“Masterful…a book I will be recommending for years to come”
**–  Arthur C. Brooks, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and #1 New York Times bestselling author**
“A clear and compelling road map for social sector leadership”
**–  Jim Collins, New York Times bestselling author, *Good to Great* and *Good to Great and the Social Sectors***
“There is a level of candor and vulnerability that makes it relatable to anyone who is in or aspires to non-profit leadership”
**–  Tirana Hassan, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch**
“I recommend this book to all leaders seeking to make a change in the world”
**– Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme**
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## Praise
## Arthur Brooks
> “Many go into nonprofit leadership unprepared for the twin demands of business management and measurable social impact. Finally, we have a resource that guides the way. Nick Grono’s masterful How to Lead Nonprofits is a book I will be recommending for years to come.”
**Arthur C. Brooks, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and #1 New York Times bestselling author**
## Jacqueline Novogratz
> “This is an important book for anyone looking to build nonprofit institutions that create enduring change. Nick understands the power of using the tools of business to create outsized impact in the social sector. Based on lived experience, he powerfully outlines what it means both to build and to lead nonprofit organizations.”
**Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO, Acumen**
## Jim Collins
> “In How to Lead Nonprofits, Nick Grono has accomplished the rare feat of blending intellectual clarity with practical guidance. He lays out a clear and compelling road map for social sector leadership, enlivened with vivid examples and strong writing. This work can help any nonprofit CEO who seeks to transform inspired purpose into a powerful flywheel of tangible impact.”
**Jim Collins, New York Times bestselling author, *Good to Great*and *Good to Great and the Social Sectors***
## Tirana Hassan
> “Nick Grono reflects on years of non-profit leadership to produce a book that is timely, thoughtful and necessary. There is a level of candor and vulnerability that makes it relatable to anyone who is in or aspires to non-profit leadership in a way that corporate leadership books don’t. At a time when the complexity of the external world reverberates through non-profits this is a book that non-profit leaders can find solace in.”
**Tirana Hassan, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch**
## Cindy McCain
> “There is a real need for a practitioner-focused handbook for nonprofit leaders. Nick’s book more than meets this need. Informed by Nick’s decades of experience in the sector, this book provides a very practical roadmap for leaders of all types of nonprofits, given the complex range of challenges they face. I recommend this book to all leaders seeking to make a change in the world.”
**Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme**
## Darren Walker
> “Drawing on the insights and practical knowledge garnered over his decades leading global nonprofit organizations, Nick Grono shares how nonprofit leaders can aim high and make an impact by focusing on the people and purpose that drive us. This book is an invaluable roadmap for any nonprofit executive looking to hone their skills and chart an effective path forward.”
**Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation**
## Ken Roth
> “Leading a nonprofit organization is a complex juggling act, requiring the balancing of a group’s mission with the concerns of staff, partners, and funders. Few manage the challenge better than Nick Grono. Having helped to lead two important global organizations with extraordinary effectiveness, he is well placed to offer guidance on excellence in nonprofit leadership. This book is a valuable and much-needed contribution.”
**Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch 1993-2022**
## Sophie Otiende
> “There have been a lot of questions on the non-profit model and for those of us who have had to navigate it, understand its complexity but don’t always have the words to explain it. This book helps in giving clarity to leaders and those interested in learning how to succeed in leading non-profits. It will be a great companion to leaders like me.”
**Sophie Otiende, CEO, Global Fund to End Modern Slavery; co-founder, Azadi Kenya**
## Mabel van Oranje
> “Every leader who wants to make a real difference in the world should read this book. Nick is not only a highly successful non-profit CEO, but also always curious, keen to explore, open to improvement, and eager to learn from others. In this valuable book, he shares key learnings from his decades-long leadership experience and vast expertise in change-making with all of us – to help us make the change that is so urgently needed.”
**Mabel van Oranje, serial social entrepreneur; helped found and/or held leadership positions with the European Council on Foreign Relations, Girls Not Brides, The Elders and VOW for Girls**
## Dr Comfort Ero
> “As a newish CEO, this is such a precious book to have on one’s table. I was lucky enough to speak to Nick at the start of my tenure on some of points raised in his book, but to see it written down, especially the sections on impact, your priority as a CEO and defining your organisation’s culture, is excellent. In fact, every chapter blends in so well it’s hard to read one in isolation – take note, read it all! It should serve as a useful reference point in your journey as an executive. Have it on your desk! There’ll be a line in there that will provide a great “Ah ha” moment and some relief that being CEO is as rewarding as the challenges you might confront!”
**Dr Comfort Ero, President and CEO of the International Crisis Group**
## Overview
**This book is for nonprofit leaders who want to strengthen their leadership and increase the effectiveness of their organizations. It sets out a path to achieving greater impact, with real-life examples and interviews with successful nonprofit leaders.**
Nonprofit leadership is hard. Most new nonprofit leaders are ill-prepared for the challenges they will face. And many experienced ones struggle to ensure their organizations deliver the change they are committed to.
Looking for guidance, many turn to books on business leadership, but nonprofits are not meant to be run just like businesses – different incentives drive different priorities. In particular, nonprofit leaders have a key advantage over business leaders in that purpose is fundamental to their organization’s work.
*How to Lead Nonprofits* offers a leadership framework centered on what matters most for success:
* Achieving outsize impact by pursuing your organization’s purpose
* Building an inclusive culture that motivates and empowers your team
* Partnering with the community you serve, funders, and peer organizations to scale impact
With examples and testimony from nonprofit, NGO and charity leaders around the world, framed by Grono’s , this is a highly useable guide to harnessing the power of purpose to shape everything your organization does—internally and externally—as you seek to change the world.
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## Chapters
Introduction
### **PURPOSE: SET THE DIRECTION**
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#### 1. Mission: Be Clear About the Work
#### 2. Impact: Identify and Measure Change
#### 3. Strategy: Make Choices to Maximize Impact
### **PEOPLE: BUILD THE ORGANIZATION**
#### 4. The CEO: Determine Your Priorities and Style
#### 5. The Team: Prioritize Culture and Recruit and Retain the Right Staff
#### 6. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Embrace Humility and Learning
#### 7. The Board: Invest in the Relationship
### PARTNERS: MOBILIZE EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
#### 8. People and Communities You Serve: Ensure They are at the Center
#### 9. Funders: Build Relationships to Encourage Giving
#### 10. Peer Organizations and Networks: Collaborate to Scale Impact
## Author – Nick Grono
I have decades of experience leading and chairing nonprofits. I am the CEO of the Freedom Fund, a highly successful philanthropic fund dedicated to ending modern slavery around the world. I serve on a number of nonprofit boards and act as advisor to many nonprofit CEOs. I have written for the New York Times, the Guardian, Foreign Policy, and various other publications, and appeared on BBC, CNN, NPR and other media outlets.
A more detailed bio is available .
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## On Nonprofit Leadership
Sign up for occasional emails from my Substack “On Nonprofit Leadership”, where I share  thoughts and observations on the joys and challenges of leading nonprofits.
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