Management of Nonprofit and Charitable Organizations in Canada
By Vic Murray et al.; 504 pages; published by Butterworths LexisNexis
Finally, Canada's nonprofits have a comprehensive management text to call their own. Without a doubt, such an offering was long overdue and this book won't disappoint. Weighing in at more than 500 pages, it's not a quick read, but it is well worth it, both for those already in leadership positions and those aspiring to become leaders within the nonprofit sector. Vic Murray and an esteemed list of contributors, including Terrance Carter, Michael Hall, Andrea McManus, and Keith Seel, to name a few, share their expertise and insight on a variety of management topics.
Murray sets the scene by explaining how nonprofit management differs from management of government or corporate institutions. This is followed by Michael Hall's comprehensive overview of Canada's nonprofit sector. Other chapters look at board management, executive leadership, nonprofit law, government relations, resource development, planning, accountability, financial management, human resources management, and the role of technology in nonprofit organizations. It's all here. But this is not a how-to guide. It might be a bit early to label it the new (only?) bible of Canadian nonprofit management, but not by much. Each author reviews a huge wealth of previously conducted research and synthesizes it down to the basic, essential elements that all nonprofit organizations should consider. Certainly, each topic could be spun out into a stand-alone text, but that doesn't mean that what is offered here is simply a cursory overview. Each chapter is thorough and dense with information, though still highly readable.
Certain chapters will become outdated sooner than others because of inevitable changes to the nonprofit landscape (e.g. law, government relations, and technology). Nevertheless, this text is destined to become a well-thumbed addition to nonprofit bookshelves across the country. Nonprofit executives and managers would be remiss not to include it on their list of essential reading.
Buy the book:
