Effectiveness of Nonprofit Boards

Effectiveness of Nonprofit Boards

Guide Index

Introduction

The nonprofits sector is the sum of private, voluntary, nonprofit organisations and associations. Nonprofit organisations rely heavily on their governing board of directors to provide leadership, strategic guidance and financial oversight. The nonprofit community continues to grow and the services provided by these organisations have become a critical part of our society. This is a resource guide to some of the resources available within the National Library Board of Singapore which are relevant to nonprofit organisations, boards of directors, social service associations and others.

Inside you will find sources of information from books, journal articles, case studies and Internet sources pertaining to the effectiveness of nonprofit boards, organisations and associations.

Search Terms Call Numbers
Singapore social policy 306.095957
Public administration 351  
Social Service 361.3
Charities; Philanthropy 361.7
Nonprofit organisations management 658.048
Nonprofit organisations finance 658.15
Nonprofit organisations & charities 658.159
Boards of directors; Nonprofit governance 658.422
Nonprofit organisations marketing 658.8

Books

(listed in alphabetical order)

Call no.: RBUS 658.159 BOW

A complete guide to the financial requirements of a nonprofit organisation to follow and indefinitely maintain the volume and quality of their services. An organisation may have plenty of capacity in the long run, but in the short run, donor restrictions and limited financing options are constraining.

Call no.: RBUS 361.7 CAG

This book offers a global overview of philanthropy with an internationalist perspective and guide to the challenges and successes of global fundraising.

Call no.: R 361.3 WOR

The book brings together twenty-one international authors who share their perspectives and insights on various facets of the social ecosystem, the change drivers and the macro-trends.

Call no.: RBUS 658.422 NON

This book offers a thoroughly revised and updated resource that answers the most-commonly asked question on board governance. It covers topics on board structure and process, board member recruitment and orientation, board-staff relations and financial management.

Call no.: R 361.74 TIE

Despite tremendous innovation in the social sector, philanthropy’s natural state is under-performance. In order for donors and foundations to unlock fully the potential of their philanthropy, generosity must be accompanied by a rigorous consideration of what they hope to accomplish: the results that will define success, what it will take to achieve them, and how those results will get better over time.

Call no.: 658.048 WOL -[BIZ]

One key to success in managing a nonprofit organisation is by building a strong relationship between the executive director and the board of trustees. This book provides information for navigating the personal, political, and legal minefields that cause many nonprofits to fail. Dozens of case studies illuminate the key issues that often impede the progress of nonprofit organisations. Each chapter also contains a set of questions that enable leaders to reflect on the health of their own organisation and also evaluate other nonprofits, as well as to create sustainable, effective business practices and productive working relationships.

Databases

(listed in alphabetical order)

  • Bernstein, R., Buse, K., & Slatten, L. A. (2015, March). Nonprofit board performance: Board members’ understanding their roles and responsibilities. American Journal of Management, 15(1), 24-35. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from ProQuest Central.

Also available at: http://www.na-businesspress.com/AJM/BernsteinR_Web151.pdf

This paper presents a new concept for measuring NPO effectiveness by examining the impact of certain roles and responsibilities, specifically internal board performance on external performance. Findings indicate the strongest impact on the external board performance is from board members’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

  • Buse, K., Bernstein, R. S., & Bilimoria, D. (2016, January). The influence of board diversity, board diversity policies and practices, and board inclusion behaviors on nonprofit governance practices. Journal of Business Ethics, 133(1), 179-191. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from ProQuest Central.

This study examines how and when nonprofit board performance is impacted by board diversity. Specifically, we investigate board diversity policies and practices as well as board inclusion behaviors as mediating mechanisms for the influence of age, gender, and racial/ethnic diversity of the board on effective board governance practices.

  • Deutsch, R. (2016, October). Board effectiveness: Courage needed to win in the face of uncertain times. Governance Directions, 68(9), 526-529. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from EbscoHost Business Source Complete.

The author examines on the factors that drive the effectiveness and success of board of an organisation. Topics by the author include boldness and decisiveness of leadership, opportunity mind-set, and crucial ecosystems. It also mentions crackdown of diversity code and importance of curiosity.

