Purpose Power

by Alicia Bonner Ness

Purpose Power provides inspiration for action. Whether you’re itching to start a movement, in the midst of building a mission-driven brand, or rebranding an organization with a storied history, this book will inspire you to imagine new possibilities. The book explains the Heptagon Method, a seven-step framework that helps you take big ideas from ideology to action. It instructs how you can motivate your allies to become advocates for your cause. Often, when you’re focused on sparking change, the natural instinct is to rush to action. This bias toward action and against analysis paralysis—the antithesis of enthusiasm and momentum—can be a real asset for organizations motivated to make a difference. But leaders should also be wary of haphazard action leading to inconsistent results. This book clarifies the strategic sequence of action required to catalyze a movement.

Infused with instructive elements from the author’s own heart-felt life story, Purpose Power illustrates the incredible capacity of narrative to shake advocates, volunteers, and donors out of their apathetic slumbers. Stories take us by the hand and lead us into a new perspective so we can more clearly see what matters. We can all become champions of higher purpose. In a world where some of the mightiest can’t help but wonder if bending the arc towards justice is really worth the effort, Purpose Power offers a much-needed message of hope: we can learn as much from our failures as from our successes and really, it’s only fun if you’re not sure it’s going to work.

276 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2019

Reviews

[Ansley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I knew Alicia very well, I read her book. She'd hired me to help her produce this wildly ambitious idea — hosting town halls in cities across the US, where everyday people (not politicians) ideate plans for the future.

In many ways, I thought Alicia was insane. But I read her book with a highlighter, and through it, I knew we'd get along well. Alicia is honest, candid, and perceptive. In "Purpose Power," she inspires mission-driven leaders to catalyze progress in a way that feels tangible and achievable. Her framework for the Heptagon Method (a seven-step plan to spark action) is well conceived and thought-out, and Alicia's personal stories guide readers through movement-building in a way that feels exciting and real.

Perhaps the best story Alicia tells is of the 2016 election, during which she was working in Florida as a field organizer for Hillary Clinton. Alicia's empathetic and analytical look at Southern voters is important because it allows us to move past the blame game and into thinking of the possibilities for a better future. This positive framing will be welcomed by progressives and southerners alike. (I am both.)

This book inspires us to shift our culture toward compassion, but in a way that feels practical, smart, and fun to do. I would highly recommend it.

[Steve Repicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purpose Power was a revelation from page one! Seven years of community organizing in as many states - literally talking about what I do for a living - never fully covered the scope of what I actually DO! In Purpose Power, writer Alicia Bonner Ness shows us what we'd never see from our own limited perspectives; context to help us own who we are, and what we have to offer systemic societal change.
Instruction bores me, but Bonner Ness' storytelling is infectious! Her reader literally absorbs how to craft a narrative about their self and their cause.
If you come from anywhere, and mean to go somewhere in this atypical age in history, Purpose Power is for you. Whether wondering where to start volunteering, or ready to tackle the next root of institutional injustice, we need to be prepared. This checklist for self evaluation is fun, inviting, and empowering!
Today in my personal mission to make my opinions comprehensive and objective, I'd score Purpose Power five out of five stars!