Managingnonprofits.org: Dynamic Management for the Digital Age

By Rey Ramsey and Bennett L. Hecht

Book Overview

Nonprofit managers have been slow to embrace the digital age.Although technology has transformed the face of the for-profitsector and how it operates, nonprofit use of technology to improveinternal functioning and to change the way services are deliveredis almost nonexistent. These limitations actually have opened thedoor for for-profits to "compete" successfully for traditionalnonprofit business, such as moving people from welfare towork.

ManagingNonprofits.org is both a call to action and a roadmap forchange. Each chapter defines an element of Dynamic Management andidentifies "digital hotspots" or places within that element, andthe nonprofit's implementation of that element, where digitalissues will most likely arise and need to be addressed. Inaddition, at the end of each chapter, Maxims of Dynamic Managementor core truths that the authors have found helpful to follow intheir day-to-day experience as nonprofit leaders in bringingDynamic Management to their organization are provided. Finally, theauthors highlight the experience of various nonprofit andfor-profit organizations that have successfully made elements ofDynamic Management a reality in their organizations.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471395277
• ISBN13: 9780471395270
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Management and Technology Made Alive and Personal

The is not another book about management. This is not a book just about technology. This is a book about management and technology and much more. I will hit some of the highlights of what the "much more" is.What I have to say up front is that the book has excitement! It is alive with real people doing real things. It is more than I expected because it inspires and moves me. I came away with an experience and not only a lesson. The authors talk about people and activities that matter to me and I appreciate that. The book lives on into the present and the future because the thrust of the story is now in real time and not ended. I will have more on that later.The authors set the tone of the book in the first 25 pages. They offer a map for dynamic managers and leaders of nonprofit organizations to pursue. The map is an inverted pyramid, standing on its point. This outline can only give a hint at the concepts, but the top of the pyramid, the widest portion, works down to a pointed base -- Organizational Context - What's going on? Look in the mirror.- Corporate Culture, Vision, Values and People - Who are we?- The Business Model - Customers and Content - Who do we serve and what do we do?- Infrastructure - Operations - Are we supporting our culture and business model?- Alignment - Are our resources being properly aligned?These match the chapter headings. In my view they make their case. I found words and concepts dear to my heart and life's work illustrating the theory - staff people, vision, values, low-income people, dreaming, change, corporate culture, diversity, partnerships, training, literacy. They show their theory in a clear, logical and personal fashion. This is not a professional dissertation or beta testing schematic. They illustrate each point and feature nonprofits that have changed with technology having a role, from the National Center for Victims of Crime to the Pet Shelter Network to Netwellness and Calvary Bilingual Multicultural Learning Center (the URL in the book for Calvary is incorrect .... They have real stories about real people trying new methods and new beginnings from mergers to reconciliation of competition in what they call "Digital Spotlights". Each account indicates how and why technology is a part of the changes that occur and how that was managed. They show the work being done, the failed steps and the work still to be accomplished.Ultimately Hecht and Ramsey talk about their own dream, passion and their pursuit living the map of the inverted pyramid. The vision includes residents of low-to moderate-income housing, tenants and owners alike. They took the nonprofit route and partnered with other nonprofits and for profits. They created One Economy Corporation ... around a mission that "grows out of our vision of an all inclusive economy in which all people have an equal opportunity to meet their full potential". Page 197. They are honest. They did not do everything in order. Not everyone thought the dre

Hey ! This Really Works !!!

The world of managing nonprofit organizations has often been described as 'soft', 'unbusinesslike', unfocused and....above almost all other things....bureaucratic. Those who choose to sink their professional roots into such organizations, too, are sometimes branded with the same adjectives.At last....at long last...comes a 'how-to' book that elevates and dignifies the practice of nonprofit management....and tells us in the most up-to-date, practical ways how to get the job done most effectively.Hecht and Ramsey are credible, readable and experienced. They've drawn on real-life experience, refined and distilled it, and organized it into a guide to doing the job right.Whether you're running a nonprofit, sitting on the board of one, funding or contributing to one, or thinking about going to work for one...this is the one book you should read.

For boomers who want to give back

If you're a boomer who, like me, wants to "give back" by joining a non-profit, this book will outline what you need to look for in candidate organizations. The messages here are highly consistent with the best practices I've seen in the world's top for-profit companies. This is a quick and entertaining overview of what "works" to achieve success, no matter which sector.

Next Generation Thinking

You do not have to work in the nonprofit world to appreciate the management lessons in this book. It is a thoughtful, analytical book that also takes care to make itself an accessible and enjoyable read. People who run small businesses should read this book to rejuvinate their businesses and bring them into the 21st Century.

The new definition of dynamic, next generation nonprofits

I am hoping that every nonprofit in America looks into this book. It is a clarion call/blueprint for nonprofit managers to stop parroting tired business practices and become both management innovators and passionate advocates. This book shows that both are not mutually exclusive.Beyond the vital message that Hecht & Ramsey are bringing to the nonprofit world, this book provides a very nuanced look at how managers can, step-by-step, develop an organizational style and launching pad for strong growth for the future.This book defines the next generation of nonprofit organizations and is a must-read for managers of organizations large and small.