★★★★★
Great read. Insightful.
A quick read, packed with insights and helpful examples to illustrate his points. Our finance committee has read this book.
About
Forty years on the lender’s side of the table
I have sat on every side of the table.
I have been an investment banker for more than forty years, financing some of the most innovative public works projects in the western United States and advising hospitals and universities on complex debt financing and refinancing.
I have also been a contract CFO, an endowment fund manager and consultant, a planned giving lecturer and consultant, and a trustee for several grassroots organizations. I have a particular interest in special needs organizations, and in their programs and support for my daughter, who has Down syndrome.
I saw the same pattern again and again: capable people doing important work, living from one funding cycle to the next. The organizations that lasted had a plan for their money as well as a plan for their programs.
I wrote Beyond Hand to Mouth to put that pattern on paper.
Nick Prassas40+ years
in institutional investment banking and private equity
Every seat
Banker, contract CFO, endowment manager, planned giving consultant and trustee
Author
Beyond Hand to Mouth: Tactical Finance for Nonprofit Organizations
How I work
Four habits
I read before I recommend.
I start with your budget and audit, not a template.
I speak plain English.
If a board member can’t repeat the point, I have not made it clearly enough.
I say the hard thing.
Often it is something staff already suspect. I say it out loud so the board can act on it.
I stay for the work.
A plan is only useful once it changes what happens in the budget.
What readers say
Excerpts from reviews posted on Amazon.
★★★★★
An insightful and usable guide for managers and directors.
Prassas has a variety of experiences banking for and serving on boards of nonprofits himself, and presents actual experiences and common mistakes in a most interesting and usable style.
★★★★★
Great practical advice for non profit organizations
The book is filled with wise practical observations on the behavior of non profit organizations. The foibles of these organizations in governance,finance, and development are also documented.Lot of good advice for those who lead non profits.
★★★★★
A must read for any non-profit leader!
This book is a must read for any non-profit leader and board member.
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