BookShop – Boards That Work: A Guide for Charity Trustees – review by Maeve O’Brian

Boards That Work: A Guide for Charity Trustees
By David Fishel (Directory of Social Change, 2003, ISBN 1-9039-9116-1, £16.95 [£21.05 inc. p&p*])

Boards That Work, in its own introduction, claims to be “Above all… practical” and achieves this through a clearly written, relatively jargon-free description of the work of not-for-profit boards. Fishel has made an effort to move away from purely North American examples, theories and legal precepts in favour of a UK focus. Individuals with a basic understanding of management will find his content accessible and easy to exploit. The book provides an excellent selection of guidelines gleaned from expert sources on governance theory complemented by tried and tested board development tools and a really useful resources section that will be invaluable to any organisation operating in the charitable sector. Where it is lacking, however, is in the scope of the organisations put under the microscope as these remain, for the most part, medium to large charitable organisations. The very small not-for-profits, particularly in the arts sector, will not find a voice here. This is not to say that they would not benefit from the information Fishel presents, but they may feel overawed and daunted if they are struggling with an inappropriate Board structure or difficult period of organisational change.

Boards That Work could be employed as a powerful training tool on many levels in that it sets out governance basics as well as proposing ways to stretch a board towards a new efficiency and engagement with the organisation. It could also usefully be included in the required reading of trainee arts managers as a stimulus towards further research and debate around the governance of arts and cultural organisations.

Maeve O’Brien is Creative Enterprise Fellow with the Centre for Creative Enterprise & Participation at Dartington College of Arts.

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