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Book Impact Measurement and Outcomes Evaluation Using Salesforce for Nonprofits

Download or read book Impact Measurement and Outcomes Evaluation Using Salesforce for Nonprofits written by Dustin MacDonald and published by Apress. This book was released on 2023-09-28 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conduct impact measurement and outcomes evaluation, with a specific focus on nonprofits, using Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (aka Salesforce for Nonprofits). As funding grows more challenging for nonprofits, having a robust technology system in place allows nonprofits to better seek out funding and receive more when they do. Readers of this book will be better positioned to ensure the long-term success of their organization and make maximum use of their technology. The book begins with an introduction to Salesforce and to Nonprofit Cloud for users who may be new to the platform. Next, you will learn the fundamentals of impact measurement and outcomes evaluation. You will understand why these are important and discover several frameworks that can be used to select outcomes that make sense for your organization to prove that its work is successful. These frameworks include Social Return on Investment (SROI), Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), and Pre and Post Comparison (and others). You will use your chosen framework to develop a logic model or theory of change which demonstrates how the work that nonprofits do translates into the outputs and outcomes that clients experience and that nonprofits seek funding to deliver. After covering the theory, author Dustin MacDonald teaches you how to translate the framework you chose into Salesforce. You will learn how to create reports, dashboards, formula fields, roll up summaries, and other basic Salesforce tools in order to collect the information you need to validate your framework. This book also demonstrates how to report on the outcomes you have achieved, tweak results to improve performance, and see the entire end-to-end experience in practice through a set of case studies. The book concludes with a discussion of advanced tools and techniques available inside Salesforce, such as Einstein Prediction Builder, as well as information on how you can immediately apply what you have learned to your own organization. What You Will Learn Understand how to use Nonprofit Cloud to collect and analyze data Know how to create a theory of change that shows your impact Become adept at working with impact measurement frameworks Build everything you need in Salesforce without writing a single line of code Turn your insights into new funding to keep your organization strong Who This Book Is For Salesforce administrators, nonprofit staff members, and others working at nonprofits who are required to conduct impact measurement and outcomes evaluation. Additionally, business analysts and technical architects who are designing and implementing solutions for nonprofits at implementation partners will benefit from this book.

Book Measuring and Improving Social Impacts

Download or read book Measuring and Improving Social Impacts written by Marc J. Epstein and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-08 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Identifying, measuring and improving social impact is a significant challenge for corporate and private foundations, charities, NGOs and corporations. How best to balance possible social and environmental benefits (and costs) against one another? How does one bring clarity to multiple possibilities and opportunities? Based on years of work and new field studies from around the globe, the authors have written a book for managers that is grounded in the best academic and managerial research.It is a practical guide that describes the steps needed for identifying, measuring and improving social impact. This approach is useful in maximizing the impact of different types of investments, including grants and donations, impact investments, and commercial investments.With numerous examples of actual organizational approaches, research into more than fifty organizations, and extensive practical guidance and best practices, Measuring and Improving Social Impacts fills a critical gap.

