The Little Book of Boards: A Board Member's Handbook for Small (and Very Small) Nonprofits

by Erik Hanberg

Are you new to a board and have no idea what’s expected of you? Do you know what a board’s six key responsibilities are? Do you know what your relationship with the Executive Director should be? If not, this book is for you. So many board members—especially of small nonprofits—want to support a nonprofit and readily accept the invitation to join the board. It’s only then that they discover they are in over their heads, with no idea of their expectations and responsibilities. The Little Book of Boards is here to throw that drowning board member a rope. Told with a conversational style, this book will lead you through the basics of being on a board, how meetings work, and what’s expected between meetings. In addition, at the back of the book are several in-depth resources for understanding Roberts Rules of Order, bylaws, committee structures, board leadership, and much more. Perfect for any new board member—or for an entire board that is feeling lost—this book and its common sense approach will serve you every year you are on the board.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Reference, Leadership

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2014

About the author

Erik Hanberg is the author of several books, including a science fiction trilogy, mysteries, and several nonfiction books for nonprofit leaders.

He currently lives in Tacoma with his wife Mary and their two children where he is also an elected official.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good primer for a green board member. Will probably choose this to hand out to newly elected members when they sign on.

[David Maywald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is a gem of a book, especially for people who are considering or embarking on their first board role. It’s jam-packed with first-hand learnings from Erik’s experience, along with common sense and interpretation.

Erik is passionate about the practicalities of supporting worthy causes. This book has many actionable takeaways (from board recruitment to meeting procedure to fundraising to committee structure)...

The subject matter of small NFPs does sit towards one extreme of board governance, which often differs from the materials found in the AICD Company Directors Course and ASX Corporate Governance Principles (with very good reason). Front of mind should be ideas such as not banging round pegs into square holes - what options are fit-for-purpose in the specific circumstances being considered?

This book is easily digestible in a weekend (possibly in a single sitting), with less than 140 short pages plus appendices. It is not a legal guide, and it is not tailored to Australian circumstances.

The terminology will confuse the heck out of an Australian or non-American audience, particularly when trying to distinguish between governance and management. For example, an “Executive Director” in Australia often refers to a very senior member of the management team who also serves on the board (for example, an executive manager and board director of a large company). Whereas an “executive director” in the context of this book refers to either the CEO of a small Not-for-Profit, or the lead volunteer of a very small non-profit.

If you are passionate about contributing to a niche cause through fit-for-purpose governance, then this book will help your journey. The format and personality of this cute book will also bring joy and delight to many readers. :)

[Diego Parada Herrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s very small amount of knowledge created and shared specifically for nonprofits. And quality content in this sector is even more rare. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised by this book and its content. It is a completely practical approach to forming and leading a board in a small nonprofit. Not just from the author’s own experience, but from research and even common sense (something that is often lacking in organizations).

This book offers an integral approach to the process of operating a nonprofit board successfully, from adding members, voting for officers, forming committees, renewing the board, creating policy, making difficult decisions and more. It is very helpful for anyone working in a nonprofit who wants to keep scaling and growing in the most professional way.

This is a must-have book for reference and consultation in any nonprofit organization.

[JOCELYN MARGATE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I am currently sitting on a board for a non-profit for my second term (Secretary to President) this book was very insightful and had a lot of examples of situations and how to best handle them. It also laid out an outline of how a board functions, and gave details of each position and ideas of how board meetings should be conducted.

Toward the end of the book some of the subjects were a bit redundant but overall I liked that the book summarized at the end again how the board should function, situations it may run into and how to look for future board candidates. If you are looking to join a non-profit board or run for a position, this book will give you a lot of best practices on how to become a valuable member.

[Joe Michalak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be a must-read for anybody who is joining a governing board of a not-for-profit. Especially if that NFP is a small NFP. This has a great set of resources and examples for moving past the "scrappy-startup", and "we're too small to have to deal with this" attitiude into a well-governed not-for-profit of any size.

