Winter 2012 – Digital Issue

Emerging Forms of Nonprofit Governance

Winter 2012: Volume 19, Issue 4

Features

• Welcome to Emerging Forms of Nonprofit Governance
  
  
• Problem Boards or Board Problem?
  How can we make board work more meaningful for serving members and more consequential for their organizations? by William P. Ryan, Richard P. Chait, and Barbara E. Taylor
  
  
• Underestimating the Power of Nonprofit Governance
  This article proposes that nonprofit leaders are increasingly focused on secondary issues, and asks, what does the sector stand to gain as a result of retraining our focus from structural concerns to the central questions and principles of nonprofit governance? by Ruth McCambridge
  
  
• Reframing Governance II
  The most substantive decisions on your organization’s governance are likely happening far from the board room. How should your governance systems respond? by David O. Renz, PhD
  
  
• The Road Less Traveled
  Establishing the Link between Nonprofit Governance and Democracy: “How,” the author rhetorically asks, “can an organization contribute to a democratic society if there is a democratic deficit in its own governance?” by Chao Guo, PhD
  
  
• Adding a Few More Pieces to the Puzzle
  Exploring the Practical Implications of Recent Research on Boards: What is it that enables boards to be strong and effective, and why are we still using outdated models in an effort to improve board performance? by David O. Renz, PhD
  
  
• Financial Transactions with Your Board: Who Is Looking?
  In a first-of-its-kind study, nonprofits report on their transactions with board members—some for the better and some for the worse. by Francie Ostrower, PhD
  
  
• Sarbanes-Oxley: Ten Years Later
  A decade since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act first appeared, organizations still worry that aspects of the law will continue to seep into the sector. But doesn’t the sector actually have little to worry about and much to gain? by Rick Cohen
  
  
• The Inclusive Nonprofit Boardroom: Leveraging the Transformative Potential of Diversity
  Diversity on boards has to be good, right? So how is it that study after study suggests the opposite? A closer look at boards today reveals that exactly how we diversify makes all the difference. by Patricia Bradshaw, PhD, and Christopher Fredette, PhD
  
  
• Unstill Waters: The Fluid Role of Networks in Social Movements
  It’s a wonder that social-movement networks survive long enough to make an impact. What’s the secret sauce of these organizing efforts? by Robin Katcher
  
  
• Community-Engagement Governance™: Systems-Wide Governance in Action
  Does governance only reside in the board? Most of us know that it is more widely held than that, but few really design their governance systems to make full use of the intelligence and energies of their stakeholders. by Judy Freiwirth, PsyD
  
  
• Loyal Opposition
  A board that can adopt this parliamentary concept can benefit from internal scrutiny and creativity that will ultimately strengthen its ability to achieve its mission. by Patricia Bradshaw, PhD, and Peter Jackson, CA
  
  
• Board Stories Involving Humans
  Whether by the book or ad-hoc, the defining feature of successful boards is not the model but the people who make it work. by Ruth McCambridge
  
  
• The Best and Worst of Board Chairs
  Do you know one when you see one? Initial research shows that there is a great deal of agreement about what makes a good board chair. by Yvonne D. Harrison and Vic Murray
  
  
• New Frontiers and Critical Questions: Moving Governance Research Forward
  Several insights into the world of nonprofit governance have emerged in recent years, yet much remains to be explored. This article discusses five areas for future inquiry. by Fredrik O. Andersson