Book Accelerating Nonprofit Impact with Salesforce

Download or read book Accelerating Nonprofit Impact with Salesforce written by Melissa Hill Dees and published by Packt Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2022-04-19 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drive digital transformation for nonprofits with well-organized volunteer management, donor engagement, fundraising, and grantmaking using the intelligent and powerful capabilities of Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud Key FeaturesImplement NPSP modules to scale varied business operations in nonprofitsAdminister and automate business processes and tasks with NPSP for nonprofitsCustomize and extend the standard functionalities of Nonprofit Cloud and NPSP as per client needs, resources, and critical outcomesBook Description Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud enables a 360-degree view of people related to your nonprofit to connect fundraising, program management, and grantmaking. With a single, unified view of every interaction with constituents, nonprofits can create strong relationships with the community and streamline internal processes. The book starts by covering the tools and features that make up Nonprofit Cloud, helping you understand their standard functionalities and how Nonprofit Success Pack's (NPSP) data architecture is critical to implementation. You'll learn how the Nonprofit Cloud Program Management Module can connect your programs, automate case management, and track client progress. Next, you'll explore the tools for creating a change management process to increase user adoption. Moving ahead, you'll understand how to configure necessary permissions for NPSP administration and explore how declarative tools help better align the goals of a nonprofit organization. Toward the concluding chapters, you'll cover customizations, deployment, custom reports, and dashboards for fundraising analytics, as well as best practices for data management to maintain its integrity. By the end of this Salesforce book, you'll be able to build and configure the Nonprofit Cloud for a variety of use cases to achieve maximum social impact with the least amount of technical debt. What you will learnImplement various components and modules in Nonprofit CloudImplement tools for grantmaking, program management, and case managementExtend the standard functionalities of Nonprofit Cloud and NPSPIdentify and use success metrics to prioritize goals and outcomes for implementationExplore the tools that Nonprofit Cloud offers for testing and deploymentBuild custom reports and dashboards for NPSP and use Tableau dashboard starters for fundraising analyticsUnderstand best practices for data management to maintain data accuracy and data integrityWho this book is for This book is for technical consultants, functional consultants, and Salesforce architects who are working with nonprofit organizations and want to implement different functionalities within Nonprofit Cloud and NPSP optimally for business processes and tasks in their organizations. Salesforce administrator skills and overall proficiency with Salesforce are required to get the most out of this book.

Book Social Innovation and Impact in Nonprofit Leadership

Download or read book Social Innovation and Impact in Nonprofit Leadership written by Tine Hansen-Turton, MGA, JD, FCPP, FAAN and published by Springer Publishing Company. This book was released on 2014-05-15 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This timely textbook, reflecting the trends and developments in the nonprofit sector over the past decade, encompasses the core competencies required to lead nonprofit organizations through social innovation and impact during the 21st century. It fills a knowledge gap for leaders, managers, practitioners, students, faculty members, and providers in this rapidly growing field by providing a comprehensive framework for how to run and manage nonprofits. This includes all of the tools needed to affect social change through ethical business practices, management and leadership business strategies, social marketing, and policy analysis across government, nonprofits, and philanthropy. The growth of this field is evidenced by recent national efforts including the establishment of a White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, a National Alliance for Social Investments, and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The book addresses solutions to key problem for professionals in the nonprofit sector: creating a return on investment defined by concrete outcomes and ability to demonstrate their organizationís impact. Organizational case studies are presented by practitioners who have used innovative principles to organize, create, and manage ventures to influence social change locally, regionally, and beyond. Key Features: Provides a comprehensive framework for how to run and manage nonprofits in the 21st century Describes the core competencies and tools needed to affect social innovation and impact Addresses a key problem for nonprofit professionals: the need to provide donors with a social return on investment Discusses how nonprofit leaders can demonstrate their organizationís impact Written and edited by highly respected professionals in the nonprofit field

Book Measuring and Improving Social Impacts

Download or read book Measuring and Improving Social Impacts written by Marc J. Epstein and published by . This book was released on 2014-03-17 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world is beset with enormous problems. And as a nonprofit, NGO, foundation, impact investor, or socially responsible company, your organization is on a mission to solve them. But what exactly should you do? And how will you know whether it's working? Too many people assume that good intentions will result in meaningful actions and leave it at that. But thanks to Marc Epstein and Kristi Yuthas, social impact can now be evaluated with the same kind of precision achieved for any other organizational function. Based on years of research and analysis of field studies from around the globe, Epstein and Yuthas offer a five - step process that will help you gain clarity about the impacts that matter most to you and will provide you with methods to measure and improve them. They outline a systematic approach to deciding what resources you should invest, what problem you should address, and which activities and organizations you should support. Once you've made those decisions, you can use their tools, frameworks, and metrics to define exactly what success looks like, even for goals like reducing global warming or poverty that are extremely difficult to measure. Then they show you how to use that data to further develop and increase your social impact. Epstein and Yuthas personally interviewed leaders at over sixty different organizations for this book and include examples from nearly a hundred more. This is unquestionably the most complete, practical, and thoroughly researched guide to taking a rigorous, data - driven approach to expanding the good you do in the world.

