Thinking of setting up a soccer club, film appreciation group or animal protection society? For those thinking of setting up any kind of non-profit organisation, Nick Renton's Guide for Meetings and Organisations is a must read.

It is thorough, up-to-date and best of all, easy to read.

This edition is divided into two volumes, the first is titled Guide for Voluntary Associations and the second is titled Guide for Meetings. Only the first volume is reviewed here.

Guide for Meetings and Organisations deals specifically with voluntary associations and covers topics such as: incorporation, membership, public relations, election systems, committees and financial aspects.

The chapters dealing with writing the constitution for an association are clear and comprehensive - taking the pain (and fear) out of wording such an important document. Also, Renton uses model clauses to provide examples of how to word certain clauses, and points out the possible pros and cons associated with using each clause.

This new [seventh] edition was published in 2000, and it is great to see that the author has taken into account technological changes with a chapter titled: "Computers and the Internet".

There is also a chapter on the GST and its possible impact on non-profit associations.

One of the best features of this book is that it caters for people with a range of experience and interests in this area. There is a detailed index, for those wanting to scan for a particular topic, and a glossary, for those not sure of the meaning of certain terms.

In an interesting use of design, the detailed information is boxed separate from the more general and basic information - allowing readers to skip the specifics that aren't relevant to their search.

Guide for Meetings and Organisations is now in its seventh edition. The first edition was 1961. The fact that it has been popular for over 40 years is probably a good indication of just how helpful a book like this can be.