The Practical Guide to Managing Nonprofit Assets

Book excerpt: "The authors have provided an interesting and helpful resource to understand and manage the nonprofit organization's investments. I believe that this book should be in the library of all nonprofit practitioners that are concerned about prudent stewardship." —Jim Croft, PhD, Vice President, Finance and Administration The Field Museum (Chicago, Illinois) "This book is a straightforward, well-written guide to the strategies and administration of investment assets of nonprofit institutions. It relies on the principles of modern portfolio theory in emphasizing asset diversification, performance measurement, and careful manager selection. It debunks much of what passes for 'investment advice' in the popular media. To their credit, the authors describe the challenges, factors, and actors in the investment industry, from the perspective of the individuals and committees charged by nonprofit institutions swith investment oversight responsibility." —John E. Allerson, Senior Vice President, Finance and Operations and Chief Financial Officer, Roosevelt University (Chicago, Illinois) "I would consider this book 'Investments 101' for anyone who deals with overseeing investments of a company, whether it is a profit or nonprofit. Yet, at the same time, it would help all investors, small or large, in dealing with their own individual portfolios. DiMeo, Schneider, Benoit, et al. have organized the book in such a way that each chapter deals with the very essence of how to structure an investment portfolio and how to look at the complex environment in an easy way." —Kevin Higdon, Vice President of Finance Elkhart General Hospital (Elkhart, Indiana) "From modern portfolio theory to the role of the fiduciary, The Practical Guide to Managing Nonprofit Assets provides trustees of nonprofit funds with a chapter-by-chapter explanation of what they should know to carry out their responsibilities. For the uninitiated, it creates a foundation for understanding investing in a difficult environment. For the experienced, it serves as a checklist of issues to be considered in exercising appropriate investment oversight." —Thomas H. Hodges, Executive Vice President, Finance, and Treasurer Evanston Northwestern Healthcare (Evanston, Illinois)