Summary
Contents
Voluntary organizations engaged in development efforts are usually immersed in very demanding work in unhelpful conditions. This leaves them little time to come to grips with the specialized demands fof management development. Adding to the difficulty is the prevailing tendency in many non-profits and NGOs to distance themselves from the world of ‘management’. However, the need for effective management in their work is often greater than in commercial ventures of a similar size.
In this context, the governing board can play an important role in the effective management of voluntary organizations, but it is a role that is largely neglected. This book—the first of its kind in India—draws upon the authors' broad experience in consulting to identify the needs of governing boards, and offers a programme designed to meet those needs.
This book is a practical, comprehensive and ready reference manual for board members of non-profit organizations (NPOs), covering all the issues involved—from the legal frameworks governing NPOs to useful guidelines on fundraising. Using the ‘frequently asked questions’ format, it covers various aspects of NPO management, with an emphasis on the strategy—policy function of boards.
The Board
This module is the fourth in Stage 1 of the programme. It works towards an understanding of the role and responsibilities of the board in an NPO. The issues covered include:
- Why have a board at all?
- The broad and the specific functions of the board
- The qualities of a good board member
- Board composition and positions
- Accountability and good governance
Case Study
Let Us Go Back to the Story of Anubhav
- To register the organization a board was needed
- But it was a board without a face or a character, just a set of signatures …
- The vacuum was felt very soon. The body the organization could fall back on for counsel did not exist.
- From being a non-entity, the board had to become ‘visible’, with persons who fulfilled a ...