Better yet would be to consult this book at the formation of your NFP to ensure that you set things up with the appropriate governance mindset from the get go.

It should be noted that even somebody new to a large not-for-profit would also benefit enormously from reading this book.

[Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read for someone who is passionate about non-profit board work, and being sure they’re fulfilling their responsibilities on a board. The conversational style of storytelling in order to provide best practices was far from dry. Plus, the appendices are very helpful! I read “Appendix B: How To Update Your Bylaws” twice over, at a perfect time for my non-profit! We are a very... very small non-profit (no Executive Director), but this was a very informative book nonetheless.

[Ruchira Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential practical information, concisely and clearly explained. While some board members could use more information, I appreciate that the author has resisted the temptation to stuff the book with everything one might possibly want to know, in favor of keeping the book to a length that most or perhaps all board members are likely to read.

[Iamthird · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you decide that something needs to be worked on or improved you should discuss with the president above the table with the officers of the board vs. behind closed doors or parking lot discussions. Discuss everything with the executive officers of the board -- don't try to solely influence the executive director.

[Lavonne Jarosz · Rating 3 out of 5]

He provides some step by step instructions and lists that are useful, but most of his examples sound like he has had issues with non-professional Board Members/Directors and comes off as lecturing on trite information. Wasn't relevant to what we needed. There aren't many books on the "very small" non-profit so limited selection. 2.5 stars

[Anna Mock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I forgot I read this book until my friend (Hi, Krystal!!) posted that she had read it as well. Ditto what she said. Good information to think about when a member of a board of a small organization. Not all of the information translated perfectly into our particular organization, but it gave me things to think about and helped me feel more confident as a new board member.

[Elisabeth Scanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great. I was invited, very unexpectedly onto a board, and I made it very clear from the beginning that I didn't know much. Our president just recommended this book, and I feel so much more confident in how board meetings should be run, and how we can improve our board. I enjoyed the story of following Dennis.

I'll likely be reading the rest of the books too!

[James Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who works for a Board and has served on Boards, I never would have thought to read a book about Boards. Fortunately, it really is short and very useful. I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in administration.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have been a white paper or a podcast, or maybe a couple, if he really wanted to stretch it out. I don't really think it needed to be a book, but I'll count it towards my reading goal this year anyway.

[Teena D Lykins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was helpful in many ways so I gave it 4 stars but for some reason I could not get through it quickly enough. It felt like it dragged on too long. Maybe it was just me being impatient. Worth a read if you're new to a board and need to understand their purpose.

[Yang Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was perfect for what I needed.

This book is very informative, quick to read, and I’m so glad to have read it. I can continue my small NGO with confidence. I was especially surprised and excited to learn the author is from Tacoma because that is where I grew up.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introductory read for anyone on a board that wants to understand how to be effective. There are probably more detailed books out there, but this one handles a potentially dry topic very well and will get you started.

[Katy Epling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, informative. A great resource for this first-time board member!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid quick introduction to being on a non-profit board.

[Melissa Vander Laan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview for a newbie on a newbie board. It was what I needed and a quick read.

[Kelsy Yeargain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yep, here I am. Counting books I read for work as books I read this year.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very practical and direct. For nonprofits but very useful for all boards.

[#TeenWritersProject · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like a literary mentor! It explained to me exactly how my board should be set up, the responsibilities, and expectations.

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful

[Ashley Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource for small non-profits. Very practical and a valuable tool.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent practical book for small boards.

[Ralph III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

Our nonprofit if fairly new and this book has helped us get a better understanding of nonprofits and some best practices.

[Whitney Menarcheck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several typos. Great intro to being in a board. I’ve already recommended it to someone.

[Sara Twitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good overview of roles, rules, and examples for new board members and old!

[Fancia Saydee · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice read

Nice read, love the story telling to help connect the process. I believe i learn a lot to take the next step

[Hakan Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are creating a nonprofit or are thinking about joining the board of a nonprofit, this is a quick book that would be good to read.