Book Measuring the Impact of the Nonprofit Sector

Download or read book Measuring the Impact of the Nonprofit Sector written by Patrice Flynn and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the major tasks facing researchers, practitioners, and funders is the development of empirical tools to measure the inherent worth of nonprofit organizations as well as the sector as a whole. Renowned scholars present chapters on the state of the art of performance measurement in the nonprofit sector and seek to establish a framework for a long-term research agenda to identify, quantify, and self-assess those qualities that make the nonprofit sector unique.

Book Measuring the Impact of Volunteers

Download or read book Measuring the Impact of Volunteers written by Christine Burych and published by Energize, Inc.. This book was released on 2016-02-02 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Measuring the Impact of Volunteers: A Balanced and Strategic Approach focuses on the long-accepted principle that simply counting “heads” and hours served does NOT give a full picture of the value of volunteer engagement in an organization. The authors adapt the concepts of the “balanced scorecard” performance measurement tool (developed by Kaplan and Norton in the 1990s) to the needs and challenges of volunteer resources management, creating a unique Volunteer Resources Balanced Scorecard (VRBSc). What results is a method for evaluating and planning a volunteer engagement strategy that aligns with the priorities and goals of the organization and the needs of its clients. As a planning tool, the VRBSc helps leaders of volunteers ensure that volunteer service is in sync with the overall goals of the organization. As an evaluation tool, the VRBSc allows decision makers to take an honest look at all aspects of volunteer involvement, balancing four different perspectives that, together, lead to success. Directors of volunteer resources can assess where volunteers are having the most impact and what they should be doing next. As a reporting tool, the VRBSc shows progress and achievements to stakeholders in concrete ways that are meaningful to them. Using illustrations, worksheets, and a comprehensive appendix including survey tools, this book takes readers step by step through the process of creating and using their own VRBSc. Readers will: • See how traditional measurement tools for volunteer engagement do not effectively demonstrate the value and extent of volunteer service • Follow the evolution of the balanced scorecard concept from businesses, to nonprofits, and now to volunteer resources • Develop their own Volunteer Resources Balanced Scorecard • Write meaningful reports that spark action from organization leaders

Book Success in Evaluation

Download or read book Success in Evaluation written by Steffen Bohni Nielsen and published by Transaction Publishers. This book was released on 2015-06-01 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Success in Evaluation takes a fundamentally different approach to the mainstream supply side discussion of evaluation quality, utilization, and learning. The contributors believe that a systematic focus on success will lead to increased awareness of evaluation and its findings, a more positive attitude, and a greater chance of actual evaluation use. This book offers many different lessons on how to improve evaluation design, research processes, and reporting. It is a realistic look at performance management, the evidence movement, and the demand barriers that so often block the role evaluators can play in organizational learning and decision-making. International case studies and lessons are included that both explain success-oriented methods and share insightful lessons from the real world. Together, they present a convincing case that evaluation for success allows for increased constructive interaction amongst both stakeholders and evaluators and, as a result, learning processes and outcomes will improve.

Book Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation

Download or read book Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation written by Kathryn E. Newcomer and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-08-10 with total page 912 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The leading program evaluation reference, updated with the latest tools and techniques The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation provides tools for managers and evaluators to address questions about the performance of public and nonprofit programs. Neatly integrating authoritative, high-level information with practicality and readability, this guide gives you the tools and processes you need to analyze your program's operations and outcomes more accurately. This new fourth edition has been thoroughly updated and revised, with new coverage of the latest evaluation methods, including: Culturally responsive evaluation Adopting designs and tools to evaluate multi-service community change programs Using role playing to collect data Using cognitive interviewing to pre-test surveys Coding qualitative data You'll discover robust analysis methods that produce a more accurate picture of program results, and learn how to trace causality back to the source to see how much of the outcome can be directly attributed to the program. Written by award-winning experts at the top of the field, this book also contains contributions from the leading evaluation authorities among academics and practitioners to provide the most comprehensive, up-to-date reference on the topic. Valid and reliable data constitute the bedrock of accurate analysis, and since funding relies more heavily on program analysis than ever before, you cannot afford to rely on weak or outdated methods. This book gives you expert insight and leading edge tools that help you paint a more accurate picture of your program's processes and results, including: Obtaining valid, reliable, and credible performance data Engaging and working with stakeholders to design valuable evaluations and performance monitoring systems Assessing program outcomes and tracing desired outcomes to program activities Providing robust analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data Governmental bodies, foundations, individual donors, and other funding bodies are increasingly demanding information on the use of program funds and program results. The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation shows you how to collect and present valid and reliable data about programs.

