governance: More Resources

Nonprofit Board of Directors: Resources

Other Resources and Web sites

Attorney Generals 

Nonprofit Board of Directors: Resources

There are many sources for information related to Nonprofit Boards of Directors' functioning and responsibilities.  The following is a listing of some of the resources regularly used by staff at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.

Organizations:

Attorney General's Office, Charities Division, 1200 NCL Tower, 445 Minnesota Street, St. Paul, MN 55101-2130, 612/297-4613. Provides a Guide for Board Members: Fiduciary Duties of Directors of Charitable Organizations.

Center for Nonprofit Management, University of St. Thomas, 52 Tenth Street South, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, 612/962-4290. The Center for Nonprofit Management provides management consulting services and training for nonprofit board development.

Independent Sector, 1828 L Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20036. Phone 202/223-8100. Independent Sector produces a “Nonprofit Management Series” that contains several entries related to board management.

Management Assistance Project for Nonprofits, 2314 University Avenue, #28, St. Paul, MN, 55114. Phone 612/647-1216. In addition to other services, Management Assistance Project for Nonprofits (MAP) provides management consulting and training in board development and recruits candidates for agency boards.

Boardsource, formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards, Suite 510, 2000 L Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20036-4907. Web: http://www.boardsource.org/. Phone 202/452-6262.  is the premier resource for practical information, tools and best practices, training, and leadership development for board members of nonprofit organizations worldwide. Through their highly acclaimed programs and services, BoardSource enables organizations to fulfill their missions by helping build strong and effective nonprofit boards.  Write or call the Boardsource for an up-to-date list of all their publications and information about current prices, membership, and other services. Also, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits' members are eligible for a reduced membership to NCNB. Contact the Council for further information.   

CharityChannel was established in 1992 as a volunteer-driven on-line community of voluntary-sector professionals.  The page consists forums and eNewsletters of various nonprofit issues.  More at http://charitychannel.com/article_1907.shtml

Reading:

John Carver, Boards that Make a Difference, published in 1990 by Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers, San Francisco, CA 94104.

Cyrus O. Houle, Governing Boards, Their Nature and Nurture, published in 1989 by NCNB (see above).

Edgar Stoesz and Chester Raber, Doing Good Better!: How to be an Effective Board Member of a Nonprofit Organization, published in 1994 by Good Books, Intercourse, PA.

Nonprofit Governance Series, National Center for Nonprofit Boards (contact information above), sixteen publications (12-28 pages each)

Wood, Miriam, ed., Nonprofit Boards and Leadership: Cases on Governance, Change, and Board-Staff Dynamics (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1996). Contact information not available.

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Other Resources and Web sites

• Board source formerly called the National Center for Nonprofit Boards, Frequently Asked Question on their Web site. Boardsource.
• MAP for Nonprofits, Free Nonprofit Management Library. www.mapnp.org
• Nonprofit Board Answer Book, excellent publication by Board source 
• Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence, a reference guide for board members on responsibilities and ethical practices of nonprofits, published by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. Available online and in print. www.mncn.org
• Fiduciary Duties of Directors of Charitable Organizations, the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, Charities Unit. (free) www.ag.state.mn.us/charities/
• Minnesota Statutes, Section 317 A, regarding nonprofit corporations.  www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/state/317A
• The Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, www.nonprofitbasics.org.   The Guide, a project of The Philanthropic and Nonprofit Knowledge Management Initiative, is a free resource directory for nonprofit organizations to assist in improving their performance.  It is a compilation of nonprofit information including a listing of the most useful websites, other resources such as books and videos, and a comprehensive nonprofit glossary. 

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Attorney General's Office Resources

For more information visit: www.ag.state.mn.us/charities/

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Principles and Practices

Click on the links below to jump to the different sections of The Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence.

• Introduction
• The Principles
• Role in Society

• Governance

• Planning

• Transparency and Accountability

• Fundraising

• Financial Management

• Human Resources

• Civic Engagement and Public Policy

• Strategic Alliances
• Evaluation
• Advice for Users
• The Origins of the Principles and Practices

Download a PDF 
of the

Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence