We’ve changed our name from Encore.org to CoGenerate! Join us at cogenerate.org to bridge generational divides and co-create the future.

We’ve changed our name from Encore.org to CoGenerate! Join us at cogenerate.org to bridge generational divides and co-create the future.

For an excellent guide to nonprofit culture, look no further than Laura Gassner Otting’s “Mission Driven: Moving from Profit to Purpose,” which maps the terrain with intelligence, insight and generous practical guidance, drawn from the author’s decades of experience in the nonprofit sector.

Here’s a taste from Chapter 1: “. . . While the transition from the corporate sector to the nonprofit sector may seem natural, logical, or even easy in theory, many career changers find that it is quite tricky in practice. Some find themselves flummoxed by foreign lingo, unfamiliar yardsticks of success, or drastic differences in the pace of work, while others are simply overwhelmed by the sector’s vastness and mission-driven culture. However, with a little assistance in their transition, most find the move into the nonprofit sector to be one of their best life decisions and have wondered, as will you, why they didn’t do it sooner.

The desire to make a change in your life — and in your local community or the larger world — will outweigh any difficulties you may face along the way. It will become the overall driving force behind your transition, but going into it with eyes open is still important. This book aims to do just that — open your eyes — helping you to explore the answers to your questions in more detail, providing guides to which type of nonprofit will be right for you at this time in your life and your career. and giving you tools to make this change a reality.”

Here’s what Encore.org Founder and CEO Marc Freedman had to say about the author: “Laura Gassner Otting will help you catalyze a lifetime of experience and learning into a deeply meaningful second, third or fourth career in the nonprofit sector.” Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp said, “For the sake of our neediest communities and our society at large, I hope millions of people will find this book.” And David Bornstein, co-founder of Solutions Journalism and no stranger to the world-changing social-entrepreneur movement, called “Mission Driven” “an essential guide for anyone seeking to redirect their talent and energy to build a better world.”

Sometimes the smallest details reveal the most. In her dedication, Laura Gassner Otting cites the down-to-earth vision of Eli J. Segal, who founded AmeriCorps (and was the husband of Encore VP Phyllis Segal until his death in 2006): “The bottom line means nothing if you aren’t also building a better world.” That same thinking informs “Mission Driven,” which celebrates the allure and reward of big, clear visions, simply expressed.

You can find the book here.

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