Mission Control

Over the past decade, the number of nonprofits and other social sector groups has risen by nearly a quarter, yet charitable donations fell by 30 percent in that same stretch. Many of these organizations now compete for grants and reshape their work to fit whatever they believe funders want. A survey of nonprofits across the country in 2014 found that almost half had added programs within the previous year. Insiders often call this drift "mission creep," a pattern in which groups attempt to serve every need. Research indicates that the more objectives a person or organization takes on, the less likely they are to reach any of them, which tends to leave these groups stretched thin, short of money, and falling short of their aims.

Mission Control: How Nonprofits and Governments Can Focus, Achieve More, and Change the World aims to help organizations regain their direction and decide which activities to pursue and which to abandon in order to maximize their impact. The author draws on years of work with thousands of clients, including nonprofits and government agencies of every size across the world, and weaves their experiences into the book's examples. Its guidance is aimed at leaders, teams, executive directors, and boards who need to define the point where an organization's strengths, the needs of the people it serves, and the work that produces measurable, lasting results all overlap.