10 Essential Reads for Nonprofit Professionals in 2025
Are you looking to enhance your nonprofit fundraising efforts this year? Or, maybe you want to develop a more strategic approach to nonprofit management. What about finding new ways to inspire volunteers to work with you? Whatever you want to achieve in the new year, the right book can offer the insights, practical strategies, and inspiration you need to navigate the unique challenges of the nonprofit world and move your career forward.
Ready to expand your knowledge? Here are 10 must-read books for nonprofit leaders and professionals looking to make an even bigger impact in 2025.
1. How to Lead Nonprofits: Turning Purpose into Impact to Change the World
Nick Grono, CEO of The Freedom Fund, offers a compelling guide to nonprofit leadership, focusing on turning purpose into measurable impact. Featuring real-world examples from nonprofit leaders around the world, How to Lead Nonprofits outlines a framework for inspiring your team, driving change, and maximizing the social value created by your organization. Check out this excerpt from the book in the Stanford Social Innovation Review.
2. Strategic FUEL for Nonprofits: How to Create a Strategy That Is Focused, Understandable, Embedded, and Living
McKinsey & Company-trained consultant and executive coach Charles Moore provides a simple yet powerful approach to nonprofit strategy development in his book Strategic Fuel for Nonprofits. To help leaders ensure their nonprofit remains focused and agile in the face of global complexities, Charles lays out the FUEL framework for creating a strategy that is focused, understandable, embedded, and living — and easy to implement across an organization.
3. StoryFind: The Handbook for Finding and Telling Your Nonprofit's Most Impactful Stories
Storytelling is a critical tool for nonprofits, making it easier to establish an emotional connection with donors and supporters. Kristin Sukraw’s StoryFind offers practical advice for uncovering and sharing the stories that resonate most deeply with your audiences. This handbook guides nonprofit professionals through the process of finding authentic narratives and telling them in ways that inspire action and support, whether that’s through video, audio, or print.
4. The Monthly Giving Mastermind: A Framework to Build, Grow & Sustain Subscriptions for Good
Wish your nonprofit could secure more recurring donations? Dana Snyder, host of the Missions to Movements Podcast, shares a dynamic five-step framework for tapping into the subscription economy and empowering micro-philanthropists to emerge. Readers will also gain insights and real-world examples from leading nonprofits to help drive collective good.
5. When Black Women Rise
Weaving in personal stories and lessons learned over the course of her 25 years of nonprofit leadership, Bonsai Leadership Group CEO and Founder LaTresse Snead explores how leaders — especially women of color — can step into their power with her debut book, When Black Women Rise. Highlighting critical executive skills like overcoming fear and embracing the power of personal branding, the book teaches leaders how to define success for themselves and achieve their boldest goals. Learn more about When Black Women Rise by reading LaTresse’s interview with Nonprofit Quarterly.
6. The Nonprofit Dilemma: Insights & Strategies for Purpose-Driven Leaders
Former nonprofit executive DC Armijo provides an insightful analysis of the challenges facing nonprofit leaders today in his book The Nonprofit Dilemma, a portion of the proceeds from which are donated back into the sector. Armijo outlines practical strategies for overcoming common hurdles like limited resources, mission drift, and leadership burnout, with the goal of helping leaders stay true to their purpose while achieving sustainable growth.
7. The 60-Minute Guide to Building the Infrastructure for Successful Nonprofit Fundraising: 10 Essential Building Blocks Nonprofit Fundraising
Fundraising success begins with solid infrastructure. In this compact guide, nonprofit consultant Tracy Vanderneck lays out 10 essential building blocks for establishing the systems, tools, and processes needed for long-term fundraising success, whether you’re starting from square one or looking to give your existing fundraising department a boost.
8. Do More Good: Moving Nonprofits from Good to Growth
Leveraging insights from his 35 years of helping nonprofits expand their reach and strengthen their communications, Do More Good author Bill McKendry provides a compelling blueprint for nonprofits looking to grow beyond good intentions and achieve measurable results. With a marketing-driven approach, this book is packed with strategies and case studies on how organizations can accelerate growth, build stronger brands, and maximize their impact in the communities they serve.
9. Blueprint for Impact: Strategic Planning Workbook for Nonprofits
In this hands-on resource, Courtney Alexis leverages her two decades of expertise in nonprofit leadership to provide a comprehensive guide to navigating the strategic planning process. The Blueprint for Impact workbook is packed with practical templates, worksheets, and step-by-step guidance to help leaders create and implement effective strategies at their organizations — and find a path to success.
10. Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That's a Good Thing)
Khan Academy founder Sal Khan offers a fascinating look at the way AI could transform the way we learn in Brave New Words, emphasizing that AI is not about replacing human interaction but enhancing it. Featuring insights into the practical implications of harnessing AI in the workplace and the potential for AI to create more accessible systems, the book is a must-read for any nonprofits in the education space and beyond. Learn more about how the Khan Academy is approaching AI by revisiting Sal’s inspiring conversation with Meg Garlinghouse, LinkedIn’s VP of Social Impact, at Impact Summit 2024.
Which book are you grabbing first? Share this list with your network to spark a conversation about the best books for nonprofit leaders and professionals! And if you’re looking to inspire learning across your team this year, explore our LinkedIn Learning discount for nonprofits.
