Great Summertime Non-Profit Reads...of the Book Variety

I’ve always enjoyed unwinding at the end of a long day with a good, old fashioned book. You remember books, right?  They come in different-sized rectangles and are filled with sheets of closely typed pages of goodness?

Personally, I just don't see the appeal in curling up with my nice warm laptop to do a bit of reading before bed. If you feel the same way, here are a few good books that I have read recently, or am planning to read over the summer that I think are particularly relevant for my non-profit friends. Please, feel free to share your own favourites, as well!

Reframing Organizations – Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal: I wrote a post about this book just last week here but have to mention it because it is probably the best book about organizational behaviour that I have ever read.  No matter what type of organization you work for, this book is a must-read.

Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge – Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus:  There are a ton of books out there about leadership. I really liked this one because a) it was enjoyable to read; b) it wasn’t too long; and c) it was really on-the-mark. The authors here look at leaders from across North America for commonalities about what makes them great in their roles. From having clarity of vision, to empowering their people, inciting trust and more, this is a great book for anyone who wants to better understand what makes great leaders tick.

Good to Great and the Social Sectors - Jim Collins: This is a classic monograph that anyone in the non-profit sector should have a look at. Collins uses this 30-odd page piece to explain how he feels the principles in book ‘Good to Great’ can apply to the social sector.

Books I Haven't Read Yet But That Are On My List:

Managing the Non-profit Organization – Peter Drucker. You don’t get through a business program without coming across the famous Mr. Drucker. I’ve definitely read some great pieces by this ‘management guru’ over the past few years but have yet to see what he has to say about the non-profit sector.  Considering what Mr. Drucker has done to management thinking in the private sector, I’m sure he has some great insights to share.

Blue Ocean Strategy - W Chan Kim, Renée Mauborgne. After stumbling across this post by Jamie Notter today, I just had to include this book. I have studied the Blue Ocean Strategy in various articles and cases but haven’t yet read the book from cover to cover.  The gist of the Blue Ocean Strategy is about positioning your organization to avoid the ‘red’ ocean that is full of others offering the same thing in favour of ‘blue’ ocean by offering something that addresses stakeholder need in a new, previously unthought-of way.

Saving the World at Work – Tim Sanders:  I picked up a copy of this book a couple of years back at the CSAE trade show and have heard a lot of good things about it.  It is about the ‘Responsibility Revolution’ and how it is a matter of organizational (and societal) survival that organizations of all kinds incorporate social responsibility into their bottom line.

So...what are you reading? Anything the rest of us might like?

Comments

[Jen Moore]

Love curling up with a good book. You've a really great list. Peter Drucker's Managing the Non-Profit Organization is a field full of golden nugget land mines. Practical, useful information--some of it stuff we forget we know. My copy is well-worn and marked up. (God bless the guy who invented postie flags!)

It Takes a Lot More than Attitude...To Lead a Stellar Organization by Stever Robbins is also a good read. It's geared towards building / growing / leading a successful company, but sound business practices and principles should--in my opinion--apply to nonprofits as well. The book also pays a bit of attention to defining and cultivating culture.

Max De Pree and Francis Hesselbein are two of my other favorite authors. They both write in a conversational style without being condescending. And both pull from personal experience, which is an excellent teacher.

[Carol-Anne Moutinho]

Jen - thank you for the additions. You have made me even more excited about digging into Drucker's book and have also given us some new titles to consider! Happy Reading!

[Gail Bower]

A great list, and I concur with Drucker's book. A classic!

For nonprofit and association leaders searching for corporate sponsors and in need of ideas about how to navigate the ever-changing terrain of working with the corporate sector, I encourage you to check out a book I wrote a year ago: "How to Jump-start Your Sponsorship Strategy in Tough Times": http://www.GailBower.com/jumpstart or on Amazon.com.

At 60-pages, it's a quick read, but jam-packed with great ideas, tips, and techniques. Readers report that they keep it with them in their cars when they go on sales calls or safely in a drawer near their phone when they make calls.

Another that should be on the list is Forces for Good.

Thanks!