The topics with which this book deals are loosely grouped into chapters, each with a theme of its own. Chapter One orients the reader to the whole phenomenon of boards. Most people know only one or a few of them, mostly falling within one category, such as hospital or foundation boards. The chapter is intended to put all private nonprofit boards and public boards in perspective, thus laying the broad foundation for the book. Chapter Two centers on the nature of the individuals who make up a board: what kinds of people they are, how they should be inducted, and how their capacities for service can be fostered. No board can rise above the developed capabilities of its constituent members. Chapter Three considers the question of how individuals can best be fitted together into an effective structure that clarifies the relationships among the members and helps them achieve their fullest potential.

Chapter Four deals with the relationships among boards and the other two entities with which they are often combined in a single system: the executive and the staff. Chapter Five moves away from matters of organization toward themes of dynamic process. Most agencies and associations today face far greater demands for legal accountability and social responsibility than they faced in the past. Also boards now tend to set high standards for themselves. This concern for quality requires the use of processes that are often both difficult and intangible. It is not easy, for example, to build consensus on desirable ends, to set up procedures for avoiding conflict of interest, to assess the quality of the program and of the board, or to deal with other similar matters. Such topics must be considered in depth, which is why Chapter Five is lengthy and contains sections that may seem tedious to anyone not deeply concerned with these ways to achieve high quality of operation. Chapter Six deals with the external relationships of boards and the institutions they govern. The book concludes with a bibliography and four appendixes, which amplify and illustrate matters dealt with in the text. (p. XVI-XVII).

CONTENTS
Preface.
The author.

Part 1. How to think about a board:

How boards began - and begin.
The essentials of the tripartite system.
The chairman.
The scope of the tripartite system.
Similar structures.
The case against the board.
The sources of knowledge about boards.
Afterword: Delicate balances.

Part 2. The human potential of the board:

  1. Why people join boards.
  2. Who should be on a board?
  3. How to select new board members.
  4. How to invite people to be on a board.
  5. How to orient new board members.
  6. The continuing education of board members.
  7. The insights of the veteran board member.

Afterword: The caliber and depth of understanding of trustees.

Part 3. The structure of the board:

  8. The board's concern for its own organization.
  9. Written records.
10. Board manuals.
11. The proper size of the board.
12. Length of tenure.
13. Definite overlapping terms.
14. Limitation of terms.
15. The selection of chairmen.
16. Committees.

Afterword: Structure as the Channel for action.

Part 4. The board, the executive, and the staff:

17. Shared responsibility.
18. The functions of the board.
19. Teaching the staff about the board.
20. A zone of accommodation.
21. Choosing a new executive.
22. Evaluating the executive.
23. The end of the relationship.
24. The board and the staff.

Afterword: A single social entity.

Part 5. The operation of the board:

25. Achieving an effective group spirit.
26. Identifying desirable ends.
27. The annual schedule.
28. The meetings of the board.
29. Getting board members to accept responsibility.
30. Conflicts of interest.
31. Fiscal liability.
32. Assessing the quality of the program.
33. Improving the quality of the board.
34. Boards with serious difficulties.

Afterword: A victory, not a gift.

Part 6. The external relationships of the board:

35. The board and its publics.
36. Sunshine laws.
37. Auxiliary boards.
38. Systems of boards.
39. The community linkage of boards.
40. Mergers and consolidation.
41. The social status of boards.

Afterword: The living proof of democracy.
Bibliography.

Appendix:
     A. How many governing boards are there?
     B. Keep absolutely and serenely good humored.
     C. A rating scale for boards.
     D. From outer space to inner control.

Notes.
Index.

The topics with which this book deals are loosely grouped into chapters, each with a theme of its own. Chapter One orients the reader to the whole phenomenon of boards. Most people know only one or a few of them, mostly falling within one category, such as hospital or foundation boards.