Suggested reading for nonprofit communicators

Every Fall, I teach a course on strategic communications at New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service (and Sarah teaches in the Spring!) It will likely come as no surprise the the core textbook for the class is Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart Communications (Jossey-Bass, 2009).  The seven-week courses provides an overview of branding and communications concepts, helping students approach communications in a way that builds commitment to their organization’s mission, increases trust, creates ambassadors, and strengthens impact. We dig into case studies, interview guest speakers, watch TED talks and more.

Because I teach the class once/year, I like to revisit the curriculum, bring in new materials and assignments, phase out materials that didn’t work, and generally strive to make it better. In this attempt to improve the readings, I asked friends and colleagues for their recommendations on LinkedIn and Facebook. The resulting list was incredible. Take a look at these great books  and feel free to add your own in the comments. My hope is that you too can use it to learn, share, and grow.

• “I’m an enormous fan of Measuring the Networked Nonprofit: Using Data to Change the World, by Beth Kanter and Katie Delahaye Paine. That’s maybe a little self-serving because I drew cartoons for it, but I’ve read few other books that tie communication (and other functions) so tightly to a theory of change.” — Rob Cottingham, Social Signal

• “Mine is a bit unconventional: Getting to Maybe: How the World Is Changed, by Westley, Zimmerman, and Patton. It is a great, centering book that helps focus on the ‘why’ organizations do what they do, particularly those doing what I call ‘the important work’.” — Sue Robins, Bird Communications

• “I loved Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes, by Katya Andresen.” — Wanja Ochwada, Corbin Hill Food Project

• “Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership: Because Nonprofits Are Messy, by Joan Garry is about nonprofit leadership more generally but has a strong chapter on communications.” — Scott Paley, Abstract Edge

• “I recommend The Culting of Brands: Turn Your Customers into True Believers, by Douglas Atkin.” — Joshua Rabin, USCJ

• “What about Content Marketing for Nonprofits: A Communications Map for Engaging Your Community, Becoming a Favorite Cause, and Raising More Money, by Kivi Leroux Miller?” — Laura Norvig, ETR

• “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek.” — Jereme Bivins, The Rockefeller Foundation

• “I read Alan Andreasen’s Marketing Social Change: Changing Behavior to Promote Health, Social Development, and the Environment, in grad school and it revolutionized how I viewed marketing as a force for good.” — Val Porter, Foundation Center

• “I also like the first couple of chapters of The Physics of Brand: Understand the Forces Behind Brands That Matter, by Keller, Wallace, and Marino.” —  Chris Maddocks, March of Dimes

• “A great general read might be The Happy Healthy Nonprofit: Strategies for Impact without Burnout, by Beth Kanter and Aliza Sherman.” –  Adrienne Matt, IBM iX

• “Not explicitly nonprofit, but Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die and Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, by the Chip and Dan Heath, are two of the best communications books I’ve read.” — Tenaja Jordan, My Seed of Change (also suggested by Matt Kelley, !!)

• “Let’s not forget about Zilch: How Businesses and Not-for-Profits Can Get More Bang with Less Buck, by Nancy Lubin!” — Ariel Jensen-Vargas, Digital Savvy 5000