010

Supporting the Decision to Join: What Association Boards Should Know and Do About Membership and Affiliation by James Dalton

From the Publisher: Third in the blockbuster companion series that includes The Decision to Join and The Decision to Volunteer, this brand new, leader-friendly title provides the intelligence your board needs to drive member loyalty, and engage in strategic deliberation and intelligence-based decision making. It's grounded in sound research mined from the 2007 ASAE & The Center study. Author James Dalton studied the responses for board-level implications then added his authoritative insights. As a result you get the know-how to inspire value proposition dialogue and membership strategy in your board members. Clearly this is a resource containing intelligence-based research--buy it for your board members today. No board member should fulfill his or her role without it.

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September 5 - 11, 2010

Nonprofit Law for Religious Organizations: Essential Questions & Answers by Bruce R. Hopkins and David Middlebrook

From the publisher: Nonprofit Law for Religious Organizations: Essential Questions & Answers is a hands-on guide to the most pertinent and critical legal issues facing those who lead and manage religious tax-exempt organizations with an emphasis on tax, employment, property and constitutional law. This timely book is a response to the need for guidance, direction, and clarification of legal and tax laws affecting churches and other religious organizations.

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August 22 - September 4, 2010

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

From the publisher: Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? The primary obstacle is a conflict that’s built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort—but if it is overcome, change can come quickly. In Switch, the Heaths show how everyday people—employees and managers, parents and nurses—have united both minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic results. In a compelling, story-driven narrative, the Heaths bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can effect transformative change. Switch shows that successful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you, whether your interest is in changing the world or changing your waistline.

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August 15 - 21, 2010

Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder  and Yves Pigneur

From the publisher: Business Model Generation is a handbook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers striving to defy outmoded business models and design tomorrow's enterprises. If your organization needs to adapt to harsh new realities, but you don't yet have a strategy that will get you out in front of your competitors, you need Business Model Generation. Co-created by 470 "Business Model Canvas" practitioners from 45 countries, the book features a beautiful, highly visual, 4-color design that takes powerful strategic ideas and tools, and makes them easy to implement in your organization. It explains the most common Business Model patterns, based on concepts from leading business thinkers, and helps you reinterpret them for your own context. You will learn how to systematically understand, design, and implement a game-changing business model--or analyze and renovate an old one. Along the way, you'll understand at a much deeper level your customers, distribution channels, partners, revenue streams, costs, and your core value proposition.

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August 8 - 14, 2010

The Social Media Marketing Book by Dan Zarrella

From the publisher: The Social Media Marketing Book guides you through the maze of communities, platforms, and social media tools so you can decide which ones to use, and how to use them most effectively. With an objective approach and clear, straightforward language, Dan Zarrella shows you how to plan and implement campaigns intelligently, and then measure results and track return on investment. Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to the social web, this book will take you beyond the jargon to social media marketing mastery.

	Make sense of this complicated environment with the help of screenshots, graphs, and visual explanations
	Understand the history and culture of each social media type, including features, functionality, and protocols
	Get clear-cut explanations of the methods you need to trigger viral marketing successes
	Choose the technologies and marketing tactics most relevant to your campaign goals
	Learn how to set specific goals for your campaigns and evaluate them according to key performance indicators

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August 1 - 7, 2010

Streetsmart Financial Basics for Nonprofit Managers, 3rd Edition by Thomas A. McLaughlin

From the publisher: Tom McLaughlin is a proven master at making the daunting concepts of nonprofit financial management clear and engaging. This book is a superb introduction for new nonprofit executives, board members, and students. It is also an excellent refresher and reference for those who have been around the nonprofit sector for a while. It is well written, concise, and thought provoking. As nonprofits strive for greater accountability, Tom McLaughlin's real-world examples and accessible style make this book indispensable for nonprofit executives, managers, and board members at organizations of any size.

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July 25 - 31, 2010

Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Strategic Approach, 3rd Edition by Joan E. Pynes

From the publisher: Public and nonprofit organizations face difficult challenges today that make the strategic management of human resources crucial. This book shows how to integrate HR practices with the mission of their organization. An accessible tool complete with an instructor s manual, this book provides an integrated approach to current HR concerns and is unique in its focus on both public and nonprofit agencies. Offering guidance and techniques for implementing effective human resource management strategies job analysis, performance evaluation, recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and benefits, and collective bargaining Pynes demonstrates how strategic human resources management is essential to proactively managing change.

