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Readers Share Their Favorite Nonprofit Books

February 15, 2019 | Read Time: 2 minutes

What to Read in 2019

What are your peers reading on these winter days? We asked our followers on Twitter (@philanthropy) and in our LinkedIn Group what they recommend. Here’s what they said.

Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance, by Edgar Villanueva. The author and grant maker, who is an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina, argues that colonial dynamics are still at play in philanthropic and financial institutions. He makes the case that native ways can guide change at the institutions that control people’s access to money. Thanks to Nancy Withbroe (@NWithbroe) for recommending this book.

Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds, by Adrienne Maree Brown. Through essays, poems, exercises, dialogues, and more, Brown encourages readers to assess the ongoing forces of change to be positioned to help shape a better future. Thanks to Nancy Withbroe (@NWithbroe) for recommending this.


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How Change Happens: Why Some Social Movements Succeed While Others Don’t, by Leslie Crutchfield. Examines why some social and environmental movements succeed while others fail by looking at their leaders, strategies, and tactics. Thanks John Hicks (@DLBHICKS) for the suggestion.

Lean Impact: How to Innovate for Radically Greater Social Good, by Ann Mei Chang. The author applies the innovation practices popularized in The Lean Startup to nonprofits seeking social change and shares stories obtained during interviews at more than 200 organizations around the world. Thanks to Jacquiline Lidonde (@khavai14) for the recommendation.

Limits to Stakeholder Influence, by Michael L. Barnett. Examines the business case for corporate social responsibility, the conditions that cause good corporate acts to succeed or fail, and the limitations of corporate stakeholders to control outcomes, building on two decades of published scholarship. Thanks Michael Bzdak (@bcsrdak) for suggesting this.

Reset: Business and Society in the New Social Landscape, by James Rubin and Barie Carmichael. Examines how businesses can restore trust among consumers in the age of social media when access to information is easy and the public demands social responsibility from top brands. Includes case studies and strategies for reducing risk and restoring a corporate image. Thanks again to Michael Bzdak (@bcsrdak) for the recommendation.

What are you reading? Share your suggestions by entering a comment below or send a tweet to @philanthropy.


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About the Author

Chief Content Officer

Margie oversees the editorial team at the Chronicle of Philanthropy and all content the Chronicle produces, including online coverage, its magazine, reports, online training, and live online events. Before joining The Chronicle, Margie worked in nonprofit communications for many years. She was communications director at the nonprofit Share Our Strength and at the International Center for Journalists, where she oversaw the launch of the International Journalists’ Network, a website dedicated to sharing media news, training opportunities, and expert advice with journalists worldwide. Previously, Margie also handled public affairs for the National Capital Planning Commission, the federal planning agency for Washington, D.C., and was publications director at the Annenberg Washington Program, a communications policy think tank. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown University and completed an editing and publications program at Georgetown University.