For the millions who volunteer and serve on nonprofit boards and wonder why it's so hard for such groups to be consistently effective, "It's Your Gavel" delivers a diagnosis, along with potential cures for effectiveness and harmony.

In his primer for volunteers, author Jerry Hurley provides a better understanding of the anatomy and physiology of a continuously productive nonprofit board governance culture. He likens the essential elements of effective governance to building blocks "placed" one atop another.

His unique, decision-making concept, FOUNDATION FIRST GOVERNANCE(TM) (FFG), identifies and ranks the 30+ "foundation" and "modus operandi" building blocks which every organization must have in place BEFORE pursuing its objectives no matter how noble. "Failure to have just one in place," says Hurley, could likely make achievement difficult. "Failure to employ two or more likely will mean continued dysfunction, or worse."

"It's Your Gavel" reflects Mr. Hurley's forty, plus years in the nonprofit organization field, including 30 years in association management, 19 as a CEO, and 12 as a retained CEO executive recruiter, as well as decades as a board director and chair.

Just some of the lessons of that career include "board-chief elected-chief staff executive" authority and relationship model scenarios, and proposed leader roles and responsibilities. He cautions "if it isn't in writing it doesn't exist."

In addition to those scenarios and guidelines, "It's Your Gavel" provides comprehensive model board policy texts on which to build, and an impressive, short-hand coding format identifying leader responsibilities in 180 action situations, a great assist when on-boarding newly elected directors, as well as reminding those still serving.

Whether it's for an occasional review of one's nonprofit governance, or for a detailed consideration - it's all here in "It's Your Gavel."