Essential Books for Nonprofit Leaders and Executives
Job searching in the nonprofit and social justice sector takes more than a polished resume. It requires clarity about who you are, what you value, and where you're headed. The right book can cut through the noise and help you move forward with purpose.
This reading list was built with mission-driven professionals in mind, with sections dedicated to general career development, BIPOC authors, and queer voices—because representation in the resources we turn to matters.
Whether you're early in your career, navigating a pivot, or stepping into a senior leadership role, there's something in this list for exactly where you are. Browse by what resonates, or work your way through the full list. Either way, you'll finish with more clarity than you started with.
Taking on Your Career Change:
80,000 Hours
Benjamin Todd
Full of practical knowledge and tools to help you plan a career that is fulfilling and does good.
Career Rehab
Kanika Tolver
Tools you need to go from the job you’re in to the career and life you want.
Dare to Lead
Brené Brown
Argues courage is a set of teachable skills, not an innate trait, and provides a framework for developing braver leaders and more courageous cultures through vulnerability, empathy, and difficult conversations.
Designing Your Life
Bill Burnett & Dave Evans
Shows you how to build and design a life you can thrive in, at any age or stage.
Dominate Your Career
Tea Cooper
A step by step process of choosing a career that aligns with who you are.
Give and Take
Adam Grant
A groundbreaking look at why our interactions with others hold the key to success.
Good Work
Shannon Houde
Step by step guide to help you figure out your passion and purpose, and how to effectively harness it to make real and positive change on the world and on your career.
How to Live a Meaningful Life
Bill Burnett & Dave Evans
Applies design thinking to find purpose, joy, and flow, focusing on wonder, coherence, flow, and community using mindsets like curiosity and radical acceptance.
Ikigai
Héctor García & Francesc Miralles
Explores the Japanese concept of “ikigai,” or reason for being, offering practical insights on living with purpose, balance, and longevity through meaningful work, strong relationships, mindfulness, and everyday joy.
Management in a Changing World
Jakada Imani, Monna Wong, & Bex Ahuja
Approaches, strategies, and stories for effective management with tools and techniques to help managers in nonprofit and educational organizations.
Never Search Alone
Phyl Terry
A career guide providing a structured, multi-step process for job searching, emphasizing peer support and strategic planning.
Pivot
Jenny Blake
A four-stage process to methodically make your next career move by doubling down on what is already working.
The 2-Hour Job Search
Steve Dalton
Teaches job seekers how to use technology like LinkedIn, Google, and alumni databases to efficiently find and secure interviews by focusing on targeted outreach rather than endless online applications.
The Empowered Job Search
Cathy Wasserman and Lauren Weinstein
Powerful tools to walk you through every step of the job search process, culminating with how to prepare for and be successful in your new job.
The New Reason to Work
Roshan Paul & Ilaina Rabbat
Lays out six essential keys that can unlock your dream career in social justice; explores countless opportunities for impactful jobs at every level.
The Renaissance Soul
Margaret Lobenstine
A guide to leading a creative, passionate, and multifaceted life.
Thrive Through It
Brittany N. Cole
A practical guide to help you turn challenges into your greatest leadership breakthroughs.
BIPOC Leadership and Experiences:
DEI Deconstructed
Lily Zheng
Comprehensive and foundational text for critically analyzing and applying actionable DEI techniques and strategies.
Don't Stay in Your Lane
Cynthia Pong
Strategic advice from an expert career coach for women of color as you walk through your career change.
Expect to Win
Carla A. Harris
Advice, tips, and strategies for surviving in any workplace environment.
Choosing to Lead Against the Current
Eveline Shen
Heart-centered tools for social change leaders to build their well of courage, harness momentum, and power up their leadership.
Right Within: How to Heal from Racial Trauma in the Workplace
Minda Harts
The essential self-help book for women of color to heal--and thrive--in the workplace.
The Little Black Book of Success
Elaine Meryl Brown, Marsha Haygood, & Rhonda Joy McLean
Focuses on the building blocks of true leadership - self confidence, effective communication, collaboration, and courage needed to guide and transform your career.
The Memo
Minda Harts
Empowers women of color with actionable advice on challenges and offers a clear path for success.
Unapologetically Ambitious
Shellye Archambeau
Offers a blueprint for how to achieve your personal and professional goals through ambition, strategy, and resilience.
What Do You Need?
Lauren Wesley Wilson
How women of color can take ownership of their careers to accelerate their path to success.
Work in Black and White
Enobong Hannah Branch & Caroline Hanley
For anyone who wants to understand the complex, nuanced relationship between race, gender, and economic insecurity.
Queer Leadership and Experiences:
All Pride No Ego
Jim Fielding
A resource for queer managers, executives directors, and other business leaders in living and leading authentically.
Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling
Layla McCay
A compelling look at the challenges facing LGBTQ+ professionals as they navigate their careers, with advice from many senior figures who have smashed their own rainbow ceilings.
Forging Queer Leaders
Bree Fram & Elizabeth Cavallaro
Unique and inspiring experiences of LGBTQ+ leaders and the amazing capabilities they bring to teams and what that means for everyone pursuing positive and inclusive organizational strategy.
Gender Outlaws
Kate Bornstein & S. Bear Bergman
Essays, commentary, comic art, and conversations from a diverse group of trans-spectrum people who live and believe in barrier-breaking lives.
Queer Career
Margot Canaday
A historical look at sexual minorities in the modern American workforce showing how queer history helps us understand the recent history of capitalism and labor.
The Queer Advantage
Andrew Gelwicks
Interviews with LGBTQ+ dealmakers, trailblazers, and glass ceiling breakers in business, politics and beyond.
Your Queer Career
Dr. Steven Yacovelli
Compelling book for both Queer and ally leaders alike who want to shape a brighter and more inclusive workplace for all.
