Joan Garry
Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership
PRAISE FOR JOAN GARRY'S GUIDE TO NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP
“WOW! I giggled, I pondered, I smiled, I nodded! Awesome! I share Joan's belief that nonprofits can change the world and she has given us the book that will make that happen! What's more, thanks to the way it is written, we'll be smiling as we learn!”
“Joan has written a powerful, must-read book for nonprofit leaders. Her experience and compassion will motivate you in your journey to ‘experiment your way to success.’ Filled with good humor and free of jargon, this book provides readers with valuable lessons from one of the country's most skilled leadership coaches.”
“As an instructor here at The Annenberg School, Joan has proven herself to be a joyful and inspiring educator, igniting student interest in the power of nonprofit communications. How fitting that she has invested time in sharing that joy and inspiration in Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership. Among the qualities that make for an effective nonprofit leader, writes Joan, are boldness, joy, a good sense of humor, and the ability to tell a good story. Not coincidentally, these same attributes describe her book perfectly. The arguments and advice are bold and illustrated by a range of engaging and personal stories drawn from her career as one of the nation's most influential nonprofit leaders.”
“Joan understands nonprofits the way a great mechanic understands cars – from years of getting her hands dirty under the hood. Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership is the owner's manual nonprofit leaders need. Her take is always serious, but never solemn; right but not self-righteous. She's the wise friend every nonprofit leader needs. I know I do.”
“As an overworked nonprofit ED with one eye twitching due to cash-flow issues, I am always skeptical of people claiming to be ‘experts’ about nonprofit leadership. Joan, however, proves to be not only an authority on our work, but also no-nonsense, down-to-earth, and hilarious. This book is chock-full of helpful stories and concrete recommendations, delivered in Joan's usual engaging conversational tone, sprinkled with jokes and witticisms. You feel like you're venting with a wise and caring friend at happy hour. There is great advice here for new as well as experienced nonprofit leaders.”
“While it may sound idiotic to think about curling up with a good book on management and leadership, that's how great this book is. Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership is brilliant, practical, beautifully written, hysterically funny, insightful, moving, entertaining, original, incredibly useful, emotionally satisfying, and right about just about everything. There's something useful and enjoyable on every page, and there is no excuse for not buying it immediately.”
Cover photographs: (Front/Author) Joseph Moran [www.josephmoran.com]
Cover design: Wiley
Copyright © 2017 by Joan Garry. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
Chapter cartoons: Marcel Hirschegger/Abstract Edge, www.abstractedge.com.
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ISBN 9781119293064 (cloth); ISBN 9781119293095 (ePDF); 9781119293101 (ePub)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are who we are because of the families that raised us. My mom passed away just after I completed this manuscript. As we went through her purse, I found a copy of the cover art for the book. On an otherwise dreary day, it made me smile. Until her last day, my mom was sharp as a tack. If I am smart, feisty, funny, and a bit of a dog with a bone about issues that feel important to me, it is because I am my mother's daughter. To steal a line from one of my kids, Thanks for birthing me, Mom.
My dad taught me the power of being a good coach. I saw him in action during years of being his right hand in Little League dugouts. And I admired him. Offering direction, support, and encouragement, he was not just a coach. He was a champion, and an educator. A quiet leader. Everyone wanted to be on his team. I was lucky. I was born into his team.
Father Jim Loughran, SJ, of blessed memory, taught my first philosophy class. He challenged me to consider the value of my moral compass, my own intellectual capacity and the power of inquiry.
We are who we are because of the people who shape our thinking during our journey. Attorneys Paula Ettelbrick and Suzanne Goldberg represented our family in a precedent-setting case to create a legal connection between our kids and me. These two triggered the activist in me, planting the idea in my head that it was time to get off the sidelines and onto the field.
In 1985, Showtime engaged consultants Joan Goldsmith and Ken Cloke. Joan and Ken were evangelists about making teamwork a reality (not a buzzword) in workplaces. And they taught me about the power of difficult conversations. Much of my work today feels like the baton they passed on to me.
Yes, this was the village that led me from a solid happy life to a life with real purpose – leading me to the nonprofit sector and never looking back.
During my tenure at GLAAD, I met activists, donors, and volunteers who inspired me to do my best for them.