Managing a Nonprofit Organization: Updated Twenty-First-Century Edition

I read book before forming the Diabetes Hands Foundation, a nonprofit we formed in early 2008. All through the formation process and ever since then, I have found myself going back once and again to revisit passages in this book for confirmation of things I am unsure of: it keeps helping me find answers to just about any question I think of. As a recent President of a nonprofit, I can only say good things about this book and would recommend it to people in charge of managing any nonprofit: the sooner you read it, the more you will learn before it is too late and you have made important mistakes.

As the Co-Founder of a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, I would recommend this book as a "must have" for all Board Members or for someone considering establishing a nonprofit organization. It is quite complete and also makes for a great primer about the structure of nonprofits.

In the 1970s Abbott Academy was considered one of the top institutions in the country, with a reputation that a student had a passport to success in college and later life. In the 1980s the school's fortunes changed with fewer applications, fewer students enrolling, college admissions less predictable and budget deficits leading to invasion of endowment. Correct diagnosis of the problem would have included;- identifying the school's constituencies and monitoring their changing characteristics and needs- changing the program to meet the needs of its constituents- determining the schools strengths and weaknesses in relation to the competition and its perceived value in the community- developing a sensible pricing strategy- responding to the changing environment- developing a proper image and promoting the institution correctlyIn the nonprofit sector marketing is the engineering of satisfaction among a variety of groups including users, funders, trustees, regulators and others who can influence the success of the organization such as the media and general public. A successful marketing strategy allows organizations to accomplish their missions, meet their program goals and achieve long-term financial stability by focusing on the needs of their multiple constituents and satisfying their needs. Different strategies must be developed for different groups but Abbott had not even identified all its key constituencies, addressing itself only to students while neglecting parents, alumni, support groups including potential donors, college representatives, potential students, minority representatives, faculty, and trustees; when fortunes began to wane there was no loyal group to turn to for help. Abbott was unable to meet one of the great challenges that faces many nonprofits - the challenge of identifying each of its constituent groups clearly and accurately and developing separate, appropriate and effective strategies to satisfy each one.Image is the sum total of beliefs, ideas and impressions that people have of an organization and the programs, services and products that it offers. In the non-profit world a strong, positive image is critical to gaining broad community support and it can change rapidly. It is particularly difficult when an organization's positive image is eroding slowly and imperceptibly, particularly if trustees and staff believe it is flourishing and no one in the institution understands what is happening. Image can be flourishing in one area and deteriorating in another. Because they serve multiple constituencies, nonprofits must develop the proper image for each one. This often involves projecting different aspects of the organization and its program to different audiences.Had Abbott asked its constituents it would have discovered that its product was no longer competitive in the secondary-school market place. It failed to promote itself, failed to realize that its price was no longer related to its perceived value, and failed to note

This book is comprehensive and informative and a benefit to both novices and experts in the nonprofit field. Thomas Wolf's use of case studies allows the reader to understand his ideas through real world examples. This work kept my interest from beginning to end and has encouraged me to continue my research. As I continue to pursue my interests in the nonprofit industry I will return to this book again and again for insight. Its breakdown into workable chapters that outline key factors to nonprofit management (such as: board designation and effectiveness, financial management and fund raising, and accountability and sustainability) and use of discussion review questions at the end of each chapter make it easy to use as a reference. He also provides managers with guidlines to use in managing their nonprofit organization.

For anyone considering going into the non-profit field as a manager or thinking about starting a non-profit organization, " Managing A Non-Profit Organization in the Twenty-first Century" must be on their required reading list. Non-profits are organizations which sit in between the profit and public sectors. Such an organization requires a different type of management style. Thomas Wolf takes the mystery out of the management of non-profits and clearly shows how they must be organized and adaptable to the changing environment of public need. Wolf's text serves as a standard as to what a non-profit should be and how it can avoid various pitfalls. For example, corporations have went through the period of downsizing. Many non-profits have not followed the lead and have ended up duplicating programs that are no longer needed and have caused stagnation in the organization. Non-profits have also come to the point where they no longer serve the need for which they were originally founded but are unable to effectively go out of business. Those above examples are some of the many issues addressed in the text. If you are ignorant about the nuts and organizational bolts of non-profits this is the book for you. Are you trying to start a non-profit organization? If so Wolf's work sets out the guidelines which will help ease your initial attempts. Is your non-profit becoming a dysfunctional entity? If so, the text provides you with the diagnostic tools to get to the source of the problem. I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to get a basic understanding of the non-profit sector.