Governance Resources

You and Your Nonprofit Board book cover

Top Sites for Governance Resources

Looking for material for do-it-yourself Board orientations and governance discussions? Here are two top recommendations, but please note they are not Canadian. Laws and practices differ, particularly in relation to member rights:

Need a Canadian not-for-profit governance provider? Please get in touch with me, tell me a little bit about your situation and desired outcomes, and I’ll provide some suggestions. If you want to check directly instead, here are a few ideas:

Check out the podcasts  where you see an * – often the best source now for new ideas.

Download these free (old) resources as PDFs:

Many of Jane’s ethics columns for Charity Village also deal with governance.

Some Recommended Reading

  • You and Your Nonprofit Board: Advice and Practical Tips from the Field’s Top Practitioners, Researchers, and Provocateurs, Charity Channel Press, 2013
  • You and Your Nonprofit, Charity Channel Press, 2010
  • The Intrepid Nonprofit, Tim Plumptre, Friesen Press, 2019
  • Getting to Maybe: How the World is Changed, Frances Westney, Brenda Zimmerman and Michael Quinn Patton, Random House, 2006
  • Five Good Ideas: Practical Strategies for Non-Profit Success, edited by Alan Broadbent and Ratna Omidvar for Maytree Foundation, Coach House Books, 2011
  • Making an Impact as a Not-for-Profit Board Chair, Sandi L. Humphrey, CSAE, 2013
  • Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards, Richard P. Chait, William P. Ryan, and Barbara Taylor, BoardSource, 2005
  • The Source: Twelve Principles of Governance That Power Exceptional Boards, BoardSource, 2005
  • Primer for Directors of Not-For-Profit Corporations: Rights, Duties and Practices, Industry Canada et al, (free download)
  • Roberta’s Rules of Order, Alice Collier Cochran, Jossey-Bass, 2004
  • The Art of Trusteeship: The Nonprofit Board Members Guide to Effective Governance, Candace Widmer and Susan Houchin, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2000