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July 18 - 24, 2010

The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting With Social Media to Drive Change by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine

From the publisher: This groundbreaking book shows nonprofits a new way of operating in our increasingly connected world: a networked approach enabled by social technologies, where connections are leveraged to increase impact in effective ways that drive change for the betterment of our society and planet. Named one of the most influential women in technology by Fast Company and one of BusinessWeek's "Voices of Innovation for Social Media," Beth Kanter is the author of Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media. Allison H. Fine is the author of Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age, which was the winner of the 2007 Terry McAdams National Nonprofit Book Award.

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July 11 - 17, 2010

Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business by Nancy Lublin

From Publishers Weekly: Lublin, CEO of the youth volunteering organization Do Something and founder of Dress for Success, shows organizations how to get more done with less of everything, especially money and personnel, while keeping innovation, passion, and creativity high. Sharing insightful stories and strategies from her own experiences and from stars in the not-for-profit world such as Billy Shore from Share Our Strength, Wendy Kopp from Teach for America, and John Lilly from Mozilla, she debunks the most prevalent myth in business today—that salary drives great performance and stellar productivity. She proposes that companies broaden their rewards and their understanding of compensation so that people become deeply motivated to excel and offers techniques for extracting the best from people including creating a stimulating workplace, offering skill development, and doling out titles liberally. She also shares advice on branding, doing more for customers, stretching finances, and more. Concluding each chapter with 11 questions to prompt creativity in specific areas, she propels readers on the road to positive change. Inspiring, wise, and eminently practical, this book distills the best practices that any company—private or public—can adopt, and that no leader should be without.

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June 20 - July 10, 2010

The Leadership Challenge, 4th Edition by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

From the publisher: The most trusted resource on becoming a leader is now updated and revised for a new generation. This leadership classic continues to be a bestseller after three editions and twenty years in print. It is the gold standard for research-based leadership, and the premier resource on becoming a leader. This new edition, with streamlined text, more international and business examples, and a graphic redesign, is more readable and accessible than ever before. The Leadership Challenge, Fourth Edition, has been extensively updated with the latest research and case studies, and offers inspiring new stories of real people achieving extraordinary results. The authors' central theme remains the same and is more relevant today than ever: "Leadership is Everyone s Business." Their "five practices" and "ten commitments" have been proven by hundreds of thousands of dedicated, successful leaders. This edition, with almost one-third new material, emphasizes the global community and refocuses on business leaders.

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June 13 - 19, 2010

A Carver Policy Governance Guide, Volume 2, Ends and the Ownership, Revised and Updated by John Carver and Miriam Carver

From the publisher: Ends and the Ownership helps boards distinguish between what an organization is for and what it does (ends versus means)—a basic feature of the innovative Policy Governance model. This important guide also discusses the concept of ownership and includes sample policies that can help board members effectively prioritize and govern. The Policy Governance model is based on the functions rather than the structure of a governing board. It outlines commonsense principles about governing that fit together into an entire system. The practices of the Policy Governance board, which are consistent with the principles, allow it to control without meddling, focus on long-term organizational outputs, powerfully delegate to a CEO and staff, and discharge its fiduciary responsibility in a visionary, strategic manner.

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June 6 - 12, 2010

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable About Destroying the Barriers That Turn Colleagues Into Competitors by Patrick M. Lencioni

From the publisher: In yet another page-turner, New York Times best-selling author and acclaimed management expert Patrick Lencioni addresses the costly and maddening issue of silos, the barriers that create organizational politics. Silos devastate organizations, kill productivity, push good people out the door, and jeopardize the achievement of corporate goals. As with his other books, Lencioni writes Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars as a fictional—but eerily realistic—story. The story is about Jude Cousins, an eager young management consultant struggling to launch his practice by solving one of the more universal and frustrating problems faced by his clients. Through trial and error, he develops a simple yet ground-breaking approach for helping them transform confusion and infighting into clarity and alignment.

