Printable Version

Tools and Publications

Just Released NPQ Article on Movement Networks!
The Nonprofit Quarterly features Robin Katcher's article, "Unstill Waters: The Fluid Role of Networks in Social Movements." It describes the essential roles networks play in building a strong social movement ways based on MAG's experience and research. Download PDF.

BOOKS

New! Recognize when your organization is at a pivotal juncture, understand the underlying dynamics, and be prepared with concrete actions to move the organization to the next level. Susan Gross goes beyond describing symptoms and challenges and offers leaders usable advice on what to expect and what to do. You'll find:

The characteristic pattern of problems that signal the need for change
Reassurance that problems are an inevitable consequence of change or growth
Recommended changes in structure, leadership, management, governance, operating style, and culture
Warnings about resistance you're likely to run into and how to manage it
Vivid examples of what really happens in organizations based on the author's real-life experience with hundreds of nonprofits

Learn More or Buy Now!

FREE REPORTS

New! For most organizations, when a founder steps down as CEO, he or she should leave the organization to not undermine the new leader's authority. However, MAG recognized that there may be missed opportunities there. For Table for Two: Can Founders and Successors Co-Exist So Everyone Wins?, Mark Leach conducted a study of organizations where the founders stayed on under new leadership to learn the factors that foster success for such a unique and challenging transition.

Table for Two provides:

A new, innovative model for leadership transitions
A broader range of options for the founder’s continuing role and contributions
Insights into the personal and organizational factors needed for success in such transitions
An integrated approach to weighing and managing the risks and benefits if the founder stays on
Challenges, coping strategies, and recommendations for founders, successors, boards of directors, and staff
Recommendation for funders who wish to support this kind of transition

Learn more or Download the Report or Summary of Key Findings.

New! Leaders of smaller nonprofits know that attending to their back-office needs is critical but frequently lack the time or expertise to address these needs in addition to their programmatic work. At the same time, they also have difficulty finding appropriate, affordable, quality outsourced services. In this study, Mark Leach explores outsourcing as a solution for helping to improve small nonprofits’ back-office functions.

The report provides:

Descriptions of the most pressing needs of smaller nonprofits
Best reasons for outsourcing
Better understanding of the barriers that prevent nonprofits from outsourcing back‐office services
Analysis of why smaller nonprofits are difficult to serve without innovative business models or some form of third‐party subsidy
A framework for evaluating outsourced back‐office services
Ideas for nonprofit leaders, grantmakers, and back-office service providers to create more effective and appropriate services

Learn more or Download the Report or Executive Summary

FREE GUIDEBOOKS

You're not alone: Many executive directors feel frustrated and ambivalent about board development. This booklet provides easy-to-read tools on:

The challenges of managing a "following board" versus a "leading board"
Understanding the Core Responsibilities of a Governing Board
Fostering a Strong Board/Executive Director Partnership
Board Composition
The Role of the Board Chair
Having Board Meetings that Board Members Want to Attend
Creating Committees that Work

Download PDF

Did you know that Google lists nearly 34 million entries for the term "strategic planning guide?" This short publication is designed to help social justice groups launch strategic planning that is focused and fruitful. Highlights include:

Does Your Organization Resist Planning?
Is Planning What Your Organization Really Needs?
Is Your Mission Crystal Clear?
The Two Biggest Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
How to Set Priorities and Stick to Them

Download PDF

It's a fundamental irony of non-profit management: no social justice advocate ever dreams of being a manager, yet the most successful policy analysts, organizers, and litigators often find themselves tasked with leading a team. This book provides brief, easy-to-use tools for new and experienced managers, including:

How Am I Doing? A Management Self-Assessment Tool
The Three Questions All Employees Ask and Every Manager Needs to Answer
Root Causes: Why Employees Don't Get the Job Done
Having Successful Staff Meetings

Download PDF

E-NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

Fall 2009 Issue

If the Buddha Was a Fundraiser
Letter from Inca: Helping Leaders Manage Complexity and Change

Summer 2009 Issue

What's Power Got To Do With It? Owning Your Power As a Manager
Letter from Inca: Partnering With Our Clients To Serve Them in Tough Time

Spring 2009 Issue

Tools You Can Use: Finding Opportunity in Crisis
Letter from Inca: Weighed Down by Stressful Times?

Download PDF

EARLIER ARTICLES (1983-1999)

Per our visitors' request, we have posted MAG's earlier articles from 1983 to 1999. Please note that the recently released publications above incorporate much of these earlier articles' content and additional insights developed since their publication.

Boards

Board Membering: What Kinds of People Make Good Board Member? What Kinds of People Are Needed to Make Up a Good Board of Directors?
Board Passages: Three Key Stages in a Board's Life Cycle
The Board of Directors Is a Problem: Exploring the Concept of Following and Leading Boards
No Board of Directors Is Like Any Other: Some Maxims About Boards

Planning

The 10 Most Common Organizational Problems: Getting To Their Source
The Planning Dreads: Why Groups Resist Planning
The Power of Purpose

Management

How to Have Effective Staff Meetings
Managing People: The Most Common Pitfalls

Download PDF