Book Holistic Evaluation Frameworks for Nonprofit Programs

Download or read book Holistic Evaluation Frameworks for Nonprofit Programs written by Iqbal Shah and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2023-10-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Holistic Evaluation Frameworks for Nonprofit Programs Unlock the power of transformative impact with "Holistic Evaluation Frameworks for Nonprofit Programs." In the dynamic landscape of social change, nonprofit organizations play a pivotal role, addressing a myriad of societal challenges. Yet, the conventional methods of program evaluation often fall short in capturing the intricate tapestry of their initiatives. This book is your compass to navigate the uncharted waters of nonprofit program evaluation. It introduces a groundbreaking approach that transcends traditional metrics, embracing a holistic perspective that considers not only quantitative outcomes but also the nuanced interplay of social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors. Key Features: Comprehensive Exploration: Delve into the fundamentals of holistic evaluation, understanding the integration of qualitative and quantitative measures and the significance of systems thinking in nonprofit contexts. Practical Design Guidelines: Learn to design robust evaluation frameworks, from setting clear program objectives and identifying key performance indicators to developing comprehensive plans that resonate with the unique contexts of nonprofit programs. Data Mastery: Uncover diverse data collection methods, from surveys and interviews to leveraging technology, and master the art of data analysis for impactful decision-making. Stakeholder Engagement: Discover the transformative power of incorporating diverse stakeholder perspectives, embracing participatory approaches, and navigating the ethical considerations inherent in engaging those directly impacted by nonprofit programs. Impact Assessment: Navigate the complexities of assessing both short-term and long-term impacts, exploring unintended consequences and understanding the causal relationships within the nonprofit context. Adaptive Strategies: Confront the dynamic nature of nonprofit environments with adaptive management principles, flexibility in evaluation design, and real-time feedback mechanisms for resilience and continuous improvement. Cultural Change: Explore how to foster a culture of evaluation within nonprofits, from leadership roles to capacity-building initiatives, cultivating a continuous improvement mindset. Future Trends: Peer into the future of nonprofit program evaluation, contemplating emerging technologies, globalized practices, and evolving paradigms in outcome measurement. Why This Book Matters: Empowerment: Equip yourself with the tools to empower nonprofits to drive meaningful and sustainable change in their communities. Innovation: Embrace innovative approaches to evaluation that go beyond the traditional, bringing adaptability and resilience to the forefront. Impact: Uncover the holistic dimensions of impact, ensuring that your nonprofit initiatives are measured not just by numbers but by the profound transformations they instigate. Future-Ready: Prepare for the future of nonprofit program evaluation by understanding emerging trends, technologies, and global shifts in impact assessment. Embark on a Journey of Impact: This book is a roadmap for nonprofits, evaluators, and anyone passionate about making a difference. Whether you're a seasoned professional or new to the realm of social impact, "Holistic Evaluation Frameworks for Nonprofit Programs" invites you to embark on a transformative journey toward more effective, sustainable, and impactful programs. Elevate your evaluation practices and become a catalyst for positive change. Your journey begins here.

