Authors Michael Allison and Jude Kaye are active consultants and trainers in the nonprofit sector. Mr. Allison is currently an independent consultant, having served as Director of Consulting and Research at CompassPoint Nonprofit Services for 15 years where Ms. Kaye is currently a Senior Fellow.

Board and staff of small-to-medium size organizations are the intended target of the book, but large organizations, consultants and others will find the information useful and of value. Individuals leading a strategic planning process will benefit most from using this book —— in fact, each chapter contains "Cautions to Facilitators." Participants in the planning effort may find the book has too much information, but consultants and facilitators will find a range of tools for leading strategic planning and getting the most out of the process.

Throughout, Allison and Kaye utilize a case study involving a fictional organization (ASO/USA) to illustrate questions raised and issues encountered in the process. Sidebars drawn from the authors' experience with nonprofit organizations are also included to point up particular situations.

There are many worksheets, agendas, surveys, and forms collected in the appendices, and also available on the companion CD-ROM that is included. Worksheet 13 is CompassPoint's Dual Bottom-Line Matrix and is a good use of charting and symbols to graphically illustrate the seemingly dry topic of "business assessment tools for developing a program portfolio."

It may be tempting to go directly to the appendices and utilize the forms and formats, and many have simple, straightforward instructions or information. A facilitator doing this will miss the helpful and insightful contributions of the authors' experiences. A strategic planning process can be an exciting time for an organization or it can be a loathsome chore —— a thorough reading of this book will help those leading the process to ensure the former.

This is the second edition of this book (the first published in 1997) and begs the question of whether one should upgrade. I would offer a cautious yes; many of the charts have been updated and are cleaner, more graphic, and less wordy; the addition of the sidebars is helpful and it is clear that the second edition is informed by the ongoing consulting work on the part of the authors.

There are any number of books on strategic planning, which has been a very popular topic in recent years. But this work —— with its clear examples, the consistent use of one organization as a case study, and the outstanding worksheets, graphs, and charts —— makes it worthy of a place in the library of nonprofit leaders.

For citations to additional materials on this topic refer to the Literature of the Nonprofit Sector Online, using the subject headings "Strategic planning" or "Nonprofit organizations-planning."