Bøker av Alex Counts

Microfinance-providing low-interest loans and other financial services to help the poorest people lift themselves out of poverty-was pioneered by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. In 2006, the bank and its founder, Muhammad Yunus, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and microfinance has since gone on to serve over 100 million people-mostly women-on five continents.First published in 1996, Small Loans, Big Dreams is the classic account of the origins and development of microfinance, from the $27 in loans given by a young economics professor to liberate poor villagers from loan sharks to its present status as a sometimes-controversial global phenomenon. Alex Counts, a protegé of Yunus and founder of the Grameen Foundation, paints vivid portraits of the determined women he came to know whose lives have been transformed by the opportunity to launch a small business, first in the countryside of Bangladesh, then in downtown Chicago, where an experimental project brought the microfinance method to America.In this new edition, Counts traces the history of microfinance, exploring the ways Grameen Bank has evolved in response to challenges from economic downturns to environmental crises. He depicts the various forms-some highly effective, others less so-that microfinance has taken in countries around the world, including Grameen America, the rapidly growing microfinance enterprise now headed by Andrea Jung that serves thousands of women across the U.S. Finally, Counts responds to critics who have questioned the value of the Grameen model and describes the lasting legacy of Yunus's remarkable vision. Small Loans, Big Dreams shows how microfinance can play a critical role in reducing the scourge of inequality by enabling underprivileged people to participate creatively in the global economy.Now with a new Afterword: Muhammad Yunus and the Monsoon Revolution of 2024

One of today''s most acclaimed books on nonprofit leadership, Changing the World Without Losing Your Mind is a down-to-earth guide to mission-driven leadership. Drawing on his decades of experience as an acclaimed nonprofit leader, Alex Counts offers practical advice on such vital activities as fundraising, team-building, communications, and management. He shows you how to run an organization-and your own life-both effectively and sustainably, giving joyfully to those around you while also caring generously for yourself.Changing the World was named one of Forbes magazine''s 12 Must-Read Books for Nonprofit Employees, and selected as the Chronicle of Philanthropy''s Editor''s Pick among nonprofit books of 2019. Now it''s available in a revised edition, including a new epilogue on leading in times of crisis, responding to the challenging realities nonprofit leaders have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leading a nonprofit organization is challenging, stressful work—yet it can also be richly rewarding. Alex Counts mastered the art of mission-driven leadership through decades of trial and error, as he built from scratch one of today’s most admired philanthropic foundations. Now he shares 214 of the most powerful lessons he discovered along the way—life and career secrets you'll never learn in school. Frank, quirky, counterintuitive, and ultimately inspiring, these nuggets of wisdom cover the toughest challenges nonprofit leaders face, from fundraising, strategic decision-making, and people skills to surviving business travel, running meetings, and mastering public speaking.When in Doubt, Ask for More is Alex Counts’s gift to everyone working in the nonprofit world—employees and leaders in nongovernmental organizations, charities, foundations, government agencies, faith-based organizations, political and social advocacy groups, and more. They’ll find that Alex Counts's sage advice can help them get through the day feeling more in control while making a greater impact on the world they seek to serve.