Governing for Results: A Director's Guide to Good Governance

Well written book that is easy to understand. Practical information that can be easily applied.

This book was incredibly helpful. Even thought most of the information references were from Canada I still found it really helpful. It was part of one of my grad classes on board governance. It helped to lay out simple action steps one could take.

Mel's research and experience has led him to conclude that "the essentials of good governance are generally not well understood and that what is understood is not well communicated to the millions of volunteers who serve as directors on boards". Mel performed extensive research on 20 non-profit and public sector organizations, diversified in causes from a small rural service club with no operating budget to health boards with million dollar budgets. The median budget size was approx. $3 million. He studied the finances and governance practices of these organizations over a 20 year period. Among other things, he utilized a Governance Self-Assessment Checklist as a research tool. Things I like about the book: * Numerous real-life examples which brought the concepts to life * Good description of the organizational functions: work, management and governance; and fact that all board members required to do governance and some may also need to "change hats" and do work and or management of their organization * Description of some early warning signals in areas of human resources (eg. CEO turnover); performance (unplanned deficits, rapid depletion of reserve funds); ineffective board meetings; board culture; "rubber-stamping" of CEO recommendations without effective debate * Solid research on governance models leading to a typology of 9 board types based on primary board focus * List of 7 primary areas of responsibility that cut across all models: o establishing/safeguarding mission and planning for the future o financial stewardship o human resources stewardship o performance monitoring and accountability to key stakeholders o community representation, education and advocacy o risk management o managing critical events or transitional phases * Excellent assessment tools, one I personally utilized with great success . Strong sections highlighting the board development, management and decision-making processes Just a few areas which could be enhanced for the 2nd edition: some legal interpretations and information on directors' liabilities (although I know this book is not meant as a primary resource for these topics); and more about the board's role in fundraising and sustainability. Overall, I think this is truly a great Canadian comprehensive resource on voluntary sector governance, written to be understood by most board members with excellent governance tips and tools. I carry it with me whenever I am delivering governance training workshops! Thanks, Mel!

For many years I have been making recommendations to municipal and regional authorities related to funding not-for-profit organizations. This new guidebook will be invaluable to organizations that realize the importance of being able to demonstrate good governance practices. The book is structured to provide easy access to the essential elements of effective governance. I especially appreciate the inclusion of well-researched case studies, practical quick tips, and relevant samples of policies and checklists. The last chapter provides numerous tools that board members and managers can readily use to improve governance.

This is a "must have" reference, not only for board members and senior executives, but also for consultants and for foundations and government bodies funding not-for-profits - and particularly for students taking governance courses in colleges and universities. As a governance and board development consultant I will be using Mr. Gill's very readable book to assist my clients in strengthening their organizations. This guidebook covers the seven primary areas of board responsibility and is replete with highly applicable "Case Illustrations" and "Quick Tips". Its final section provides numerous "tools" - such as samples of, and templates for, key policies, financial monitoring, and performance evaluation.A supplementary CD-ROM is available and I highly recommend acquiring this too. Users should also consider accessing Mr. Gill's online "Governance Self-Assessment Checklist (GSAC) service, available through the author's website.I don't know of any other resource that "covers all the bases" of good governance - certainly none could be better in providing truly useful and practical guidance for boards in trouble or for boards that are striving to improve their performance.