Jean BlockThe Invisible Yellow Line: Clarifying Nonprofit Board and Staff Roles

I use The Invisible Yellow Line in my orientation for all our new board members! It has been our "bible" when there is a question about board or staff responsibilities. This is a MUST HAVE if you run a not for profit business!Francea PhillipsPresident, Meals on Wheels of Boulder

This is one of the most practical books I have read on the subject of board and staff relationshps and responsibility.

Really disappointing. Not very useful. Trite.

Imagine arriving at a hospital emergency room where the surgeon checks you in and the business office manager meets you in the treatment room to attend to your wound. Confusing? Now imagine a nonprofit board chair who is buying supplies for the organization at Staples and an executive director who has never seen the organization's budget (a real life example). Equally confusing, AND dysfunctional. In the "Invisible Yellow Line: Clarifying Nonprofit Board and Staff Roles", Jean Block makes crystal clear the important but different roles for staff and board in a healthy nonprofit. This should be required reading for every nonprofit leading to the development of functional job descriptions for the leadership staff and the board of directors, as well as providing rich and plentiful guidance for the annual board /staff retreat.Donna M. AudetteCoaching With Care, LLC

If you anticipate any amount of change on the horizon for your organization or feel your board and staff could benefit from improved clarity in roles and responsibilities, Jean Block’s The Invisible Yellow Line will help you create a space for improved communication about the division of labor. Block addresses common gray areas, or in this case yellow, where conflict typically germinates in matters of governance, management, operations and development. Block further addresses these tricky areas by providing you with a thorough watch list of key responsibilities that often get muddy due to uninformed board members and staff. You will find Block’s key roles watch lists, Invisible Yellow Line Test and other clarity-improving templates extremely useful in creating a complementary partnership between the board and staff.

The Invisible Yellow Line is a MUST for any nonprofit organization's library. Jean Block's intuitiveness in describing the board-staff relationship by such a "tangible unseen" makes the roles of these partners visual in a new way. The usefulness of the chapter's worksheets and the key player's assessments make this book far more than just a lite read; it truly makes it a practical use to revitalize any organization. I would highly recommend this for a fresh approach for a board retreat, a initial process to strategic planning, or a good review to an organization's health.

This book is a must-read for anyone sitting on a nonprofit Board or working in a staff position. Keeping the mission in mind while helping you to clearly delineate roles, this book serves as a great overall introduction and a often-used reference guide!

Sometimes that Invisible Yellow Line fades or disappears in organizations resulting in Board and staff discord. Jean Block has again given us what we need to move forward with Board and staff working in concert together - and avoiding working in chaos. Clearly written and logically explained, Jean Block's book should be the "road map" for all board members, volunteers and leadership staff. With the Invisible Yellow Line demystified, everyone can understand the roles they play in moving the organization forward toward success. Jean Block has done it again!