In easy-to-understand language, Howe answers the most common questions and concerns of prospective board members, and details their rights, obligations, and liabilities.

Drawing on a lifetime of experience on nonprofit boards, Howe details the seven key responsibilities of a nonprofit board member--including how to go about the process of approving the mission, long-range planning, fundraising, and selecting and evaluating a chief executive. Additionally, Howe explores the leadership role each board member must assume if their organization is to excel.

FISHER HOWE is a former Foreign Service officer and a consultant for nonprofit organizations with LavAnder/Howe & Associates in Washington, D.C. He has served as assistant dean and executive director at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and director of institutional relations for Resources for the Future. Howe is the author of The Board Member's Guide to Fund Raising (Jossey-Bass, 1991).