Board Governance
Among the thousands of Web sites that
might provide a few useful resources for those interested in nonprofit
governance, particularly in parachurch and larger church ministry, Engstrom
Institute experts have identified the following as of particular quality and
usefulness for board members and staff working with the board.
You might want to assign these sites
to interested board members who could bring back an answer to the question
"How could this site help us?" Because there are so few Web sites
that view organizational effectiveness and governance "through the eyes of
faith," the Engstrom Institute hopes to cull through these and many other
resources to bring you "the best of the best" that we believe will
help advance kingdom work around the globe.
We are interested in learning from
you what other Web sites, especially those serving ministries outside of North
America, should be considered for this short list.
BoardSource—"Building
Effective Nonprofit Boards"
http://www.boardsource.org
This national membership association
is "the best" resource on nonprofit governance because that is their
only focus and they continue to broaden their catalogue of books, videos, and
other resources. Membership is $99 per year for individuals, and members are
eligible for discounts on purchases. They don't have organizational
memberships, but offer group rates for 11 or more people who join at the same
time. There is an annual Forum focused on governance. We encourage board
members and CEOs to receive their free e-news. The searchable database is worth
the membership fee, although BoardSource does not offer resources unique to
faith-based nonprofits.
Alliance for Nonprofit
Management—a professional association of individuals and organizations devoted
to improving the management and governance capacity of nonprofits
http://www.allianceonline.org
This is a membership organization.
They do offer a free monthly e-mail newsletter. The site has an event calendar
of upcoming conferences and an online store to order publications. Nonprofits
can use this Web site to find a consultant/service provider, view Alliance's
event calendar, list jobs in their CareerBank, search their database of
resources including books, Web sites, newsletters and other sources. There is
also a section of frequently asked questions regarding board development,
strategic planning, financial management, etc.
Association of
Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB)—a resource on every aspect
of higher education governance
http://www.agb.org
For those in higher education, this
is the best source of information related to governance of both public and
private institutions. It is a membership association, but their catalog of
resources is available to anyone. Links take you to a calendar of their
upcoming conferences and information about their current research and
initiatives. They have an online bookstore where you can order various
publications. AGB also created a board education service that includes a
speaker service, a workshop service, and a consulting service.
Canadian Council of
Christian Charities
http://www.cccc.org/
The CCCC ministers to Christian
donors, ministries, and churches and is a sister organization to the Christian
Leadership Alliance in the U.S. Membership benefits include technical help,
discounts on conferences, free continuing education, etc. You can find out
about their upcoming conferences and seminars, as well as view past news
releases. Various publications and CDs can be ordered through the Web site.
Charity
University—e-learning classes, including some on boards and governance
http://charityuniversity.com/classes/AllClasses/
Charity University has created over
200 public and private discussions, lists, e-newsletters, and a conference.
Their teleclasses are taught by nonprofit experts and are offered both as live
and on-demand recorded courses. Course topics include how to succeed in
securing funds, build a fund development master plan, apply for capacity
building grants, a board "boot camp," and many more.
Christianity Today—a
virtual mall of resources for evangelical leaders
http://www.ctlibrary.com
The morning we searched the
Christianity Today Library for "nonprofit boards," 284 past articles
from several of CT's magazines popped up. CTI has a subscription service
whereby you can search any topic from 10,000 articles, interviews, statistics,
biographies, reviews, etc. You can also subscribe to free e-mails according to
your interest. This is an incredible resource to help good board members
understand "the evangelical market" for both personal and
professional growth. By the way, Christianity Today, Inc., based in the Chicago
area, is partnering with the Engstrom Institute by managing our Web site as
part of their virtual mall. We recommend frequent visits to this mall, which
contains a thriving EI store.
Charity
Navigator—"America's premier independent charity evaluator"
http://www.charitynavigator.org
Charity Navigator evaluates the
financial health of America's largest charities. You can review their 2007
Metro Market Study, click on links to find tips and resources for donors, and
access featured articles. The site contains a list of almost 300 charities with
new ratings and a blog area. Charities can be searched by topic.
CompassPoint—"Nonprofit
services"
http://compasspoint.org
CompassPoint is a consulting,
research, and training organization for nonprofits in the Bay Area. Their Web
site has a bookstore and a Resource Directory. They have links to the
"Accidental Techie," which provides resources for nonprofit techies
and their "Nonprofit Genie" can provide some answers to frequently
asked questions regarding fundraising, boards, technology, and finance.
GuideStar—"Connecting
people with nonprofit information"
http://www.guidestar.org
GuideStar is a very useful resource
for researching information on nonprofits. If you need to do a general search
to find out information on a nonprofit, verify its legitimacy, view its Form
990, or find out more about its finances, etc., that information is free. If
you would like to do more complex searches or be able to sort your results and
get the most comprehensive data available, you can get the Premium membership
for a fee. To do more flexible searches, obtain more at-a-glance information,
etc., you can purchase the Select membership.
