Governance: The Last 20 Years
A Timeline

1988-1991 DEFINING BOARDS AND BOUNDARIES

1992-1997 THE AGE OF EXCESS

1996-2001 THE PERFORMANCE PERIOD

2001-2008 THE ERA OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND LEADERSHIP

1988 – 1991 DEFINING BOARDS AND BOUNDARIES:
An Important First Step

1986 – “Governance is Governance” by Kenneth Dayton (Independent Sector)
1988 – Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards (BoardSource)
1988 – Policy vs. Paper Clips: Selling the Corporate Model to Your Nonprofit Board by Eugene Fram and Vicki Brown (Families International)
1989 – Governing Boards: Their Nature and Nurture by Cyril O. Houle (NCNB Publication of Jossey-Bass)
1990 – Managing the Nonprofit Organization: Principles and Practice by Peter F. Drucker (Harper Collins)
1990 – Boards That Make a Difference by John Carver (Jossey-Bass)
1991 – Executive Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations: New Strategies for Shaping Executive-Board Dynamics by Robert D. Herman and Richard Heimovics (Jossey-Bass)
1991 – Self Assessment of Nonprofit Governing Boards by Larry Slesinger (BoardSource)

1992 – 1997 THE AGE OF EXCESS:

A Stumble

1992 – United Way of America Scandal
1994 – Governance Index #1
1995 – The Foundation for New Era Philanthropy Scandal
1996 – Adelphi University Scandal
1996 – Tax Payer Bill of Rights / Intermediate Sanctions
1996 – BoardSource Governance Index #2
1997 – Bishop Estate Scandal
1999 – “Working on Nonprofit Boards: Don’t Assume the Shoe Fits” by F. Warren. McFarlan (Harvard Business Review)

1996 – 2001 THE PERFORMANCE PERIOD:

A Notable Step Up

1996 – “The New Work” by Barbara Taylor, Richard Chait, and Thomas Holland (Harvard Business Review)
1998 – High Performance Nonprofit Organizations by Allen Grossman, William P. Ryan, and Christine W. Letts (John Wiley & Sons)
1998 – Sustaining Innovation: Creating Nonprofit and Government Organizations That Innovate Naturally by Paul C. Light
1998 – “Enterprising Nonprofits” by Greg Dees (Harvard Business Review)
1999 – BoardSource Governance Index #3
1999 – Self Assessment of Nonprofit Governing Boards, revised (BoardSource)
2000 – The Standards for Excellence by Maryland Nonprofits
2001 – American Red Cross: 9/11 Fund
2001 – National Center for Nonprofits Boards becomes BoardSource
2003 – “The Nonprofit Sector’s $100 Billion Opportunity” by Bill Bradley, Paul Jansen, and Les Silverman (Harvard Business Review)
2003 – BoardSource Online Self-Assessment Tool

2001 – 2008 THE ERA OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND LEADERSHIP:

Parallel Paths

1999 – “Leadership Lost: A Study of Executive Director Tenure and Experience” (CompassPoint Nonprofit Services)
2001 – “Daring to Lead: Nonprofit Executive Directors and Work Experience” by Jeanne Peters and Timothy Wolfred (CompassPoint Nonprofit Services)
2002 – “Board Recruitment in the Nonprofit Market” by Booz Allen Hamilton and Volunteer Consulting Group
2002 – The Sarbanes-Oxley Act
2002 – “What Makes Great Boards Great (It’s not rules and regulations. It’s the way people work together.)” by Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld (Harvard Business Review)
2003 – Stanford Social Innovation Review launched
2003 – The Nature Conservancy Scandal
2003 – BoardSource Online Self Assessment launched
2004 – Senate Finance Committee Hearing and Roundtable – “Charity Oversight and Reform: Keeping Bad Things from Happening to Good Charities”
2004 – BoardSource Governance Index #4
2005 – Strengthening Transparency, Governance, Accountability of Charitable Organizations: A Final Report to Congress and the Nonprofit Sector by the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector
2005 – Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards by Richard P. Chait, William P. Ryan, and Barbara E. Taylor (BoardSource Publication of John Wiley & Sons)
2005 – The Source (BoardSource)
2005 – Good to Great and the Social Sectors by Jim Collins
2005 – American Red Cross: Katrina Failure
2005 – American University Scandal
2006 – “Daring to Lead 2006” by Jeanne Bell, Richard Moyers, and Timothy Wolfred (CompassPoint Nonprofit Services and The Meyer Foundation)
2006 - “The Nonprofit Sector’s Leadership Deficit” by Thomas J. Tierney (The Bridgespan Group)
2006 – “System-Wide Governance for Community Engagement” by Judy Freiwirth (Nonprofit Quarterly)
2006 – “Reframing Governance” by David O. Renz (Nonprofit Quarterly)
2007 – “Nonprofit Governance in the United States: Findings on Performance and Accountability from the First National Representative Study” by Francie Ostrower (Urban Institute)
2007 – BoardSource Governance Index #5
2007 – IRS Form 990 Revised
2007 – 33 Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice: A Guide for Charities and Foundations (Independent Sector)
2008 – Forces for Good by Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant (Jossey-Bass)