Recommended Books

The key to a healthy nonprofit organization is a harmonious board-staff relationship. Easier said than done!

The Invisible Yellow Line: Clarifying Nonprofit Board and Staff Roles is a fun, upbeat, and down-to-earth manual that walks you through the process of clarifying the roles of the board and staff.

Let’s face it. Today’s nonprofit fundraising environment is just plain tough. Development efforts that worked for decades no longer bring the same results. Nonprofits can no longer count entirely on government funding, available grants, and individual solicitations. Different and more creative solutions are a must.

The Nonprofit Guide to Social Enterprise is an essential guide to starting a social enterprise within your nonprofit organization. The step-by-step process in this comprehensive manual offers a tested approach to launching a successful nonprofit social enterprise that builds your organization’s capacity and reduces reliance on traditional but dwindling funding sources.

Want to drive social change?

Change the way you think about grants!

This is not another how-to book on crafting grant proposals. It’s a why-to book challenging grantseekers to embrace their power as social activists. Barbara has won millions of grant dollars, written hundreds of articles, authored a how-to book, and shared her skills and insights with thousands throughout the US and internationally. In 1949, Pete Seeger's song If I Had a Hammer summoned us to repurpose everyday work tools into tools for social justice. That call still resonates today. You Have a Hammer: Building Grant Proposals for Social Change urges you to build proposals from a perspective of activism, transforming the work from the mundane pursuit of dollars to the life-altering pursuit of lasting change. It's not about how to write grant proposals. It's about how to use grantseeking as a tool for building a better world.

Aaron Dorfman of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy says Barbara helps us, "…think about the work in new ways."

The editors of the NonProfit Times and Inside Philanthropy agree.

This small but mighty primer will change how you develop grant proposals, will ignite renewed passion for your work, and will help you win more funding for things that matter.

Grantepreneur is a clear, supportive guide for those considering a career in grant proposal development.

Darian Rodriguez Heyman's new book is a must-have resource for nonprofit leaders, full of practical, easy-to-implement tips and tools. Featuring concrete insights from 55 amazing leaders and a nice listing for Grantstation in the top tools and partner section, the 2nd edition of Nonprofit Management 101 is available now. So grab a copy and be one of the first to enjoy it!

Updated to reflect the digital age in which we now find ourselves fully immersed, the contributors to this owner’s manual for nonprofit professionals at all levels includes helpful insights from Van Jones, Kay Sprinkel Grace, Lynne Twist, Joan Garry, and more than 50 others.

The book is a goldmine of actionable, high-value practices across seven major nonprofit management disciplines, including strategy, operations, law and finance, fundraising, and technology. Enjoy a free sample chapter on fundraising events here. Making change is hard, but with these leaders and tips behind you- it just might get a little easier. Take the first step in maximizing your impact today and order the second edition of Nonprofit Management 101 today!

Manage your grant to ensure you get the next one!

You've secured the grant—that's just the beginning! Now you begin the multi-faceted journey of stewardship to build and maintain a lasting relationship with the funder. Expert fundraisers and foundation personnel share their critical insights on how to best manage, communicate, and report on your funded programs, and cement your relationship with funders. A "troubleshooting guide" includes advice from foundation executives on what to do when things go wrong. This Guide is an invaluable and practical resource for anyone seeking funding from foundations.

Calling all changemakers!

Open your mind, and buckle up for a bumpy ride through a truth-telling journey about the dysfunctional relationship between foundations and nonprofits. We all know that it’s broken. So why haven't we fixed it?

Enter the Unicorns.

Join unicorns Jane Leu, Vu Le, and Jessamyn Shams-Lau for a nitty-gritty, inside look at how foundations and nonprofits relate today, and why we're stuck in the status quo. Next, get ready for a rocket-ship ride to a future filled with EPIC Partnerships grounded in equality, trust, and creativity; partnerships to help us think bigger, bolder, and better about social change. Finally, make it happen! Roll up your sleeves and dive into a series of fun and thought-provoking exercises for you to do and discuss with your team, your partners, and your board.

Unicorns Unite is a whimsical journey through a challenging conversation that could hold the key to slaying the dragons of injustice and inequity once and for all.

Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations provides students, professionals, and board members with a comprehensive reference for the field. Identifying key objectives and exploring current practices, this book offers practical guidance on all major aspects of nonprofit financial management. As nonprofit organizations fall under ever-increasing scrutiny and accountability, this book provides the essential knowledge and tools professional need to maintain a strong financial management system while serving the organization’s stated mission. Financial management, cash flow, and financial sustainability are perennial issues, and this book highlights the concepts, skills, and tools that help organizations address those issues.