Internal Revenue
Service (USA)—"Links to state government Web sites with useful information
for tax-exempt organizations."
http://www.irs.gov/charities/
This Internal Revenue Service (U.S.)
Web site contains tax information for charities and other non-profit
organizations. There is a link to an online workshop for exempt organizations.
You can find information on e-filing for charities and nonprofits, as well as a
quick reference guide of federal tax law and procedures for churches and
religious organizations. A periodic newsletter for tax-exempt organizations is
available. There are separate sections for Churches/Religious Organizations,
Charitable Organizations, Contributors, Other Nonprofits, Political
Organizations, and Private Foundations, with the tax information you will need
for each.
National Center for
Charitable Statistics (Urban Institute)—One of the best Web sites on statistics
about the nonprofit sector in the U.S.
http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/
This Web site is maintained by the
National Center for Charitable Statistics. There is a link for new users called
"Getting Started" that will give you a tour on how to use the site.
This site contains the IRS Business Master Files, which are created twice each
year from IRS data and include basic data on all active organizations
registered with the IRS. The NCCS Core Data Files capture approximately
one-fourth of the fields from IRS Forms 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF filed by
nonprofits dating back to 1989.
National Council of
Nonprofit Associations
http://givevoice.org/ncna/home.html
This Council links local
organizations to a national audience through state associations and helps small
and mid-sized nonprofits to manage and lead more effectively, collaborate and
exchange solutions, and save money through group-buying opportunities, etc.
This Web site can help you find elected officials in your area through a
search. It's not a membership organization, but you can sign up for their
monthly e-newsletter giving you updates on U.S. federal and state policies
regarding nonprofits. It is a great Web site for information and resources for
and about state associations, which many parachurch organizations use for
professional development and networking.
Nonprofit Academic
Centers Council—an association of university-based centers for the study of the
nonprofit sector
http://www.naccouncil.org/
The NACC is a membership association
of university centers that do research, publish, and hold conferences for
nonprofit organizations. This site will guide you to centers by location or by
issues of interest to you. They have also developed Curricular Guidelines for
Graduate Study in Philanthropy, Indicators of Quality for nonprofit academic
centers, and Knowledge Base resources to support teaching within philanthropic
and nonprofit sector study programs. Links connect to their 40+ members' Web
sites.
Leader to Leader
Institute—"To strengthen the leadership of the social sector"
http://www.leadertoleader.org/about/
The Leader to Leader Institute
(formerly the Drucker Foundation) provides many relevant resources, products,
and experiences to "enable leaders of the future to address emerging
opportunities and challenges." This is a membership organization, and
individual memberships vary in cost from $75-$600. Organizational memberships
are also available. You can order a subscription to their Journal and
e-newsletter, as well as order various publications and videos, through their
online store. Workshops can be scheduled in your area. There is also a
self-assessment tool for nonprofits to use to help clarify their mission,
define results, set goals, and develop a focused plan.
The NonProfit
Times—"The Leading Business Publication for Nonprofit Management"
http://www.nptimes.com
This Web site offers free monthly
e-news with links back to various articles. They offer a free magazine
subscription (available to U.S. full-time nonprofit executives only) and a free
subscription to their e-newsletters. They have a Resource Directory with links
to information specific to various fields such as Charitable State
Registration, Donor Recognition Products, Online Fundraising, and more. There
are links to various companies where you can purchase event management and
fundraising software.
Pew Forum on Religion
& Public Life—Research. News. Discussion.
http://pewforum.org
This is a high-quality site providing
good survey data, top articles in the media related to faith in the
marketplace, and a good searchable archive. It is one of the best resources for
accurate reporting on issues often of interest to board members and leaders in
evangelical parachurch and church organizations. You can also sign up for their
e-mail newsletter.
The Roundtable on
Religion & Social Welfare Policy—"Impartial news and analysis of
faith-based social services"
http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org
For board members who want to keep up
on issues related to faith-based organizations and public policy, this is very
good. It is managed by the Rockefeller Institute of Government, State
University of New York. The Web site offers a wide variety of publications, including
research papers, reports, analyses of legal developments, and policy changes.
You can order publications online through the Web site and also obtain past
conference materials and read interviews with leading policymakers, scholars,
and researchers. There are links to their various research projects and
analyses of legal developments. Subscriptions to their free e-newsletter are
also available.
Stanford Social
Innovation Review—"Strategies, tools, and ideas for nonprofits,
foundations, and socially responsible businesses"
http://www.ssireview.org
This Web site provides links to numerous articles on
issues relevant to nonprofit boards and senior staff. You can subscribe to
their free e-mail newsletter. You can also subscribe for a fee to the Stanford
Social Innovation Journal (similar in quality to the Harvard Business
Review). MP3 files of selected lectures are available. This is a good
resource for "thought leaders" in our sector.
