Product Description

This groundbreaking book will help nonprofit managers think in new and creative ways about how they define and meet the challenges they face––and how to rise above standard practices to lift their organizations to greater performance levels. Using examples of best practices from innovative organizations in both the corporate and nonprofit worlds, Breakthrough Thinking for Nonprofit Organizations offers a mix of "how–to" advice and case studies that will guide readers on a new road to creativity. This book will fundamentally change the way nonprofit professionals think about how they do their work––and usher in a new era for nonprofits. 

2003 Terry McAdam Book Award Winner http://www.allianceonline.org/publications/mcadam—past—winners—1.page

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25137 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Review
"With refreshing insight, they provide specific steps and activities to help your company think truly outside the box." (Stage Directions Magazine, April 2003)

Review
"With refreshing insight, they provide specific steps and activities to help your company think truly outside the box." (Stage Directions Magazine, April 2003)

From the Inside Flap
Breakthrough Thinking for Nonprofit Organizations is based on a simple but challenging idea: "Good performanc" is no longer good enough for nonprofits. In a world of increasing demands that must be met, nonprofits must set and achieve breakthrough goals. Bernard Ross and Clare Segal show nonprofit managers and board members how to transform their thinking and improve their performance to meet the needs of the people and causes they serve.
With practical advice, exercises drawn from their successful workshops, and examples of best practices from companies such as 3M, Hallmark, and Microsoft— as well as from the most innovative organizations in the nonprofit world— Ross and Segal show nonprofits of every size how to tap into creativity and transform that creativity into innovation. Exploring why and how some organizations achieve extraordinary results, the authors offer the practical advice and tools that readers need to emulate those results in their own organizations. Because methods and approaches differ depending on individuals and organizations, the book is organized so that readers can pick and choose the specific tools or techniques that work best for their own situations. The wide range of case studies includes both best practices and worst disasters, so that readers might avoid the mistakes of others and apply the principles of others successes. The authors show how to set breakthrough goals, identify sources of creativity, overcome creativity–killing mindsets, turn creativity into innovation, and sustain a high–performance culture.
Breakthrough Thinking for Nonprofit Organizations offers a veritable "ideas toolbox" for managers who want to achieve significant and inventive change in their organizations, whether in fundraising, service delivery, or overall performance.

Customer Reviews

This book should be on the best seller list for charities
I wish that two decades ago when I was leading the initiative to establish the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy there had been a book available like Breakthrough Thinking. It would have been helpful in shortening the gestation period. Some of our clients have already benefited from our application of tools described by Ross and Segal, particularly regarding fundraising

Ross/Segal are well qualified to address Breakthrough. The book benefits from their experience in working with charities in the United States, Europe, Canada, Africa and South America through their UK based Management Centre. The book is peppered with examples of the application of the tools they discuss by named organizations on different continents. They even have the refreshing temerity to identify failures.

Ross’s presentations in North America have led to recognition of what Europeans and others already know – he is one of a handful of truly outstanding international thinkers and presenters in the charity field. Participant evaluations testify to the fact that Ross’s seminars/workshops are both brilliant and entertaining. Neither of these characteristics are lost in the book.

Ross/Segal are very effective at adapting new business management theories and tools for use by the charitable sector. To give but one example, using the metaphor of the “Wild West” they identify the seven character roles required to successfully implement change. Acknowledging this to be a modification of management consultant Rennie Fritchie’s five roles they identify the attributes required by the pioneer, wagon train leader, scout, sheriff, homesteader, medicine man or woman, hired gun. This greatly facilitates the reader’s understanding and remembering the special requirements for each of these roles to achieve a successful “breakthrough journey.” As they point out, “the roles idea is simply a metaphor to help cluster the skills, competencies, knowledge, and qualities needed.”

In their preface Ross/Segal state that their mission in writing the book was “to inspire managers and board members in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to believe they can achieve extraordinary results, and to give them practical strategies and techniques for achieving such results.”

Ross /Segal do indeed deliver on the mission. They provide us with a toolbox of approaches and ideas to achieve “extraordinary results.” As they point out - a toolbox provides a variety of tools for tasks and some are easier to use than others. We get better with our usage of them!

It is difficult to imagine a CEO, Board member, fundraiser, consultant and others desiring significant increased or dramatic new goals for their organization, in whatever area, who would not gain from applying some of the very practical and tested tools described in the book.

My business partner has found mindmapping an invaluable tool for working with groups to help them organize their thinking, let alone her own. One of my many favourites from the book is how to get rid of creativity and innovation killers. Maybe you want to foster greater innovation and creativity in your organization; fight “the tyranny of incrementalism” and establish new breakthrough goals; put in place an organization that makes sustained breakthroughs; ensure that the necessary people are on board to support your breakthrough idea - you will find the tools for each of these and many others in the book.

While Ross/Segal state that they are not seeking to provide, “a step by step, how to guide to achieving breakthrough,” it is difficult to imagine there could be a better guide to helping your organization “breakthrough.”

Already in high demand as presenters internationally Ross/Segal should expect to have to pack their bags more often as a result of this groundbreaking book.

A Great Book to help with Change
I heard one of the authors speak at a Public Broadcasting Service conference a couple of months ago and was excited enough to buy the book. This has proved really helpful to me as a development professional trying to change the way the people here at my college think about their potential. It offered me some really powerful and simple frameworks to analyze our current work, to establish what a breakthrough might be, and finally how to implement a change programme.

Ther are some useful ideas on how to set up and sustain an innovation programme that are really provocative.

There are also some very useful checklists and a really neat framework for working out your own role in any breakthrough. I found this exceptionally useful in deciding what I could do by myself and what I needed to ask other people to do. Chapter 5 is good on this.

Finally it's good that lots of the examples are from outside the US. That gives the book a wider perspective.

An excellent read
This is an excellent read - it's a combination of textbook, diy manual, map and storybook. It describes the route to exceptional organisational and personal performance in a way which makes it possible for all of us.

It's written in a particularly readable style. Each chapter is self-sufficient so it's easy to pick up and put down. Theories are illustrated visually with diagrams and tables, supplemented by case studies drawn from the authors' work around the world. This gives the book a flavour of recency and freshness that adds to its accessibility.

Best of all Breakthrough Thinking explodes myths about creativity making it something that we can all achieve. All we have to do is open our minds and follow the instructions.