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May 30 - June 5, 2010

The Executive Director's Guide to Thriving as a Nonprofit Leader, 2nd Edition by Mim Carlson and Margaret Donohoe

From the publisher: The Executive Director's Guide to Thriving as a Nonprofit Leader not only clearly and concisely identifies the most critical issues of nonprofit leadership, but it also provides the resources and answers to those challenges. It will be required reading for both the most seasoned executive as well as the emerging leader. The Executive Director’s Guide was developed to provide nonprofit Executive Directors and CEOs — and those who work with them — tools, resources, and insights to strengthen the individual, the profession, and the entire nonprofit sector. The Executive Director’s Guide provides practical insights to help Executive Directors navigate the complex position they are in, and find practical ways to deal with some of the obstacles they are most likely to face along the way. this book will increase Executive Director’s resilience, help them explore new ways of managing and leading their unique organizations, find their own path to personal and organizational balance, and thrive fully as nonprofit leaders. It is a highly readable and practical road map for success.

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May 23 - 29, 2010

Building Strong Nonprofits: New Strategies for Growth and Sustainability edited by John C. Olberding and Lisa Barnwell Williams

From the publisher: Utilizing the extensive expertise of leading fundraising consulting firm Skystone Ryan's executive leadership team and managing consultants to explore and illuminate the most timely issues facing the philanthropic community, Building Strong Nonprofits: New Strategies for Growth and Sustainability identifies new opportunities to define the future of philanthropy.

	Includes notable contributors from the Skystone Ryan leadership team
	Analyzes the most potent trends and developments and interpret their implications for the future of philanthropy
	Offers eight to twelve essays, each by a different Skystone Ryan consultant with particular experience, insight, and expertise in the area

Building Strong Nonprofits: New Strategies for Growth and Sustainability is for you, whether you are a nonprofit leader, executive director, board member, or development director, and are becoming aware that new organizational strategies are called for if the same old donors are not supportive in the same old ways.

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May 16 - 22, 2010

Fundraising Principles and Practice by Adrian Sargeant and Jen Shang

From the publisher: This books offers a definitive text on the vital topic fundraising. It provides students of fundraising and nonprofit professionals access to the most relevant theories and includes concrete examples of modern fundraising practice. The book contains clear learning objectives, recommended readings, case studies, summary self-test questions, and exercises at the end of each chapter. The Principles and Practice of Fundraising comprehensively addresses all the major forms of fundraising and critical topics such as donor behavior and fundraising planning. Adrian Sargeant is the world's foremost fundraising scholar. This text will be invaluable to the beginner, but new research findings mean it should also be a must read for established practitioners.

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May 9 - 15, 2010

Designing a Not-for-Profit Compensation System by JoAnn Senger

From the publisher:  Written by recognized not-for-profit human resource specialist JoAnn Senger, Designing a Not-For-Profit Compensation System provides a step-by-step method to help human resource professionals design and manage a successful compensation system for any public or not-for-profit organization. When it comes to compensation systems, the not-for-profit sector is rife with complexities, including legislative approval requirements and the board of directors' direct involvement in compensation matters. Addressing these and other unique obstacles, Designing a Not-For-Profit Compensation System:

	Defines various types of not-for-profit and public organizations
	Identifies current types of compensation structures
	Identifies organizational characteristics influencing the usefulness of each structure, including the organization's budgeting and accounting processes and timetables
	Covers maintenance for all compensation structures and the interaction among organizational units
	Details the usefulness of each compensation structure, including midpoint calculations, rate adjustments, variable pay, and market surveys

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May 2 - 8, 2010

Transparency: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor by Warren Bennis, Daniel Goleman, James O'Toole, and Patricia Ward Biederman

From the publisher: In Transparency, the authors, a powerhouse trio in the field of leadership, look at what conspires against "a culture of candor" in organizations to create disastrous results, and suggest ways that leaders can achieve healthy and honest openness. They explore the lightning-rod concept of "transparency" which has fast become the buzzword not only in business and corporate settings but in government and the social sector as well.

