Nonprofit Governance: the Executive's Guide.

• Author: Joseph, Stephanie R.

Published by the American Society of Corporate Secretaries, New York, and the American Bar Association Section on Business Law, Chicago, 360 pages, $79.95

If you are a director of a nonprofit corporation you should ensure that you own a copy of Nonprofit Governance. Since discounts are available for bulk purchases, you should consider having your organization order one for each board member; I'm sure the board member would be happy to invest in this publication.

Although written to counsel the executive director or secretary of the nonprofit, this compendium of information written by a variety of authors will inform the director and prospective director not only about his role in the organization but, in many cases, will also give a checklist for carrying out those duties.

If you already have an appreciation for the role of a director of a for-profit corporation, you will quickly see just how much is applicable to your role as a nonprofit director and be able to quickly discern the differences. The same rules that govern your behavior on your corporate board will generally be applicable to your nonprofit directorship, although many current nonprofit directors may fail to recognize this.

At The Directors' Network we are often asked by directors of corporations to present special programs for their nonprofits -- usually as a result of a significant...