I have been a little absent from the blog in the past couple of months, but I have a good reason. I’ve been working on something I’m pretty excited about.
I am in the process of writing a book about how we create more effective, sustainable social change.
Rather than depressed by the chaos seemingly swirling around us as we enter this new decade (crumbling institutions, struggling Democracy, ailing planet), I am incredibly optimistic about the future of this country and of our world. That optimism comes from a deep belief that our social change leaders can lead us to a more equitable, healthy, connected and loving world. But in order for them to do that, they must emerge from the shackles we have for so long placed on them. That’s what my book is about.
The book will show nonprofit leaders how to:
- Recognize and refuse to play by the outworn and crippling norms and rules that pervade the sector.
- Tap into your own inner power to move your social change vision forward.
- Eschew the tired scarcity approach of the sector in order to instead embrace the abundance trying to reach you.
- Fully use money as a critical tool to achieve your social change mission.
- Strategically mobilize your network (both inside and outside your walls) toward shared social change goals.
My hope is that if nonprofit leaders can overcome the madness that is crippling the sector, become more empowered, more networked, more able to attract abundance — in all its forms — they will ultimately deliver the social change we so desperately need right now.
The book will come out later this year, but in the meantime while you wait, I’ve decided to make all of the Social Velocity Tools free on the website. If you go to the Tools page, you will see that you can view all of the Step-by-Step Guides and E-books. You can also access each of them in PDF form if you want to download or read offline.
The Step-by-Step Guides offer direct guidance on how to:
- Design a Theory of Change
- Craft a Case for Investment
- Build a Nonprofit Financing Plan
- Attract Major Donors, and
- Launch a Capacity Capital Campaign
The E-books provide inspiration and frameworks around:
- Moving to Financing Not Fundraising (volume 1, volume 2, and volume 3)
- Ten Traits of a Groundbreaking Board
- Reinventing the Nonprofit Leader, and
- The Power of Capacity Capital
I encourage you to dig in, maybe learn something new, and share these with your board and staff. Often a more effective way forward begins with a conversation about a new approach. My hope is that these Guides and E-Books will help stir those conversations within your organizations.
I would love to hear what resonates and what you have questions about as you dig in, so let me know.
Photo Credit: Stephanie McCabe
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