Together Bennis, Goleman, and O'Toole explore why the containment of truth is the dearest held value of far too many organizations and suggest practical ways that organizations, their leaders, their members, and their boards can achieve openness. After years of dedicating themselves to research and theory, at first separately, and now jointly, these three leadership giants reveal the multifaceted importance of candor and show what promotes transparency and what hinders it. They describe how leaders often stymie the flow of information and the structural impediments that keep information from getting where it needs to go. This vital resource is written for any organization, business, government, and nonprofit that must achieve a culture of candor, truth, and transparency.

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April 25 - May 1, 2010

Volunteers: A Social Profile by Marc A. Musick  and John Wilson

From the publisher: Who tends to volunteer and why? What causes attract certain types of volunteers? What motivates people to volunteer? How can volunteers be persuaded to continue their service? Making use of a broad range of survey information to offer a detailed portrait of the volunteer in America, Volunteers provides an important resource for everyone who works with volunteers or is interested in their role in contemporary society. Mark A. Musick and John Wilson address issues of volunteer motivation by focusing on individuals' subjective states, their available resources, and the influence of gender and race. In a section on social context, they reveal how volunteer work is influenced by family relationships and obligations through the impact of schools, churches, and communities. They consider cross-national differences in volunteering and historical trends, and close with consideration of the research on the organization of volunteer work and the consequences of volunteering for the volunteer.

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April 18 - 24, 2010

Succeeding at Social Enterprise: Hard-Won Lessons for Nonprofits and Social Entrepreneurs by the Social Enterprise Alliance

From the publisher: From the Social Enterprise Alliance, the organization dedicated to building a robust social enterprise field, comes Succeeding at Social Enterprise. This practical guide is filled with the best practices, tools, guidance, models and successful cases for leaders (and future leaders) of social ventures and enterprises. A groundbreaking work, it brings together the knowledge and experience of social enterprise pioneers in the field and some of today's most successful social entrepreneurs to show what it takes to implement and run an effective social venture or organization. Succeeding at Social Enterprise focuses on real life examples, lessons learned and the core competencies that are needed to run a social venture in a nonprofit, highlighting such skills as managing and leading, business planning, marketing and sales, and accounting.

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April 11 - 17, 2010

The Power of Legacy and Planned Gifts: How Nonprofits and Donors Work Together to Change the World by Kevin Johnson

From the publisher: The Power of Legacy and Planned Gifts provides practical knowledge and tools nonprofits need to connect with loyal donors, resulting in a stream of future income that will sustain and advance their mission. Filled with illustrative real-world examples and cases, as well as worksheets to guide the reader, the book details a simple, multi-stage process for nonprofits to build a pipeline of future bequest income and offers donors perspective on making their gifts in a way that will best accomplish their goals.

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April 4 - 10, 2010

The 10 Laws of Career Reinvention: Essential Survival Skills for Any Economy  by Pamela Mitchell

From the publisher: In The 10 Laws of Career Reinvention, America's Reinvention Coach(r) Pamela Mitchell offers every tool readers need to navigate the full arc of career change. Part I introduces the Reinvention Mindset, with what you need to know to be prepared mentally to get started. In Part II, you read the real-life stories of ten individuals who successfully made the leap to new and unexpected careers, using the 10 laws. Each story is followed by an in-depth lesson that explains how to adapt these laws to your own career goals, and what actions and precautions to take. The lessons answer all your tactical concerns about navigating the roadblocks, getting traction and managing your fears. The final section provides workbook exercises for fine-tuning your reinvention strategies for maximum results. Clear-headed, calming, practical, and thorough, this is the ideal action plan for getting through any career crisis and ending up securely in the lifestyle you've always dreamed of having.

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March 28 - April 3, 2010

Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart Communications by Sarah Durham

From the publisher: In the current economic climate, nonprofits need to focus on ways to stand out from the crowd, win charitable dollars, and survive the downturn. Effective, mission-focused communications can help organizations build strong identities, heightened reputations, and increased fundraising capability. Brandraising outlines a mission-driven approach to communications and marketing, specifically designed to boost fundraising efforts. This book provides tools and guidance for nonprofits seeking to transform their communications and marketing through smart positioning, branding, campaigns, and materials that leverage solid strategy and great creative, with a unique focus on the intersection of communications and fundraising.

