Reading for Leading Change-September 2025

We recommend these recent articles as you seek out new inspiration and innovative approaches to nonprofit leadership and social impact.

A Resource Guide for Belonging-Builders

Building belonging is at the core of the work our team does every day, and it is at the heart of the missions of the organizations we serve. This new resource guide from the Othering & Belonging Institute is an applicable tool for building belonging in our organizations and communities. It includes belonging design principles and practices “that can help articulate and mitigate structural inequality and exclusion while helping us turn toward, rather than against each other.” The guide presents three core frameworks — othering and belonging, targeted universalism, and bridging — that can be “applied universally and emphasize narrative transformation, co-creation, and centering marginalized groups while recognizing that everyone inherently has the right to belong.”

Fast-Track to Happiness: One Week of Micro-Acts Makes a Difference

The myriad of stressors on social impact leaders right now makes this research on the neuroscience of happiness especially relevant for us all. In this Neuroscience News article, UCSF researchers share their findings that seven days of small, daily acts of kindness and gratitude can significantly improve emotional well-being. “The results revealed higher positive emotions, lower stress, and better sleep, especially among younger, Black, Hispanic, and socially disadvantaged individuals,” they say.

Word Jumble: When Nonprofits Talk Fancy, America Tunes Out

Nonprofits increasingly rely on jargon that is leading to increasing distrust and growing hostility to the sector — making it harder for nonprofits to serve their constituencies. “Language creates a barrier where there should be a bridge,” writes Matt Watkins in the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s The Commons. He believes the way we talk about our work is just as important as the work itself, and offers steps to rebuild trust and relevance.

What have you read lately that helped you lead your organization? We’d love to hear about it.