The key to a healthy nonprofit organization is a harmonious board-staff relationship. Easier said than done

The Invisible Yellow Line: Clarifying Nonprofit Board and Staff Roles is a fun, upbeat, and down-to-earth manual that walks you through the process of clarifying the roles of the board and staff.

If you've ever watched a football game on TV you be familiar with the yellow line that's visible to viewers, but invisible to the players on the field. Using the "invisible yellow line" metaphor, Jean Block guides you through clarifying roles in governance, management, finance, planning, human resources, resource development, and recruitment.

Since it's a workbook, it will enable nonprofit leaders--both board and staff--to roll up their sleeves and work through each key area. It explores the different roles of board and staff in several key nonprofit management functions.

Chapters include a worksheet that can start a conversation of best practices that will help more clearly define the key roles of board and staff in your organization. Block suggests, in the Introduction, that each key player to review the assessments individually and then combine the results into one assessment to form the basis of useful conversations about how to define these roles in the organization.

Chapter One: The Invisible Yellow Line.

Chapter Two: The Invisible Yellow Line in Governance.

Chapter Three: The Invisible Yellow Line in Management.

Chapter Four: The Invisible Yellow Line in Finance.

Chapter Five: The Invisible Yellow Line in Planning.

Chapter Six: The Invisible Yellow Line in Human Resources.

Chapter Seven: The Invisible Yellow Line in Resource Development.

Chapter Eight: The Invisible Yellow Line in Board Recruitment.

Chapter Nine: The Invisible Yellow Line Test. About the Author

Jean Block began her nonprofit career when she was thirteen years old, raising money through a backyard carnival for CARE. She was hooked. She has served as board leader, chief executive, and development director for several local, regional, and national nonprofits. She is now a nationally recognized speaker and trainer on nonprofit management, board governance, fundraising, and social enterprise through her two consulting companies, Jean Block Consulting Inc. and Social Enterprise Ventures LLC. At this printing, she has authored a number of books on nonprofit topics. About the CharityChannel Press In the Trenches(tm) Series

You'll know an In the Trenches book not just by its cover, but by the author's fun, upbeat writing style. But don't be fooled by its down-to-earth approach and ample use of sidebars. In the Trenches books are authoritative and cover what a beginner should know to get started and progress rapidly, and what a more experienced nonprofit-sector practitioner needs to move forward in the subject.

Let's face it. Today's nonprofit fundraising environment is just plain tough. Development efforts that worked for decades no longer bring the same results. Nonprofits can no longer count entirely on government funding, available grants, and individual solicitations. Different and more creative solutions are a must.

The Nonprofit Guide to Social Enterprise is an essential guide to starting a social enterprise within your nonprofit organization. The step-by-step process in this comprehensive manual offers a tested approach to launching a successful nonprofit social enterprise that builds your organization's capacity and reduces reliance on traditional but dwindling funding sources.

This manual, part of the popular CharityChannel Press In the Trenches series, has examples, worksheets, guidelines, and a business plan template and process that take you through the entire journey of what must be done to launch a successful social enterprise that works to build sustainability for your mission and market.

The authors show you how to reduce your nonprofit's dependence on traditional funding and outlines processes for building unrestricted income sources that allow your organization to expand services, develop new programs, provide better wages and benefits for staff, and build organizational capacity.

Learn how to: Create sustainability. Develop a sound business plan. Discover an enterprise venture that aligns with your mission. Reduce your dependence on charitable donations. Execute a strategic process that builds sustainability.

The Nonprofit Guide to Social Enterprise will help you develop a clear vision and results-driven plan.

Chapter One
Social Enterprise: Changing the World for the Common Good

Chapter Two
Paradigm Shifts: The Business of Doing Good

Chapter Three
Vetting the Social Enterprise Model

Chapter Four
Organizational Goals, Focus, and Desired Outcomes

Chapter Five
Examining Your Assets and Opportunities: What You Do, What You Have, What You Know

Chapter Six
Testing the Waters

Chapter Seven
Developing Your Sales Plan

Chapter Eight
Understanding Pricing, Financing, and Costs

Chapter Nine
Developing Your Business Plan

Chapter Ten
Sustainability: The End Goal

Appendix A
Business Plan Example

Appendix B
Resources

Read this manual, follow the process, and join the ranks of forward-looking successful nonprofits that have changed their business model from reliance on others to sustainable self-reliance. It will be worth it

Nonprofit fundraisers, board members and volunteers will find this book filled with fun, practical, easy and powerful ways to raise more money. Turn traditional fundraising into FUNdraising. 180+ tried and true FUNdraising ideas for annual campaigns, special events, social enterprise, donor relations and more.