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March 21 - 27, 2010

Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Leaders edited by Holly Ross, Katrin Verclas and Alison Levine

From the publisher: Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission is a practical resource that will help nonprofit professionals make smart, strategic decisions about technology. The book shows how to effectively manage technology and offers practical advice for decision makers and staff alike who often have little or no experience with technology. With contributions from the top experts in the nonprofit technology field, this must-have guide addresses technology planning and people. It includes the tools you need to get the work done, and the knowledge that will help you communicate better, evaluate technology investments, raise money, and more. Written in nontechnical language the book covers a broad spectrum of topics including:

	Achieving IT Alignment with Your Mission Steve Heye, YMCA of the USA
	Managing Technology Change Dahna Goldstein, PhilanTech
	Measuring the Return on Investment of Technology Beth Kanter, trainer, blogger and consultant
	IT Planning and Prioritizing Peter Campbell, Earthjustice
	Finding and Keeping the Right PeopleJames L. Weinberg and Cassie Scarano, Commongood Careers
	Budgeting For and Funding Technology Scott McCallum and Keith R. Thode, Aidmatrix Foundation and more.

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March 14 - 20, 2010

The Jossey-Bass Reader on Nonprofit and Public Leadership Jossey-Bass Publishers by James L. Perry (Editor)

From the publisher: An ideal resource for students and professionals, this comprehensive reader offers a diverse collection of the foremost writings on leadership and management in the public and nonprofit sectors. The book includes previously published essays, articles and extracts from leading books and periodicals, framed and vetted by author and professor James L. Perry. The anthology covers a wide range of topics, offering a third sector perspective on the general leadership questions essential to any manager--principles and practices of leadership, organizational change, corporate culture, communication, efficiency, ethics--as well as issues unique to public and nonprofit organizations--understanding leadership roles in the nonprofit world, founder vs. ED relationships, board leadership, alternative and collaborative leadership, strategic management, sustainability, and the future of leadership.

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March 7 - 13, 2010

Leading Across Boundaries: Creating Collaborative Agencies in a Networked World, Updated and Expanded Edition by Russell M. Linden

From the publisher: In our complex environment, nonprofit organizations and public agencies must work together collaboratively and cut across organizational boundaries if they are to solve today's tough problems. Leading Across Boundaries offers a stimulating and highly accessible guide for leaders of nonprofit and governmental organizations who want to develop successful and lasting partnerships. Written by Russell Linden, an expert in the field of organizational change, this important resource shows how to make collaboration work in real-world situations. Linden explores the interpersonal and organizational forces that can inhibit collaboration and offers strategies for overcoming these often daunting challenges.

Created as a companion to Linden's Working Across Boundaries, this book is filled with illustrative examples of collaborations–both successful ventures and those that have failed.

Leading Across Boundaries offers public managers and nonprofit leaders a wealth of new material, case studies, and instructive international examples. In-depth case studies–drawn from education, health and human services, law enforcement, finance, intelligence agencies, the arts, and other fields–are available online.

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February 28 - March 6, 2010

Generating and Sustaining Nonprofit Earned Income edited by Sharon M. Oster, Cynthia W. Massarsky, and Samantha L. Beinhacker

From the publisher: Generating and Sustaining Nonprofit Earned Income is the essential hands-on guide for helping your organization achieve greater financial stability through a diversified stream of revenue. In collaboration with the Yale School of Management – The Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures, this important resource identifies best practices for generating a reliable earned income stream and ultimately freeing your organization from excessive dependence on foundations and other donors. In this book, editors Sharon M. Oster, Cynthia W. Massarsky, and Samantha L. Beinhacker collect the best thinking from the business, nonprofit, and government sectors on how to establish and manage an earned income venture. Generating and Sustaining Nonprofit Earned Income is filled with concrete lessons and sound business strategies that can significantly benefit your organization’s internal capacity and financial health. The book covers a wealth of topics. If your organization has done its pre-testing and feasibility analysis and is ready to start operating an earned income venture, this is the book for you.

