Generations: The Challenge of a Lifetime: The Challenge of a Lifetime for Your Nonprofit [Paperback]

Last week, one of my senior staff members complained because I call too many meetings and am always trying to build consensus when everyone knows that the job of a boss is to tell people what to do. At the same time, another younger staff member came and asked if we could have more meetings because they feel "out of the loop" in the decision making process. Clearly there was a difference in generations talking!

J.B. Priestly once wrote, "There was no respect for youth when I was young, and now that I am old, there is no respect for age - I missed it coming and going." As an aging baby boomer, I have often felt like Priestly, especially when leading my nonprofit organization and dealing with everyday generational issues like the one I cited above.

However, Peter C. Brinkerhoff's book, "Generations: The Challenge of a Lifetime for Your Nonprofit", offers some practical ways of looking at the dilemma of generational diversity. Like most of Brinkerhoff's books, this one is a practical guide. He has discussion questions, practical examples and exercises for thinking about this grossly engaging and extremely complex subject. He examines generational differences in the way that staff members interact. In one of the best sections on Board and Volunteers, he talks about the way generational diversity changes the way boards make decisions and the way volunteers are recruited. In the final sections, Brinkerhoff talks about changes that will occur to the people that your nonprofit serves and how you can market your services to them.

Brinkerhoff outlines "Six Big Actions" that are at the core of generational planning. He shows how each of these Actions can be used to look at generational issues with staff, boards and constituents. This is a wonderful framework to examine and to structure change within any nonprofit (or for profit) organization.

Finally, Brinkerhoff builds on the great work of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and talks about what has been referred to as "The Nonprofit Leadership Crisis" - the great turnover in nonprofit executives that will occur in the next ten years. As the Casey Foundation has reminded us, the "Next Shift" in nonprofit leadership will change not only the faces in nonprofit leadership, but also in many ways will change the perceptions of leaders. Leaders with different generational issues and values will occupy seats previously held by the Baby Boom Generation. How these generational shifts change the nature and complexity of our nonprofit organizations will be fascinating to watch. Beyond that, Brinkerhoff gives us some practical ways of evaluating that change yet keeping our nonprofit organizations focused on our true missions.

There is a good reason that Peter Brinckerhoff is the only person to win the McAdam Award for the best nonprofit management book of the year twice: its because he writes the best nonprofit management books. Generations is a must read for anyone who wants a vital, dynamic, forward thinking board for the 21st centuary. Carol Weisman, CSP, MSW

Anyone that is working within a non-profit and has the challenging task of raising funds, should read this book! It takes a look at the generations of yesterday and today in a clear and innovative way. New strategies are sure to emerge once you read this and discuss with your staff and board!

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