The Governance of Financial Management offers a proven strategic approach to the issues of finances and board responsibility. It reveals how a board can effectively govern an organization's financial planning by controlling budget values rather than budget numbers. The guide addresses the issue of actual fiscal conditions by creating policies that safeguard an organization's real fiscal health.

The Policy Governance model is based on the functions rather than the structure of a governing board. It outlines commonsense principles about governing that fit together into an entire system. The practices of the Policy Governance board, which are consistent with the principles, allow it to control without meddling, focus on long-term organizational outputs, powerfully delegate to a CEO and staff, and discharge its fiduciary responsibility in a visionary, strategic manner. Because the model is a total system, the Carver Policy Governance Guide series offers boards a complete set of principles for fulfilling their various obligations.