Nature's Keepers

With more than $3.7 billion in assets and annual revenue of $800 million, the Nature Conservancy has generated staggering growth that would be the envy of any business. Incorporated in 1951 by a small circle of concerned ecologists, the Conservancy has grown financially into the world's largest environmental organization. It has one million members--up from 500,000 in 1990--and 3,500 employees operating in 50 states and 28 countries across the world. Nature's Keepers offers readers an inspirational leadership tale and management chronicle, as it goes behind the scenes and details the inner workings of the Nature Conservancy. Highlighting the efforts of nine extraordinary leaders, Nature's Keepers examines the organization's culture and management, strategy and decisions, and courageous and ingenious individuals who have dedicated their lives to conservation. Author Bill Birchard reveals how the Conservancy's sometimes controversial business practices--entrepreneurial approaches to preserving ecosystems while meeting human needs--have earned the praise of management gurus such as Peter Drucker. The Conservancy's way of operating, though not free of failings, is both widely emulated in the nonprofit community and greatly respected by business scholars and CEOs nationwide.

PREFACE ix 1 NO CRISIS UNANSWERED: How the Nature Conservancy Masters Challenges and Change 1 2 THE COURAGE TO LEAD: Revamping Leadership to Renew Performance 9 3 MISSION FOR LIFE: On Being Systematic, Not Opportunistic 31 4 WE CAN WORK WITH YOU: The Care and Feeding of a Dynamic Culture 53 5 WE’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE: The Road to Realizing New Ambitions 79 6 THE POWER OF “WE”: Engaging Every Constituency for Breakthrough Results 105 7 MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS: Teaching the Organization to Work as One 129 8 MANAGE THYSELF: Leadership in a Shared-Power World 153 9 GLOBAL DYNAMO: Taking the Organization International 179 10 THE SENATE IS CALLING: Accountability and Governance in the Face of Crisis 207 EPILOGUE: Unsung Heroes 235 AUTHOR’S NOTE 239 INDEX 241 THE AUTHOR 251