  • Hodge, M. M; Piccolo, R. F. (2011, Winter). Nonprofit board effectiveness, private philanthropy, and financial vulnerability. Public Administration Quarterly, 35(4), 520-550. Retrieved October 12, 2016 from ProQuest Central.

Drawing on 112 nonprofit organisations in Central Florida, the current study examined relationships among three areas of interest in the voluntary sector: board effectiveness, private philanthropy, and financial vulnerability.

  • Young Jr., & James, R. (2014, April-June). How effective is your board? Rate yourself, & take action. Nonprofit World, 32(2), 14-15. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from EbscoHost Business Source Complete.

The article offers tips in measuring the effectiveness of organisational boards. It states that effective board members are more focused on their roles and responsibilities, more team-oriented, and have better working relationship with staff and executive directors. It cites the role of consultants in the board member’s process of assessing itself.

Websites

(listed in alphabetical order)

This website explains that board effectiveness may be greatly enhanced through careful forward planning of board-related activities; board meetings being run in an efficient manner; regular assessments of board performance; having a board succession plan and the effective use of sub-committees.

  • Chelliah, J., Boersma, M., & Klettner, A. (2016, March). Governance challenges for not-for-profit organisations: Empirical evidence in support of a contingency approach. Contemporary Management Research, 12(1), 3-24. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from Contemporary Management Research website: http://www.cmr-journal.org/article/download/14538/pdf_36

This article presents empirical evidence of the governance challenges faced by Australian not-for-profit (NFP) organisations. The study reveals that the effectiveness of governance systems is influenced by internal and external contingencies that NFP organisations face, such as variations in board roles, stakeholder and membership demands, funding arrangements, board member recruitment processes, skills of board members, and resources for training and development.

This study identifies key organisational effectiveness frameworks that could be used to evaluate nonprofits and use them in practice. Therefore, individuals wishing to become involved with effective nonprofits will be empowered to make good investments of volunteer time and donations.

The study examines how board members of small local nonprofits in the focal community perceived nonprofit organisation effectiveness. A review of the literature revealed that nonprofit organisation effectiveness involved the action of contributing to the organisation and the motivation behind the action, both of which were associated with trust and reciprocity. Findings and conclusions, contributes to social change among small American nonprofit organisations by suggesting means to address the stresses that compromise the availability and quality of their programs.

The website created by National Council of Nonprofits offers examples of dashboards, dashboard tools and resources about dashboards that are useful for measuring success in nonprofit organisations.

### Accessing National Library Board Singapore Resources

Accessing the Print Materials

You can search the library catalogue (for physical materials) in the library and from home (http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg). The easy search function allows you to search/browse by author, title, keyword, subject and ISBN/ISSN whereas the advanced search allows you to narrow your searches to specific media types or language holdings. In both instances, you will also be able to limit your search to specific libraries by clicking on the “limit by branch” option.

To search Lee Kong Chian Reference Library’s Holdings

If you wish to search for only materials available in the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, please always click on the “Limit by Branch” button at the bottom of the page, after you have keyed in your search term. This brings you to a new page whereby you will be able to select the library of your choice. Choose “Lee Kong Chian Reference Library” and select “yes” under the “Display only items available in the selected branch below” and then click on search.

Things to note:

Once you have identified the title that you need, please double-check the following information and write down the necessary info:

i. The “Status” of the item: the item is not available in the library, if the status displayed is “in transit”, “in process” or “not ready for loan”.

ii. Double-check that the item is in Lee Kong Chian Reference Library under “Branch”.

iii. Write down the Location Code and the Call Number of the item. This helps you to locate the item within Lee Kong Chian Reference Library. Please refer to the table below for more information (Note: Please feel free to approach the counter staff for help in locating the books.)

All featured books and periodicals are located at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library.

Accessing the Databases

The National Library Board (NLB)’s eResources are free for all NLB members. Click here to find out how to register as a member.

If you’re having problems registering or logging in, please contact us. If you wish to find information in the databases but am not sure where to begin, or need recommendations on which databases to use, please use the “Ask A Librarian” function or send an email to ref@nlb.gov.sg for help. The librarian will get back to you within three working days.

Author

Hameedah M Ibrahim

The information in this resource guide is valid as at Feb 2017 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history on the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

All Rights Reserved. National Library Board Singapore 2017.

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