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February 21- 27, 2010

The Power of Social Innovation: How Civic Entrepreneurs Ignite Community Networks for Good by Stephen Goldsmith, Gigi Georges and Tim Glynn Burke

From the publisher: Civic leaders across the U.S. and throughout the world are discovering creative ways to overcome the obstacles that seal the doors of opportunity for too many.

These inspiring individuals believe that within our communities lie the entrepreneurial spirit, compassion, and resources to make progress in such critical areas as education, housing, and economic self-reliance. The Power of Social Innovation offers public officials, social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and individual citizens the insights and skills to create healthier communities and promote innovative solutions to public and social problems. This seminal work is based on Stephen Goldsmith's decades of experience, extensive ongoing research, and interviews with 100+ top leaders from a wide variety of sectors. Goldsmith shows that everyday citizens can themselves produce extraordinary social change. The Power of Social Innovation features illustrative case studies of change-oriented philanthropists, public officials, and civic leaders. While all collaborate across sectors, they run both start-ups and established organizations such as the New York City public schools, United Way of America, the United Negro College Fund, and Teach For America. The book shows the catalyzing role each plays in transforming a community's social service delivery systems. To complement the book's myriad tools and case studies, The Power of Social Innovation web site www.powerofsocialinnovation.com provides links to relevant Harvard research as well as additional helpful resources.

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February 14 - 20, 2010

The Power of Collaborative Solutions: Six Principles and Effective Tools for Building Healthy Communities by Tom Wolff

From the publisher: In this groundbreaking book, Tom Wolff spells out six proven principles for creating collaborative solutions for healthy communities. The Power of Collaborative Solutions addresses contemporary social problems by helping people of diverse circumstances and backgrounds work together to solve community challenges. Filled with clear principles, illustrative stories, and practical tools, this book shows how to make lasting change really happen. Tom Wolff, Ph.D., is a community psychologist and expert committed to issues of social justice and building healthy communities through collaborative solutions. He is the founder of Tom Wolff & Associates and a fellow of the American Psychological Association. Wolff is a nationally recognized consultant on coalition building and community development, and he has a lifetime of experience training and consulting with individuals, organizations, and communities across North America and internationally.

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February 7 - 13, 2010

Coaching Skills for Nonprofit Managers and Leaders: Developing People to Achieve Your Mission by Judith Wilson and Michelle Gislason

From the publisher: The only nonprofit orientation to coaching skills available, Coaching Skills for Nonprofit Leaders will provide nonprofit managers with an understanding of why and how to coach, how to initiate coaching in specific situations, how to make coaching really work, and how to refine coaching for long-term success. Coaching Skills for Nonprofit Leaders offers practical steps for coaching leaders to greatness and complements the academic and theoretical work in nonprofit leadership theory. The book can be used by the coaching novice as a thorough topical overview or by those more experienced with coaching as a quick reference or refresher. Based on the Inquiry Based Coaching approach, Coaching Skills will strengthen and expand the reader?s ability to drive organization mission, while retaining the intrinsic values of the nonprofit culture and working towards outcomes that create a culture of discipline and accountability and empower others to be even more responsible, accountable, and self-motivated. This book uses accessible language, examples, case studies, key questions, and exercises to help:

	Promote better relationships
	Know when to delegate, direct and coach.
	Balance directive and supportive styles of leadership for productive partnerships
	Overcome fears and deal head-on with difficult situations and conflict.
	Use coaching for performance improvement and on-the-job development.
	Support independent thinking and personal reflection
	Gain commitment and accountability from others and build teams

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January 31 - February 6, 2010

Consensus Through Conversation: How to Achieve High-Commitment Decisions by Larry Dressler

From the publisher: Consensus is fast becoming one of business' most popular-but most widely mis-understood decision-making models. By involving people in the decisions that impact their work, companies develop a passionate team of workers, one that is committed to a future they've helped shape. This useful guide leads managers, consultants, and facilitators through the consensus-building process. It shows how to avoid common pitfalls like false agreement and the "illusion of inclusion." For anyone charged with getting groups to fruitful resolution on important issues, Consensus Through Conversation offers an invaluable reference.

