How do board members choose the most effective model for ensuring that trusteeship, with its privileges and challenges, is carried out responsibly for the nonprofit they represent? The authors of The Art of Trusteeship: The Nonprofit Board Member's Guide to Effective Governance approach board member participation as a matter of creative stewardship.

According to this manual, nonprofits differ so widely in size and complexity of both the organization and board composition that it is impossible to construct a model that will fit all situations. They contend that books on this topic tend to focus either on board policy governance or implementation techniques. In contrast, the techniques they outline represent a "contingency approach to nonprofit governance."

Authors Candace Widmer, director of National Services for Girls, Inc., and Susan Houchin, a professor of human services and sociology at Elmira College in Elmira, New York, come together from different perspectives as director and academician but this enables them a more expansive view of trusteeship than those who approach it singularly.

Divided into three main sections, The Art of Trusteeship concentrates on the major issues with which board members must grapple: mission, money, and management. Strategic planning, key to an organization's longevity and success, is emphasized in the chapters pertaining to an organization's mission. Board members are encouraged to remain open to the possibility that the organization's mission may evolve with time, and if and when it becomes necessary to amend the mission, strategic plans can be altered, accordingly.

The Art of Trusteeship offers a well-balanced presentation of information useful to novice and veteran trustees alike. Although philosophical aspects of trusteeship are explored, The Art of Trusteeship functions —— perhaps even more effectively —— as an operating manual providing nitty-gritty applications for much of the hard work of boards.

Well-indexed, with a resource and reference section, The Art of Trusteeship in its brief, easy-to-read format is an important addition to other books on this topic. Questions at the end of chapters prompt topics for board retreat discussions or taskforces. The authors posit that the end result sought by trustees "is to create governance policies and practices that enable the board to focus on critical issues and achieve its goals."

For further citations to additional literature on this topic, consult the Literature of the Nonprofit Sector Online, using the subject headings "Nonprofit organizations — administration" or "Board members."