"Strong financial management skills are essential to promote high standards in international development organizations. Many non-finance people find numbers and financial techniques difficult, however, NGO managers and staff are responsible for sound financial management and without full understandi ... ng their programmes will be at best less effective, and at worst vulnerable to going unfunded. Poor communication about financial information, by both finance and non-finance people, often seems to cause a block. This book helps people speak and write financial information better, avoiding jargon, and preventing listeners from ‘switching off’. It explains why messages about finance may not be received as they were intended when working cross-culturally and outlines how information can be tailored to different audiences and how to improve understanding and collaboration between finance and non-finance people. It shoud be read by non-finance and finance managers and staff within non-profit organizations internationally, as well as other organizations." (Publisher description) more

"This book presents practical ways to build financial management capacity in an international development context (although much of it applies to any non-profit organisation). It describes best practice in the specific tasks of financial management – for example, planning and budgeting and financi ... al controls. It gives examples of how groups and organisations build their own capacity. It also considers what leadership teams can do to guide their organisation’s long-term direction (an activity sometimes called ‘governance’) and it describes other financial management aspects that can be built into an organisation’s structure. It is written for non-government organisations (NGOs), larger community-based organisations (CBOs), and charities." (Introduction) more