A practical guide
John Cammack
January 2014
Practical Action Publishing
Buy book

This book presents practical ways to build financial management capacity in an international development context, although much of it applies to any non-profit organization. It describes good practice in the specific tasks of financial management – for example, planning and budgeting and financial controls, and gives examples of how groups and organizations build their own capacity. It considers what leadership teams can do to guide their organization’s longer-term direction and improve governance. It explains other financial management aspects such as building reserves that can be built into an organization’s structure to make it sustainable.

Building Financial Management Capacity should be read by programme staff and managers of non-government organizations, larger community-based organizations (CBOs), and charities, as well as for large NGOs and donors working with their partner NGOs and CBOs. The content can also be used in training courses, and university and college courses for international development workers.

Further details/buy at Practical Action Publishing For online discount and a further exclusive 10% discount enter the code CAMM2012 on the order form. Paperback/softback £14.36. Special offer: buy all three Practical Action Books for £30.

Also available through online booksellers

Endorsements:

A deficit in financial management capacity is common in NGOs, and there is not much well developed literature on the subject. John Cammack is a well-recognized author in the area of finance management of non-profits. This book has a lot to offer and suggests ways of developing capacity. John has pulled it off once again. Congratulations!

Sanjay Patra, Executive Director, Financial Management Service Foundation

John Cammack’s excellent book will serve as an invaluable resource for teachers, graduate students and practitioners of sound financial management for civil society organizations. This compact manual provides NGOs and small community organizations with capacity building measures that will allow for sustained growth in challenging circumstances.

Professor Susan H. Perry, The American University of Paris

Cammack’s professionalism and extensive experience blends perfectly with his innate ability to be a powerful communicator. His writing is very much a dynamic dialogue between the practitioner eager to implement and the mentor providing both tools and vision.
This book is an excellent, innovative tool which I would certainly recommend not only to NGOs but also to UN Specialised Agencies, academia and the private sector. This book was an absolute pleasure to read; if other training tools had even half of Cammack’s style, learning would turn into practice with much greater ease and impact.

Isabella Rae, Senior Programmes Manager, Gorta-Freedom from Hunger Council of Ireland

John Cammack’s clear style of presenting complex ideas and the use of jargon-free language differentiates his book from other technical financial management resources. The book succeeds in providing an excellent framework of progressive stages to attain the “Nirvana” state of financial sustainability and impact.
Building Financial Capacity explains the importance of “hard” aspects of financial accountability such as developing robust financial systems and implementing transparent financial processes. But the essence of this book is John’s ability to emphasize and highlight “soft” issues. The case studies and practical examples illustrate the influence of organizational culture and human resource capacities on ensuring high quality financial management.

Gopal Rao, Director, Skills for South Sudan

Further details at Practical Action Publishing or online publishers. Paperback/softback £14.36