“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” This is one of my favorite quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one that I find myself turning to again and again at times when I feel weary from the weight of the world. It serves as a reminder that change takes time and there may be some speedbumps or detours along the way.
With the 24/7 news cycle constantly churning out stories of injustices at home and abroad, now more than ever it is essential to step back and reflect on where we are, where we would like that arc to take us, and how best to get there. This rings especially true if you work for a mission-driven nonprofit. For those of you looking to engage in that kind of reflection, I’ve curated a list of books to get you thinking.
Books to Understand a Complex World
Misinformation. Diseases of despair. War. Global heating. If you’ve found yourself contemplating the current state of humanity, you have likely found yourself asking, “How on earth did we get here?”
Malcom Gladwell’s latest publication, Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering, may start to answer this question for you, or at least get you thinking about it in a new way. Building on his previous bestseller The Tipping Point, which examined how the world can be changed by the smallest of things, it investigates the sinister side of this phenomenon, looking at how some actors use this knowledge to engage in social engineering. It covers such diverse topics as COVID, the opioid epidemic, bank robbers, and college sports.
If you are looking for a big picture historical perspective on the modern (mis)information age, look no further than Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI, by Yuval Noah Harari. This book looks at how information has been wielded across the ages, for good and for bad, making the central assertion that “humankind gains enormous power by building large networks of cooperation, but the way these networks are built predisposes us to use that power unwisely.” The book is comprised of three parts, Human Networks, The Inorganic Network, and Computer Politics, and spans from ancient history to the emergence of artificial intelligence to explore the complexities of information networks.
Books on Leading Change
If you are not content with the status quo, these two books will help you to envision a better future and develop the leadership skills necessary to make that vision a reality.
How to Lead Nonprofits: Turning Purpose into Impact to Change the World, by Nick Grono, provides a framework for nonprofit leaders looking to amplify their impact by focusing on their organization’s purpose. Incorporating success stories from leaders in the field, this book also discusses how nonprofits can create inclusive organizational cultures and leverage partnerships to scale their work. As one reviewer noted, “This book gets what nonprofit leaders actually have to deal with.”
Another essential read for leaders in all fields is the New York Times bestseller Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown, which draws on the author’s decades of research to guide leaders on becoming more effective by embracing vulnerability and becoming more courageous and empathetic. Throughout the book’s pages, she explores answers to the question, “How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders, and how do you embed the value of courage in your culture?”
Books on Building Support for Your Cause
Once you’ve established your vision and engaged in the difficult work of leading your organization in the right direction, it’s essential to engage your donors in helping you achieve that vision. Two recently released books may provide some food for thought on both fundraising and the act of generosity itself.
Fundraising Without Burnout by Radha Friedman tackles the age-old problem of burnout among fundraisers. The author seeks to upend commonly held assumptions about fundraising that may actually be hindering an organization’s work. She provides nonprofit leaders with guidelines on how to empower their development team, cultivate the right type of donors, jettison the practices that contribute to burnout, and prepare for the coming transfer of wealth between generations, all while helping fundraisers achieve a better work-life balance.
Infectious Generosity: The Ultimate Idea Worth Spreading, written by the head of TED, Chris Anderson, offers a fresh perspective on the phenomenon of generosity. It looks at how the impulse of generosity can become “infectious,” utilizing inspirational stories and data to illustrate the different forms that generosity might take.
Books to Rekindle Hope
For those who have been working in the third sector for a while or have just started but are feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of problems that need solving, here are some books that might help you rekindle your passion.
If you are suffering from election season exhaustion, We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy offers a vision of hope for those looking to build a democracy centered on justice and inclusivity. Written by the founder of Interfaith America, Eboo Patel, the book argues that we need to actively engage in building the institutions which will lead us to that goal. As the author says, “You don’t create societies by burning things down, you create societies by building things.”
The topic of rekindling hope brings us full circle back to Dr. King and his book A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches. Though over a half a century old, the speeches, essays, and other writings contained within its pages touch on the themes of hope and love, and continue to resonate with nonprofit professionals still working to achieve King’s vision. The book also contains insights into King’s views on topics such as nonviolence, civil rights, Vietnam, and more.
I hope these books help you to navigate the changing times that still lie ahead of us. Feel free to suggest your favorite titles in the comment section below.