Book Measure  Use  Improve

    Book Details:
  • Author : Christina A. Russell
  • Publisher : IAP
  • Release : 2020-10-01
  • ISBN : 1648022553
  • Pages : 357 pages

Download or read book Measure Use Improve written by Christina A. Russell and published by IAP. This book was released on 2020-10-01 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Measure, Use, Improve! Data Use in Out-of-School Time shares the experience and wisdom from a broad cross-section of out-of-school time professionals, ranging from internal evaluators, to funders, to researchers, to policy advocates. Key themes of the volume include building support for learning and evaluation within out-of-school time programs, creating and sustaining continuous quality improvement efforts, authentically engaging young people and caregivers in evaluation, and securing funder support for learning and evaluation. This volume will be particularly useful to leadership-level staff in out-of-school time organizations that are thinking about deepening their own learning and evaluation systems, yet aren’t sure where to start. Authors share conceptual frameworks that have helped inform their thinking, walk through practical examples of how they use data in out-of-school time, and offer advice to colleagues.

Book Trailblazer

Download or read book Trailblazer written by Marc Benioff and published by Currency. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The founder and co-CEO of Salesforce delivers an inspiring vision for successful companies of the future—in which changing the world is everyone’s business. “The gold standard on how to use business as a platform for change at this urgent time.”—Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates and author of Principles: Life and Work What’s the secret to business growth and innovation and a purpose-driven career in a world that is becoming vastly more complicated by the day? According to Marc Benioff, the answer is embracing a culture in which your values permeate everything you do. In Trailblazer, Benioff gives readers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of one of the world’s most admired companies. He reveals how Salesforce’s core values—trust, customer success, innovation, and equality—and commitment to giving back have become the company’s greatest competitive advantage and the most powerful engine of its success. Because no matter what business you’re in, Benioff says, values are the bedrock of a resilient company culture that inspires all employees, at every level, to do the best work of their lives. Along the way, he shares insights and best practices for anyone who wants to cultivate a company culture positioned to thrive in the face of the inevitable disruption ahead. None of us in the business world can afford to sit on the sidelines and ignore what’s going on outside the walls of our workplaces. In the future, profits and progress will no longer be sustainable unless they serve the greater good. Whether you run a company, lead a small team, or have just draped an ID badge around your neck for the first time, Trailblazer reveals how anyone can become an agent of change. Praise for Trailblazer “A guide for what every business and organization must do to thrive in this period of profound political and economic change.”—Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase “In Trailblazer, Benioff explores how companies can nurture a values-based culture to become powerful platforms for change.”—Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube

Book Visionary Evaluation for a Sustainable  Equitable Future

Download or read book Visionary Evaluation for a Sustainable Equitable Future written by Beverly Parsons and published by IAP. This book was released on 2020-01-01 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Take a journey to 2030 where Visionary Evaluatives abound and link with one another in actively bringing about a sustainable, equitable future. Utilizing a creative storytelling approach, Visionary Evaluation for a Sustainable, Equitable Future brings forward the centrality of values in conjunction with the role of evaluation in building a future of well-being for people, nature, and planet. Visionary Evaluatives are guided by six principles. Those principles highlight a commitment to equity and the sustainability of nature as core values. They emphasize an orientation of humility, compassion, and transparency as Visionary Evaluatives engage with others in a world of living, entangled systems with both obvious and hidden intersectionalities. They require Visionary Evaluatives to engage in deep praxis—mindful and challenging reflection on what is being learned through the intersection of values, iterative action and inquiry, theory, outcomes, and vision. A diverse group of chapter authors share their wisdom through envisioning 2030 and what it might mean to move in the world applying aspects of the Visionary Evaluative Principles. Through Visionary Evaluation for a Sustainable, Equitable Future, you will learn about how you can contribute to a sustainable, equitable future not only in evaluations, as either users or practitioners, but also in your daily actions and lives. Praise for Visionary Evaluation for a Sustainable, Equitable Future What might the world be like if it was inhabited by people imbued with evaluation? Here's a very interesting exploration of such a world. And it will additionally enrich your thinking about how to vote in 2020. Michael Scriven Founder, Faster Forward Fund The core values and principles of visionary evaluatives read too good to be true: envisioning a world of humility, sustainability, equity, compassion, respect, understanding, and engaging deeply, toward iterative action. What a tall order and request this book is making for those of us in the field of evaluation! Bravo to the authors for pushing us. Their book is compelling and futuristic, written as a story that helps us imagine and re-image our field, our lives, and our world. Rodney Hopson Professor, University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign A fascinating journey into the future. The heroes, “Visionary Evaluatives", catalyze forces including the UN Sustainable Development Goals movement. In their innovative blending of evaluation designs and daily living habits, the heroes demonstrate the strong beliefs in the value of the sustainability of the planet and equity for all its inhabitants. Deborah Rugg President, Evaluation Consultants LLC; Former Chair, UN Evaluation Group Humanity's current trajectory on Earth is unsustainable. Transformation is needed at every level and in every arena of action. The alternative may be no future at all. This book and its Visionary Evaluation Principles envisions evaluation as part of the transformation. Embrace the vision. Act on it. How? Start by reading Visionary Evaluation. Michael Quinn Patton Author of Blue Marble Evaluation

