Leading a nonprofit organization is challenging, stressful work—yet it can also be richly rewarding. Alex Counts mastered the art of mission-driven leadership through decades of trial and error, as he built from scratch one of today’s most admired philanthropic foundations. Now he shares 214 of the most powerful lessons he discovered along the way—life and career secrets you'll never learn in school. Frank, quirky, counterintuitive, and ultimately inspiring, these nuggets of wisdom cover the toughest challenges nonprofit leaders face, from fundraising, strategic decision-making, and people skills to surviving business travel, running meetings, and mastering public speaking.
When in Doubt, Ask for More is Alex Counts’s gift to everyone working in the nonprofit world—employees and leaders in nongovernmental organizations, charities, foundations, government agencies, faith-based organizations, political and social advocacy groups, and more. They’ll find that Alex Counts's sage advice can help them get through the day feeling more in control while making a greater impact on the world they seek to serve.
WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK FOR MORE by Alex Counts (eBook)
Alex Counts founded Grameen Foundation and became its president and CEO in 1997. A Cornell University graduate, Counts's commitment to poverty eradication deepened as a Fulbright scholar in Bangladesh, where he trained under Professor Muhammad Yunus, the founder and managing director of Grameen Bank, and corecipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Since its modest beginnings, Grameen Foundation grew to become a leading international humanitarian organization.
Counts is the author of several books, including Small Loans, Big Dreams and Changing the World Without Losing Your Mind: Leadership Lessons from Three Decades of Social Entrepreneurship. He has also written numerous articles in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Washington Post, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, and other publications.
Today Counts is an independent consultant to nonprofit organizations. He has served as a professor at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland College Park,and an affiliated faculty of its Do Good Institute. He also serves as a member of the Advisory Council of the Center for Financial Inclusion and is an active Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer in Prince George's County, Maryland.