Motivational Summer Reads for Nonprofit Leaders

By June of each year, most teachers I know are completely burned out and desperately in need of their summer vacation. Nonprofit directors, who are just as likely to suffer from burnout, are usually not lucky enough to have three months off. Recognizing the benefits of a bit of downtime, some foundations have started offering nonprofit leaders funding for sabbaticals. But for those of you who will be minding the fort this summer, unwinding with a good book is a great way to decompress after a long day. In the spirit of the stay-at-home sabbatical, we’ve put together a summer reading list to inspire you and help you recharge your batteries.

So, go ahead and dust off that lawn chair, blend up your favorite smoothie, and relax with one of these inspirational reads:

Leading from Within: Conscious Social Change and Mindfulness for Social Innovation, by Gretchen Ki Steidle

Amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life, mindfulness has quickly become everyone’s favorite buzzword. How do you incorporate the practice of mindfulness into your work as a nonprofit leader? This book is a guide for integrating this practice into every facet of your work, teaching you “how to lead transformation with compassion for the needs and perspectives of all people.”

Social Startup Success: How the Best Nonprofits Launch, Scale Up, and Make a Difference, by Kathleen Kelly Janus

If you are contemplating starting a new social venture, this book is for you. Based on a survey of over 200 high-performing social entrepreneurs, this book aims to answer the age-old question of what makes a start-up succeed or fail. Specifically, the author seeks to understand how social enterprises are able to scale to over $2 million, a number considered to be a benchmark of sustainability.

Unicorns Unite: How Nonprofits and Foundations Can Build EPIC Partnerships, by Jessamyn Shams-Lau, Jane Leu, and Vu Le

Co-authored by Vu Le of Nonprofit AF, this much-anticipated book is a “whimsical journey through a challenging conversation about the dysfunctional relationship between foundations and nonprofits.” The book tackles a tough topic and makes it manageable and actionable by including exercises to facilitate group discussion. Ultimately, it puts forth a hopeful vision of a nonprofit-foundation relationship that is “grounded in equality, trust, and creativity.”

Systems Thinking for Social Change: A Practical Guide to Solving Complex Problems, Avoiding Unintended Consequences, and Achieving Lasting Results, by David Peter Stroh

This book helps leaders take a big-picture view of social change by explaining the concept of systems thinking and its importance. It provides advice on how to easily incorporate systems thinking into multiple aspects of your work, including strategic planning, decision making, and problem solving. 

The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World, by Jacqueline Novogratz

This book tells the story of an international banker who left behind her career to pursue her mission of understanding and ending global poverty. The title of this book comes from a blue sweater which the author donated to Goodwill and which she remarkably encountered eleven years later being worn by a little boy in Rwanda. The author, Jacqueline Novogratz, the founder and CEO of the Acumen Fund, uses this story to explore the interconnectedness of all beings and offers insights into philanthropic investing based on her personal experiences.