As congregations and social impact organizations, we often sell ourselves short by describing our impact only in terms of easily quantifiable metrics, such as the number of people we reach or events we host. We should take pride in those numbers, but then we should ask, “so, what?” It’s great that people show up, but what does that actually mean? A congregation's value to the community isn’t measured by worship attendance, and a social impact organization's value isn’t just how many people its services reach. We create real value for our communities, and learning to articulate why our work matters helps grow support. 

We hear often that we must innovate to survive, to progress, to succeed, but being told to innovate can be like being told to relax—easier said than done and incredibly frustrating to be told. That’s why I appreciate Leah Kral's book, Innovation for Social Change. Kral demystifies an intimidating concept, breaking it down into an accessible roadmap, including stories that ground it in reality and tools that make it actionable.