Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership: Because the World Is Counting on You

I suppose some authors add a chapter or two of new content here and there and call it a second edition. Not me. For those who know me, it won't surprise you that I learned a ton from my clients since 2017 and I realized I had quite a lot more to say. I believe it reads like a new book.

How?

The first edition centered on my story as the vehicle for lessons and advice. In this edition, you will meet a host of new "characters" from around the country whose stories are just like yours. You will see yourself in these superheroes. Their choices, the lessons they learned from their mistakes, their remarkable successes - bring the book to life in a new way. Every single chapter of this second edition is new in this way.

And yes, there is new content.

My hope is that every nonprofit board member will swallow this book whole. And so a new chapter "Why Boards Matter" may be the most important content in this edition. It's not your typical chapter about boards - clinical and instructive.But if you want to see firsthand the havoc a clueless board member can have, if you want to understand the ripple effects of the toxic board member, if you want to see what abuse of power looks like and if you want to face the truth that boards don't just stay engaged - you have to engage them - then this is the chapter you need to read. And, not to worry, the chapter comes complete with proven antidotes.

The next new chapter is filled with lessons learned from over 5,000 leaders of small nonprofits who are members of my Nonprofit Leadership Lab. Of the 1.5 million nonprofits of in the U.S., 67% have budgets less than $1mm. Leaders of small organizations have unique strengths and challenges. In this chapter, I speak to these leaders and offer practical advice on how small nonprofits can have an outsized impact.

Lastly, this second edition will find its way to readers as we move out of 2020, a year like no other. No leaders could have anticipated the depth of crises they would encounter. A brand new chapter about crisis management will be just what the doctor ordered.

In 2017 I wrote my very first book and I was proud of it. During the pandemic, on lockdown, I didn't just update the book; I wrote the book I believed executive directors and board members of nonprofits of all sizes and shapes would really need for a world where old rules no longer apply, a world that needs them now more than ever and a world in which leaders will need someone in their corner offering them practical advice and cheering them on.

Here I am.

As a champion for nonprofit leaders hell bent on maximizing the impact of the nonprofit sector, Joan wrote this second edition Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership, during COVID lockdown. She knew that board and staff leaders would need a guide come January 2021 to navigate a world where old rules no longer apply and a world that needs them now more than ever.

A very different time demanded a very different book. Certainly not different in style, Joan's new book is funny, inspiring and filled with practical advice. Her voice is accessible and you'll feel you are getting a pep talk from your biggest fan.

Drawing on her own experiences as a nonprofit E.D., a board leader, a volunteer and a donor Joan shares her stories and introduces you to a host of new characters she has met since 2017. Board and staff leaders will see themselves in these folks - recognizing the mistakes and celebrating the successes.

In this new book, Joan will help you realize that 'nonprofits are messy" - too many cooks, too few resources and an abundance of passion and show you the way to find joy and privilege in that 'mess."

In this newest book Joan will teach you how to

• Market board service to identify ideal ambassadors and build a strong an effective board
• Develop a true partnership between the board chair and the executive director
• Maximize the superpowers of small budgets
• Build a culture of storytelling in your organization (the key to fundraising )
• Anticipate crises and navigate them - step by step
• The keys to a fundraising program that puts you on the path to sustainability