Mission Ring Books 1 and 2: Launch and Lead Are Now Available

The first two books in the Mission Ring Series are now available on Amazon: Book 1 — Launch and Book 2 — Lead. These two books form the foundation of the series. Together they cover how to build a nonprofit from scratch and how to lead one with clarity once it is up and running.

Here is what is inside each book and who each one is written for.

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Book 1 — Launch: How to Start a Nonprofit, From Idea to IRS Approval

Most people who want to start a nonprofit have a clear sense of the problem they want to solve. What they do not have is a clear picture of what it actually takes to form a legal nonprofit organization — the filings, the decisions, the governance structures, and the federal tax-exemption process that turns a good idea into a recognized 501(c)(3).

Launch walks you through the entire formation process, step by step. It is written for first-time founders, community leaders, faith leaders, and professionals from other sectors who want to do this right — not just get it done, but build a foundation that holds up as the organization grows. If you are considering starting a nonprofit in California, this is the place to begin.

What Launch covers

• Testing your idea — how to evaluate whether a nonprofit is the right structure for your goal, and what questions to answer before you file anything
• Articles of incorporation — what they are, what they need to say, and how to file them in California and other states
• Employer Identification Number (EIN) — how to obtain one and why you need it before you can open a bank account or hire staff
• Bylaws — what bylaws are, what they must include, and how to write them in a way that serves the organization rather than creating problems later
• Seating a founding board — who you need on your founding board, what you are asking them to commit to, and how to set up the governance relationship from the beginning. Our nonprofit board development services can support this work once your board is in place.
• Form 1023 and 1023-EZ — the federal tax-exemption application, explained in plain English, with guidance on which form to use and how to prepare it
• Starter policies and templates — the foundational policies every new nonprofit needs, including a conflict of interest policy, a document retention policy, and a gift acceptance policy

Who Launch is for

Launch is written for anyone who is thinking about starting a nonprofit and wants to understand what they are getting into before they commit. It is also the right book for a founder who has already started the process but is not sure they did it correctly — the book covers the most common formation mistakes and how to fix them.

Best used: Read it cover to cover before you file anything. The formation process involves decisions that are hard to undo, and the book is designed to help you make those decisions with full information.

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Book 2 — Lead: The Mission Ring Model of Nonprofit Leadership

Once a nonprofit is formed, the work of leading it begins. And leading a nonprofit is different from leading a for-profit business — the accountability structures are different, the funding model is different, the board relationship is different, and the measures of success are different.

Lead introduces the Mission Ring Model, a framework for nonprofit leadership that I developed over more than two decades of working with nonprofits and behavioral health organizations. The model identifies six elements that every nonprofit needs to manage well, and gives leaders a practical way to assess where their organization is strong and where it has room to grow. You can explore the full series on the Mission Ring Series page.

The Mission Ring Model

The six elements of the Mission Ring Model are:

• Aim — the organization's mission, vision, and strategic direction
• Integrity — the values, ethics, and compliance structures that keep the organization trustworthy
• Ownership — the board, leadership, and accountability structures that ensure the organization is well-governed
• Renewal — the fundraising, revenue development, and financial sustainability that keep the organization alive
• Interlock — the programs, services, and operational systems that deliver on the mission
• Voice — the communications, marketing, and community presence that connect the organization to the people it serves and the funders who support it

The model also describes five maturity levels — from an organization that is just getting started to one that is operating at full effectiveness — and four levels of analysis: individual, team, organization, and community. This gives leaders a way to see their organization clearly across all of its dimensions, not just the ones that are currently on fire.

What Lead covers

• The Mission Ring Model in full — all six elements, five maturity levels, and four levels of analysis, with examples drawn from real nonprofit situations
• Diagnostic tools — self-assessment frameworks for evaluating your organization's current state across each element of the model
• Failure pattern recognition — the most common ways nonprofits get into trouble, mapped to the model so you can identify warning signs early
• The 90-day leadership plan — a template for building a structured plan for your first 90 days in a new leadership role, or for resetting after a period of organizational difficulty

Who Lead is for

Lead is written for founders, new executive directors, board chairs, and emerging managers who want a practical way to see their organization clearly and improve it. It is also valuable for experienced leaders who want a shared framework to use with their leadership team.

Best used: As a leadership orientation. Read it when you are new to a role, when you are stepping into a turnaround situation, or when you want to step back and assess the organization as a whole. The diagnostic tools are most powerful when a leadership team works through them together.

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How the two books work together

Launch and Lead are designed to be read in sequence for anyone who is building a nonprofit from the ground up. Launch gives you the formation process. Lead gives you the leadership framework. Together they answer the two most fundamental questions a nonprofit founder faces: how do I build this organization legally and correctly, and how do I lead it once it exists?

If you are already past the formation stage, you can start with Lead and use it as a diagnostic tool for the organization you already have. The Mission Ring Model works just as well for a ten-year-old organization as it does for a brand-new one — the maturity levels are designed to meet you where you are.

Both books are short, practical, and written for people who are doing the work. They are available now on Amazon.

If you want to talk through how either book applies to your organization's situation, or how to use the Mission Ring Model as part of a broader nonprofit leadership coaching or consulting engagement, reach out. That conversation is always worth having.