The Pollyanna Principles: Creating the Future We Want for our Communities

(For those in the community benefit sector, here's my review of a book I simply couldn't put down - and one which I think you should add to your reading list pronto! )

A word of caution: If you happen to pick up Hildy Gottlieb's latest book, The Pollyanna Principles: Reinventing "Nonprofit Organizations" to Create the Future of Our World, chances are you may strongly be compelled to read it twice.

The first crack at the spine will undoubtedly zap you with nothing short of enlightenment, and leave you asking: "Why have we," that is, the nonprofit sector, "been making things so difficult for ourselves?"

By the second read, you'll feel the urge to exclaim a resounding Eureka! get on the horn with your board members and/or peers and/or fellow community organizers, roll up your sleeves and dive into work. Unlike the overwhelming share of consultant-speak that regularly infiltrates the nonprofit sector, the Pollyanna Principles fit a niche of their own. The book can be aptly described as a no-nonsense, how-to manual with a highly ambitious scope: to facilitate and disseminate the knowledge and practical tools required to create the future we all want to see for our communities.

In the Pollyanna Principles, author and consultant Hildy Gottlieb undertakes a paramount job: to break down the inner workings of nonprofit organizations (or Community Benefit Organizations as Hildy prefers to call them - see how she makes the case for a shift in the way organizations view and label themselves) within the system.

Along this journey of deconstructing the nonprofit culture, the book provides pragmatic steps that organizational boards, consultants, and community groups can tackle to effectively work towards a vision-based society, and not just conform to problem-solving mandates, thus by creating "healthy and vibrant communities."

For those in, or familiar with the nonprofit sector, it has become increasingly apparent that despite the number of nonprofits growing at exponential rates, many of these organizations fall short of the goals they set out to accomplish in their communities. Whether this breakdown is attributed to narrow planning or a loss of sight of the overall organizational values, many nonprofits become trapped in the rut of figuring things out internally (or in fact, may have stopped figuring things out at all, and are simply running on auto-pilot), with the mission originally set out for the community losing out to a tangle of bureaucratic processes.

And so the Pollyanna Principles aim to mend the pitfalls that organizations easily become prey to. In total, there are six principles to adhere to, should your organization be ready to "walk its values."

The first part of the book delves into the six principles in minute detail, providing the reader with a theoretical knowledge that covers topics such as governance to accountability, to planning and resource development. Each principle is accompanied by a series of analytical questions that will prompt self-evaluation and serve as foundation for emerging dialogue within the organization.

The second part of the book is filled with real case studies, including a fascinating dissection of how the first Diaper Bank in the U.S. came to fruition. (Complete with a sobering lesson on the vast resources that exist in our surroundings, and how effortless it is to achieve something once we get past the competition mode that many organizations adopt, and instead we start learning the art of collaboration.)

The Pollyanna Principles is not by any means an easy read (nor should it be), yet it is valuable reading material for those whose work is community-based and who may find themselves questioning their purpose and/or impact, and that of their organizations. Much more remains to be done in the nonprofit sector, and still the overall tone of the book is one of optimism. Kudos must go to Hildy for taking a sector that is often under scrutiny and injecting it with a realistic dose of 'Yes, we can do it!’

This book is a rare gift. While reading it, I kept being reminded of the safety video shown on airplanes where, should there be an emergency on board, one is instructed to fit your own air mask before helping others. Consider Hildy's book that source of fresh air that will equip you - and your organization - with what you need in order to do the work you've set out to do.