Nonprofit Board Answer Book.

• Author: Brown, Arnold
• Position: Review

by Robert C. Andringa and Ted W. Engstrom

Published by the National Center for Nonprofit Boards, Washington, D.C., 197 pages, $29.95

REVIEWED BY ARNOLD BROWN

When, as a child, I put more food on my plate than I could eat, my mother would say, "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach." I think that the authors of this in some ways very good little book have put more on their plate than they can digest.

Andringa and Engstrom, between them, have served on or been consultants to more than 200 nonprofit boards. Clearly, they bring a wealth of experience to this task, and there is a good bit of experience-based wisdom in this book. But the nonprofit world has an immense variety of organization types and sizes. What is relevant or applicable for one or even some types or sizes is not necessarily useful for others.

Small community service organizations, corporate foundations, religious institutions, educational institutions, well-endowed arts organizations - all of them have different needs and circumstances. The differences between large nonprofits and small ones may be even greater than the differences between big and small businesses. One brief book less than 200 pages - cannot hope to be all things to all people. Furthermore, the book's subtitle - "Practical Guidelines for Board Members and Chief Executives" - indicates some confusion in the message. There should, in fact, be different instructions for the two groups.

With those caveats, I have to say that the book can be a very useful guide, particularly for new and relatively inexperienced board members of smaller nonprofits - and to a somewhat lesser extent to new and relatively inexperienced chief executives of such organizations.

It begins most usefully, I think, with an emphasis on the need for common commitment on the part of board members. We all know people who give their name but not their spirit to community and philanthropic activities. Pointing out right at the start that more is required is a good reminder, especially for chief executives who pick board candidates primarily for their name value.

The book is well-organized. It has clearly written sections on board functions...