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January 24 - 30, 2010

The Ask: How to Ask for Support for Your Nonprofit Cause, Creative Project, or Business Venture by Laura Fredricks

From the publisher: A completely revised edition of the must-have resource for increasing your nonprofit's bottom line. This thoroughly revised and updated edition of the best-selling book The Ask is filled with suggestions, guidelines, and down-to-earth advice that will give you the confidence to ask anyone for any size gift, for any purpose. Written in winning language, filled with sample dialogues, and offering a wealth of tips and tools, this book addresses common mistakes made when asking and shows how to correct each mistake, providing guidance and direction on how to make a great ask.

	Offers step-by-step guidance for learning personal solicitation skills
	Filled with real-world tools and techniques for raising money or support
	Contains advice for overcoming situations such as hesitating to ask for money and following through on the ask
	Written for fundraisers from any size organization
	Includes information on how to apply asking skills to a fundraiser's personal and professional pursuits

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January 17 - 23, 2010

Change Philanthropy: Candid Stories of Foundations Maximizing Results through Social Justice edited by Alicia Epstein Korten and Kim Klein

From the publisher: This groundbreaking book shows how to increase funding for social justice philanthropy. Social justice philanthropy provides direct services to alleviate suffering and works to transform the systems and institutions that cause that suffering. Written in an engaging, easy-to-read style, Change Philanthropy offers an insider's view what works and what doesn't work when developing grantmaking strategies in support of social change. It gives clear guidance showcases foundations of all types and sizes including Liberty Hill Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Needmor Fund, Jacobs Family Foundation, Discount Foundation, Global Fund for Women, Schott Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the Open Society Institute. The book also includes a wealth of illustrative examples and contains practical suggestions and tips that can be applied immediately to support any social justice agenda.

	Offers a guide for increasing funds for social justice programs
	Provides suggestions for foundations on which programs to fund
	Gives step-by-step advice for developing a successful grantmaking strategy
	Includes a wealth of examples from leading foundations

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January 10 - 16, 2010

Transformational Philanthropy: Entrepreneurs and Nonprofits by Lisa Dietlin

From the publisher: Transformational Philanthropy: Entrepreneurs and Nonprofits is a practical guide on attracting entrepreneurs to nonprofit organizations as an investor, donor and true philanthropist. It provides insight into the decision making patterns, expectations, and philanthropic behaviors of entrepreneurs. The primary use of this book will be for those in the philanthropic world to understand how to approach entrepreneurs for donations and contributions. The book includes real world examples, industry statistics, case studies, interviews, and important "how-to" tips related to entrepreneurs.

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January 3 - 9, 2010

The Three Laws of Performance: Rewriting the Future of Your Organization and Your Life by Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan

From the publisher: When a hurricane warning is announced, everyone's concerns and actions become focused on that expectation; the hurricane essentially becomes the future which people are "living into." Similarly, when an organization needs to transform or make the leap to a higher level, everyone involved should be "living into" the vision of the organization's new, improved future. But in the majority of organizations, the future people are living into is based on past performance and experience, and so major transformation is almost impossible. Steve Zaffron is CEO of Vanto Group which has helped hundreds of companies envision and effectively implement major change and performance improvement. Zaffron and Dave Logan outline this proven system for rallying all of an organization's employees around a new vision, and more importantly, making it stick. Their focus is on making such transformations permanent and repeatable, providing practical examples from Vanto Group’s clients.

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December 20, 2009 - January 2, 2010

Nonprofit Guide to Going Green by Ted Hart, Adrienne D. Capps and Matthew Bauer

A first of its kind, The Nonprofit Guide To Going Green is a practical and comprehensive learning tool dedicated to guiding nonprofits and NGOs towards becoming more green. The book is an outgrowth and companion to GreenNonprofits, Inc., a nonprofit organization founded to be an accessible source of information about greening the nonprofit workplace, and to be a desktop tool for any nonprofit to become green[er]. Dozens of expert authors from around the world have joined in this effort to provide accurate and helpful guidance for charities that want to become more green, support sustainable business practices and the environment. As people and corporations around the world become more green they in turn expect the nonprofits they support to also take proactive steps to protect the environment. GreenNonprofits, and the Nonprofit Guide To Going Green, will lead the way in helping nonprofits and NGOs around the world meet this challenge.

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