Book Pursuing Impact

Download or read book Pursuing Impact written by Alicia M. Schatteman and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2024-05-14 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This work is a practical guide to strategic planning for nonprofits: what it is, why you should be doing it, and how to get it done"--

Book Caring Capitalism

    Book Details:
  • Author : Emily Barman
  • Publisher : Cambridge University Press
  • Release : 2016-04-08
  • ISBN : 1316538974
  • Pages : 279 pages

Download or read book Caring Capitalism written by Emily Barman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-04-08 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Companies are increasingly championed for their capacity to solve social problems. Yet what happens when such goods as water, education, and health are sold by companies - rather than donated by nonprofits - to the disadvantaged and when the pursuit of mission becomes entangled with the pursuit of profit? In Caring Capitalism, Emily Barman answers these important questions, showing how the meaning of social value in an era of caring capitalism gets mediated by the work of 'value entrepreneurs' and the tools they create to gauge companies' social impact. By shedding light on these pivotal actors and the cultural and material contexts in which they operate, Caring Capitalism accounts for the unexpected consequences of this new vision of the market for the pursuit of social value. Proponents and critics of caring capitalism alike will find the book essential reading.

Book Micro Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering

Download or read book Micro Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering written by Devendra Kumar Sharma and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2024 with total page 813 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zusammenfassung: The book presents high-quality papers from the Seventh International Conference on Microelectronics and Telecommunication Engineering (ICMETE 2023). It discusses the latest technological trends and advances in major research areas such as microelectronics, wireless communications, optical communication, signal processing, image processing, Big Data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and sensor network applications. This book includes the contributions of national/international scientists, researchers, and engineers from both academia and the industry. The contents of this book will be useful to researchers, professionals, and students alike

Book Dreams Deferred

Download or read book Dreams Deferred written by Brandolon Barnett and published by Advantage Media Group. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the generation of young people who came of age during the Great Recession of 2007-2009 (and those who will come of age during recessions that are sure to follow) making one's way into the labor force could be a daunting challenge. That's especially true for a generation raised and schooled to believe that success in life comes from finding work that reflects their talents and interests. In such circumstances, having to take on work that doesn't fit either one's abilities or one's deepest sense of meaning and purpose can be enough to crush any spirit that strives for something more. Dreams Deferred: Recession, Struggle, and the Quest for a Better World bears witness to the struggle of a deep-thinking, curious, and intelligent young Black man from Dallas, Texas, who grew up as the only child of a loving mother in a stable yet poor household. Author Brandolon Barnett offers readers a candid and moving account of his personal journey from entering the workforce to establishing himself as a leader in the non-profit arena. Dreams Deferred confronts head on the tension between the author's hopes, ambitions, and sense of humor and the harsh realities of a world that at every turn seems determined to quash them. Barnett's story offers a heaping dose of inspiration for anyone trying to find their way in the world without giving up on their dreams.