The book Forces for Good was written by Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant about the six practices of high-impact nonprofits. About.com said “The book does not get bogged down in reams of data… rather is carried by stories told– stories that are dramatic, heart warming . . .” “Whether you’re a nonprofit leaders, a philanthropist, a business exec, a donor, or a volunteer, you will find something that inspires you to be an even more effective catalyst for lasting social change.” (thesocialedge.com) According to Crutchfield and Grant, high-impact nonprofits (i.e. those who have “created real social change…have come up with innovative solutions to social problems, and have spread these ideas nationally or internationally”) demonstrate all or most of six practices:

1. They both advocate what is urgently needed and commit resources in response to that need

2. Are “pragmatic idealists” who combine social values with business “smarts” to “make markets work”

3. Build a community of evangelists as a powerful force for social change by communicating their mission, vision, and values as well as creating meaningful experiences

4. Adopt and maintain a network mind-set to share resources and empower other organizations

5. Constantly adapt and modify their tactics and initiatives while maintaining “the balance between stifling bureaucracy and unbridled creativity”

6. Support growth by developing high-impact leadership internally, widely distributing authority as well as responsibility among those involved in the given enterprise

Crutchfield and Grant devote a separate chapter to each of these six, then suggest in Chapter Nine how to put them in action. By now they have answered the original question. Great nonprofits are great because they are “working with and through others, as counterintuitive as that might seem. It’s about leveraging every sector of society to become a force for good….[moreover] high-impact organizations bridge boundaries and work with others to achieve greater levels of change than they could accomplish alone.” (Amazon.com product page for “Forces for Good”)

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