The Abundant Not-for-Profit

There. We’ve said it.

The Abundant Not-for-Profit is officially the working title of our book.

First of all, we’d like to say a huge thank you to those who weighed in; sharing your suggestions and thoughts about our shortlisted titles. After more than 125 comments and votes, The Abundant Not-for-Profit is the clear winner – with 42% of the vote. (The next most popular was Knowledge Philanthropy, at 23%).

We must admit, the outcome is a surprise. This title was a bit of a wild card idea, which we threw in at the last minute. It’s not the title our core team likely would have selected. The language in some of the other options is more familiar to us; more comfortable.

And that’s the beauty of collective wisdom. You’re pushing us out of our comfort zone. Encouraging us to be bold. We’re listening. Because, after all, the book is for you.

And as it turns out, we’ve already begun to love the new title.

Here are some of the reasons why:

• It describes the end destination – our societal vision – rather than a tactic. As one of you pointed out, “this title challenges the myth that nonprofits have to struggle.”
• It combines two concepts that almost never appear together. Some will say it’s an oxymoron. As one of you said, “Love that one because it stopped me in my tracks. Who has ever heard of an Abundant Not-For-Profit?? And who wouldn't want to be one?” We hope others will also find it attention-grabbing and thought provoking.
• It includes the words “not-for-profit”; clearly stating who the book is for. You’ve told us this will cause the book to land in the hands of more executive directors, board members, and senior leaders in our sector. That would make us very happy.

We know not everyone is keen on the word abundant. (You called it everything from “slick and somewhat creepy” to “a little granola”.) Some of you have a clear aversion to the word. And that’s okay. Ultimately, our goal is to get on your radar and provoke a conversation with the leaders of not-for-profit organizations.

We hope this title will accomplish that goal. Thank you for selecting it.

The choice of subtitle was not as clear – though you provided lots of valuable feedback and ideas to consider. We’ll be back to you with an update on that front in the weeks to come.

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