Is it possible that the organizations that serve the most vulnerable people in our communities are merely applying temporary patches? Why are most North American cities unable to deal with the root causes of the social challenges they are addressing? Why are most funding models for community-based non-profits built around sustaining programs rather than creating measurable social impact?

Sam Watts, the CEO of Welcome Hall Mission in Montreal, asks some hard questions in this book, and challenges everyone-both community-based non-profit organizations (CBNPs) and donors (the rest of us)-to think seriously about the outcomes we want to see, and whether we are serious about finding permanent solutions to the societal tragedies that plague us.

Good Work Done Better: Improving the Impact of Community-Based Non-Profits makes the case that a number of critical shifts need to occur in the community-based non-profit sector. These include our perception of the problems, developing a results-oriented approach, ensuring that our activities are linked to improved outcomes, and adopting a new approach to leadership and governance of CBNPs.