Changing the World Without Losing Your Mind, Revised Edition: Leadership Lessons from Three Decades of Social Entrepreneurship

One of Forbes' Must-Read Books for Nonprofit Leaders

Chronicle of Philanthropy's Editor's Pick from the Year's Best Nonprofit Books

Some people are dreamers. They choose a career shaped by dreams of making the world a better place-caring for kids, lifting up the poor, protecting the planet. When your dreams are that powerful, it's easy to neglect yourself. Both lives and dreams can suffer the consequences.

If you're one of the dreamers, this is the book for you. Changing the World Without Losing Your Mind is a down-to-earth guide to mission-driven leadership. Drawing on his decades of experience as an acclaimed nonprofit leader, Alex Counts offers practical advice on such vital activities as fundraising, team-building, communications, and management. He shows you how to run an organization-and your own life-both effectively and sustainably, giving joyfully to those around you while also caring generously for yourself.

Candid, funny, insightful, and wise, Changing the World Without Losing Your Mind is a book you'll refer to throughout your career . . . no matter where your dreams may lead you.

"Counts eloquently discusses the dangers of work/life imbalance, how to be a constant learner, the importance of gratitude, and the right time to leave a leadership position. The author's keen insights demonstrate that he took the lessons he learned during his career to heart, accepting his failures while celebrating his successes. . . . Noble and enriching leadership advice."--Kirkus Reviews

"A life of service to others and to society can be deeply fulfilling. Anyone who seeks to live a life informed by this insight will benefit from this exceptional, and highly readable, book."-From the Foreword by Professor Muhammad Yunus

"Do you have an idea that would help others that you don't know how to implement? Are you worn out from working in the nonprofit world without achieving results? This book will give you the confidence and skills you need to make a real difference. Alex Counts has been there and done that. Now he shares his vast experience on how to save yourself while you save others."-Mike Enzi, U.S. Senator (R-WY)

"Alex brings us insights on social impact with thoughtful reflection and generous advice. With verve and wit, he distills key leadership lessons from his decades of service building one of the great pioneering organizations in the financial inclusion movement."-Michael Schlein, CEO, Accion

"Remarkably candid, self-reflective, generous, and practical, this book is part memoir, part self-help. Alex is an astute observer whose amazing memory helps him recount his own healing journey in vivid detail, offering stories, lessons, and sage advice that will benefit many readers. You'll love this book, and you'll laugh out loud as you read it!"-Susan Davis, Co-Author, Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know, Past Chair, Grameen Foundation, and Co-founder, BRAC USA

"Nonprofit leaders and managers need great mentors. Alex Counts's new book lets you experience conversations with a brilliant mentor whose candid sharing of his mistakes and accomplishments will help you avoid pitfalls and multiply your success."-Sam Daley-Harris, Founder, RESULTS, Microcredit Summit, and Civic Courage

"Effective social entrepreneurship is both an art and a science. In this book, Alex Counts generously shares what he learned during more than 25 years addressing pressing issues such as poverty. It will be an invaluable resource to the next generation of entrepreneurs, both social and traditional, especially as it addresses not only how to make an impact but also how to ensure that it does not come at great personal cost."-M. R. Rangaswami, Founder, Indiaspora

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: How Nobel Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus and Microfinance Are Changing the World, 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, 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.