Kickstart your year by adding these great reads to your nonprofit reading list.
While they may not all directly address the nonprofit space, each book will spark new ideas and introduce best practices to help you lead your organization to do more good.
Every nonprofit in America is facing the urgent reality that our most generous demographic is aging out. The Generosity Crisis is your deep dive into the factors that have contributed to the decline of generosity in America… and what your nonprofit can do to overcome it. It’s a practical read packed with insights on connecting with donors and inspiring a new generation of giving.
2. Formula X
Written as a business fable, Formula X is a book you won’t be able to put down. When challenged to churn out a quality product in a fraction of the time, a corporate leader has to take drastic action—while trying to convince his team (and himself) to embrace change and innovation. This book shows how speed and acceleration can remove roadblocks and help brands like yours produce infinitely better work.
Few nonprofit leaders get excited about their organization’s operations. Many view operations as something to be managed and controlled. But what if you could give your nonprofit teams a smarter, healthier, and more effective way to work? One that improves trust, transparency, and autonomy… and produces higher-quality results and big impact? Brave New Work is your go-to guide to improving your operations and seeing extraordinary results.
Here’s one book we wouldn’t dare neglect… a book into which we poured our hearts, souls, and decades’ worth of collective brand and culture experience. Culture Built My Brand offers you a practical approach to cultivating a winning culture that showcases your brand, wins the hearts of your audience, and builds a tribe of loyal, repeat customers. It gives you a solid foundation for understanding your brand and helps you design a culture that empowers your people to deliver their best work every time.
5. Sprint
Some people might think it’s impossible to solve big problems and launch and test new ideas in just 5 days. But it’s not only possible… we’ve also done it. Repeatedly. Sprint, written by three partners from Google Ventures, is your blueprint for addressing tough problems, churning out ideas, prototyping products, and testing solutions in less than a week. Read this book and try applying the sprint model to the next big, daunting challenge your nonprofit faces.
How well is your nonprofit doing in the area of automation? If you’re like most nonprofits, automation is saving your team valuable time on routine tasks such as donation processing, communications, CRM, and more. But there’s a better way to embrace automation while keeping your engagements full of heart. The Smart Nonprofit helps you use technology strategically and ethically so your brand stays human-centered, genuine, and authentic.
Looking for fundraising strategies informed by the latest data on today’s donors and their giving habits? Responsive Fundraising offers simple step-by-step tools to help fundraisers connect deeply with donors while personalizing and scaling their efforts. Learn how to overcome fundraiser burnout, build trust with donors, and set your nonprofit up for long-term success.
Every donor gift makes a difference. But repeat giving is where it’s at. Philanthropy Revolution is full of heart and wisdom, and it offers key strategies that result in people giving more and giving often. You’ll discover practical tips on asking for money and how to be transparent and authentic, build trust, energize donors around your mission, and cultivate a powerful sense of community.
Which book will you start with? Let us know. Who knows, maybe we can even start an impromptu book club! Happy reading!
