How to Save the World in Six (Not So Easy) Steps: Bringing Out the Best in Nonprofits

by David M. Schizer

A must-read for anyone who loves nonprofits but worries about inefficiency, infighting, and inertia, How to Save the World in Six (Not So Easy) Steps is the definitive guide to advancing the mission effectively and mobilizing support.

The US has over 1.5 million nonprofits, which touch our lives in countless ways. The finest are inspiring, but unfortunately, too many let us down. Luckily, there’s a solution. How to Save the World in Six (Not So Easy) Steps by expert scholar and nonprofit leader David M. Schizer is the ultimate management book for nonprofit professionals, board members, and donors.

Since the goal of nonprofits is to advance their mission—not to make money—performance can be difficult to assess. Schizer explains how this fundamental challenge makes it harder to expose unwise and self-interested choices, resolve conflicts, and evolve with the times.

In response, nonprofits need to do two challenging things really figure out the best way to advance the mission, and then build support for it. With entertaining anecdotes from his many years leading Columbia Law School and international humanitarian organization JDC, as well as interviews with an all-star cast of nonprofit leaders, Schizer explains how to accomplish these twin goals with the “six Ps”: By chronicling the good, the bad, and the ugly at nonprofits and explaining how to get more out of them, this book shows how we can “save the world” together with the “six Ps.”

Genres: Business

248 pages, Paperback

Published May 22, 2023

Reviews

[Deborah Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend David Schizer's "How to Save the World in Six (Not So Easy) Steps." As someone who has always worked in the nonprofit sector, I am intrigued by Schizer's discussion of what goes on behind the scenes as these organizations finesse and promote their missions. The nonprofits that Schizer discusses are diverse, providing a wonderfully varied view of the field. This book also has a personal feel, as Schizer shares humorous and poignant anecdotes from his own experience. If you are involved in nonprofits, or if you would like to learn more about how they advance their important missions, I encourage you to read this book.

[Andrew S · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Schizer provides an immersive narrative into the world of nonprofits. The highlight of the book is the incredible interviews with a diverse array of nonprofit leaders. I was reminded how prolific non-profits are and how we can help them serve their clients better. David Schizer's passion for civic duty is inspiring.

[Thomas Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

With engaging style and lucid prose, this compelling and insightful book offers important strategies to tackle global challenges. It inspires and provides optimism and hope for the possibility of overcoming even the most daunting problems with determination and thoughtful action.

[Jonathan Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has real world advice from someone who understands the complexities of mixing the business world with passionate volunteer collaborators.

[Andy]

DNF. Reasonable content but too much repetitive filler for audio.