Governance stories : a practical guide to setting up your management committee and sustaining its work

Being a member of a management committee or board is vital work, but complex and demanding.

Yet members of management committees have little or no preparation for fulfilling their vital roles.

Governance Stories fills the gap, by giving important practical guidance on good governance.

It uses the medium of story-telling to focus on the joys, trials and tribulations of small community-based charities, helping anyone involved their operation and development.

The immediacy of the stories grabs the reader's attention, and the options and advice offered will enable members of management committees to deal with role issues, with legal structures, with relationships, with policies and procedures, and with management committee meetings and strategic reviews.

Above all, it will help them to; prioritise their work; avoid mistakes, or learn from them; maintain enthusiasm; develop skills; move on with a sense of accomplishment when the time is right; Information and checklists by which to review current practice and confirm or re-define it will also be of help whether your organisation is just starting or larger and more established. Governance Stories will also help management committees be clear about their duties, powers and accountability, and to distinguish between their own and their managers' tasks.

A very practical resources section points readers in the direction of other helpful publications and useful sources of information.