First Things First - Softcover

Tom Iselin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 096491395X ISBN 13: 9780964913950

Publisher: Pelican Lake Press, 2011

Synopsis

"I wish the IRS gave a copy of this book with every new 501c3 they issue."
-Debra England, McKinsey and Company.

Lined with bold messages and practical advice, First Things First is a bestselling book that takes readers on an insightful journey of how to build a high-performance nonprofit. "Too often nonprofits want to do what's convenient, not what's important," says Iselin, who has spent the last 20 years building eight sector leading nonprofits. "The nonprofit world is filled with passionate people eager to make a difference. Their intentions are noble, but many leaders tend to take short cuts and make hasty decisions. The result is costly disruptions, operational migraines, and in some cases, failure."

First Things First is a guidebook for nonprofit leaders and board members. It's not filled with useless theory. It's conversational and PRACTICAL. It focuses on a set of governing principles, operational structures, and practical tactics that can be applied quickly and easily.

Each chapter provides a case study example that relates chapter topics to experiences Iselin had during the five years he spent as chief executive at SVAS and the founder of Higher Ground. Readers see how his staff and board overcame a host of challenging situations to create a pathway for the organization to develop pioneering programming and effective operations that propelled his organizations to national recognition and acclaim.

Iselin notes, "Seasoned leaders know costly mistakes made early on can have long-term consequences that can derail the dreams and momentum of fulfilling a worthy mission. First Things First shows leaders how to avoid common mistakes and how critical it is to make important decisions early on that might not seem obvious or intuitive."

In the book, readers learn how to hire the best staff and nominate the best board members by identifying a set of uncommon attributes. They learn how to efficiently leverage their human capital, how to build a brand that captures the attention of national media, how to raise big money from major donors using rarely applied fundraising techniques, and how to dodge the traps of "lip service" passion.

Readers also learn why it's more important to hire an amazing CEO, how to unravel the mysteries of developing a healthy relationship between board members and a chief executive, how to develop an engaging culture, how to establish a structure of organization that lasts, how to develop simple tools to measure outcomes without having to conduct research, how to receive untold commitments and donations with a system that costs almost nothing, and much more.

Most importantly, First Things First teaches leaders how to think (mindset) about the process of building and operating a high-performance, GOLD STANDARD nonprofit.

About this title

About the Author

Tom Iselin (1961-) was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and his Midwestern values of being neighborly and giving back continue to shape his life, work, and writing.

After a near-death experience, Tom left the world of stock options trading on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, washed away his selfish lifestyle, and became a social entrepreneur with a mission of helping nonprofits become thriving, high-impact, gold standard nonprofits.

Tom went on to start or help build nine sector leading nonprofits, including The Hunger Coalition, Natural High, The Environmental News Network, and Higher Ground, one of the nation's largest and most innovative nonprofits that rehabilitates wounded warriors.

He's written six books, sits on a number of boards, and hosts a video blog and podcast. Each year, Tom speaks to more than 5,000 nonprofit leaders at conferences across the country. He is considered a leading authority on high-performance nonprofits, and his impact on the industry has been featured on CNN, Nightline, and in Newsweek.

Tom won the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Idaho in 2006, and is rated one of America's best and most popular board retreat and strategic planning facilitators. He is the president of First Things First, a business specializing in board retreats, strategic planning, fundraising, and executive coaching.
 
Tom lives in the mountain town of Sun Valley, Idaho. To relax, he loves mountain biking, hiking, camping, skiing, fly fishing, tennis, cooking, and baking.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pelican Lake Press
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 096491395X
• ISBN 13: 9780964913950
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 223