Book Club

The CFJC’s Nonprofit Book Club has read and discussed 18 books together, and we welcome you to join us for Book #19! This opportunity is open to anyone – donors, nonprofit partners, and community members. The Nonprofit Book Club is an informal space for professional development, networking, and learning. We hope you can join us.

“Think Faster, Talk Smarter” by Matt Abrahams

The focus of the next Johnson County Nonprofit Alliance Book Club Event will be Matt Abraham’s “Think Faster, Talk Smarter” which provides practical tools and skills to learn to be a better communicator. Read the full summary below!

Join us on March 12th at 9am on Zoom for a virtual discussion over the book! RSVP at the link below and get your copy today!

Summary: In Think Faster, Talk Smarter, Stanford lecturer, podcast host, and communication expert Matt Abrahams provides tangible, actionable skills to help even the most anxious of speakers succeed when speaking spontaneously. Abrahams provides science-based strategies for managing anxiety, responding to the mood of the room, and making content concise, relevant, compelling, and memorable. Drawing on stories from his clients and students, he offers best practices for navigating Q&A sessions, shining in job interviews, providing effective feedback, making small talk, fixing faux pas, persuading others, and handling other impromptu speaking tasks. (Source: Summary from MattAbrahams.com)

Get your book today! A list of local bookstores is available here if you’d like to shop local.

Resources mentioned in discussion and shared by book club members:

Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI (Ethan Mollick)

Mountains Beyond Mountains (Tracy Kidder)

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants (Malcolm Gladwell)

• Revisionist History, Malcolm Gladwell Podcast

The Resilience Myth (Soraya Chemaly)

On Her Own Ground: The Life of Madam C.J. Walker (A’Lelia Bundles)

Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men (Caroline Criado-Perez)

The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor (Jacqueline Novogratz)

• Acumen Fund

Leaders Eat Last (Simon Sinek)

• Ted Talk – Start with Why

We Heard It When We Were Young (Chuy Renteria)

Dare to Lead (Brene Brown)

• Brene Brown Dare to Lead Resource Hub
• Safe Space vs. Brave Space Graphic

Philanthropy Revolution (Lisa Greer)

The Light We Carry (Michelle Obama)

• Book Club Tools List

Changing the World Without Losing Your Mind (Alex Counts)

The Last Suspicious Holdout (Laddee Hubbard)

Made to Stick (Chip & Dan Heath)

• Nonprofit Website Hosts
• Critical Service Learning
• John’s Book Banning Article – Gazette

Make the Impossible, Possible (Bill Strickland)

• Bill Strickland’s Webpage
• 1619 Freedom School, Waterloo IA
• Strickland Lecture Event Page, UofI
• Strickland UofI Lecture News Article
• David Gould Life Design Class Page
• Bill Strickland’s Music to Make the Impossible Possible

No More Duct Tape Fundraising: A Nonprofit Leaders Guide to Raising More Money (Rachel Ramjatten)

• Virtual Solicitation Tips (Book Club Members)

Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership (Joan Garry)

• Board Term Limits (BoardSource)
• Board Succession Planning (BoardSource)
• Board Recruitment Tool (Iowa Council of Foundations)
• How To Train Your Board to Fundraise (Trainyourboard.com)