Putnam Barber is a visionary social entrepreneur, a wise observer of nonprofits, and one of the most respected voices in the world of public benefit organizations.

His is a senior consultant to Executive Alliance, an association of nonprofit executive directors and supporters of the field. He is also the Chief Editor of the Nonprofit FAQ, which has been a widely cited encyclopedia of nonprofit knowledge since its inception in 1994. He is on the Editorial Board of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. He is a Visiting Professor in Seattle University's Not for Profit Leadership program. In 1990, he was the founding Executive Director of The Evergreen State Society, a nonprofit association of Washington State.

He was a columnist for the Chronicle of Philanthropy and is the author of numerous influential articles on the sector. He was a Senior Advisor to Social Ecology, a past Director of the Washington State Office of Voluntary Action, and a past Executive Director of Cityclub.