Review
"Ann Mei shines a light on our need for better solutions that can reach far greater scale. Her compelling book, Lean Impact, shows how this can be achieved by bringing together the best practices, resources, and expertise across business, nonprofits, and government. It will change the way you think about social impact." --Henrietta Holsman Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF
"Non-profit leaders are all too often bombarded with for-profit strategies that simply do not apply to our very different sector. Lean Impact is different. I have already applied some of its lessons, to great benefit, and would recommend it heartily to anyone interested in making social change at scale." --Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO, New America
"We are living in a pivotal moment where rapid advancements in science, technology, and innovation make it more possible than ever to give all people the chance at a better life. Ann Mei's call to embrace innovation to advance the cause of social justice will help reshape the way we think about fighting inequity around the world." --Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President, The Rockefeller Foundation
"With equal parts passion, practicality and specificity, Ann Mei Chang has deployed her broad and deep experiences in social transformation to provide the missing link between good work and undeniable impact. Simply put, this is a 'must have' resource for the faith-based community and anyone serious about making each dollar work for the marginalized." --Dr. Carolyn Woo, Former CEO, Catholic Relief Services
"In Lean Impact, Ann Mei Chang applies an engineering-like mindset to the challenge of achieving positive social impact. This provocative book provides readers a useful way to think about driving change. Her approach should be useful for environmentalists who seek to protect nature at scale--rather than one project at a time." --Mark R. Tercek, President and CEO, The Nature Conservancy
"Run, don't walk to buy this book if you are interested in innovation or simply in finding solutions to our world's current problems. Lean Impact is smart and thoughtful, a mix of head and heart, practical and yet full of hope. Ann Mei Chang's wisdom will provide a useful guide for how to think and more important, how to act." --Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO, Acumen"Ann Mei Chang understands what it takes to create social impact on a massive scale. In this book, she lays out a clear course for developing more effective solutions to our greatest human challenges, including the persistence of extreme poverty, and most importantly ensuring they are able to reach millions." --Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder and Chairperson, BRAC
"To tackle the intractable problems that our world faces today, we need effective methodologies for innovation. Lean Impact provides compelling tools and techniques for developing solutions with positive social impact that are highly complementary to human-centered design." --Jocelyn Wyatt, CEO, IDEO.org
"Lean Impact will help all of us make the world a better place through careful listening, rigorous experimentation, and constant improvement." --Eric Schmidt, former Executive Chairman, Alphabet
"Lean Impact helps us all see a brighter future in fighting global poverty--by bringing lessons from innovation successes in the tech, NGO and business worlds to bear on the world's biggest problems. It's a book anyone who cares about making change in the world should read and take to heart. I believe innovation and learning fast from mistakes is what will ultimately save the lives of at least 10 million children in the next decade and hopefully more." --Carolyn Miles, President and CEO, Save the Children
From the Inside Flap
Lean Impact is a hands-on guide designed to exponentially increase the impact of our time and money. Building on the modern innovation practices that have fueled the technological breakthroughs that have touched every aspect of our lives, Lean Impact puts the focus on a new purposeradically great social good. Of course, making the world a better place is far more complicated than building an app. It involves more listening, more care, and more stakeholders to ensure solutions are fully embraced, address root causes, and include an engine that will drive growth. Lean Impact offers practical tools and strategies that are inspired by the customer-centered, fast iteration, and data-driven approaches popularized by The New York Times bestseller, The Lean Startup.
Lean Impact is designed to maximize social benefit in the face of the complex challenges in today's world. At the heart of the model is the scientific method that relies on hypothesis-driven experiments to reduce risk and increase the pace of learning. It accepts the reality that no solution is likely to be designed perfectly at the outset, thus the ability to rapidly adapt is essential. Lean Impact draws on best practices from The Lean Startup and beyond and introduces new techniques that are tailored to the unique nature and needs of mission-driven organizations. This combination of scientific rigor and entrepreneurial agility can dramatically increase both the depth and breadth of an organization's impact.
Ann Mei Chang brings a rare perspective from across sectors, with her executive roles at top Silicon Valley companies, nonprofits, and government. She vividly illustrates the book with the inspiring, real-life stories and lessons from nonprofits, social enterprises, companies, foundations, government agencies, philanthropists, and impact investors across the United States and around the world.
Lean Impact is the essential guidebook for social change that will help you think big, start small, and relentlessly seek impact.
From the Back Cover
PRAISE FOR LEAN IMPACT
"Ann Mei shines a light on our need for better solutions that can reach far greater scale. Her compelling book, Lean Impact, shows how this can be achieved by bringing together the best practices, resources, and expertise across business, nonprofits, and government. It will change the way you think about social impact."
Henrietta Holsman Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF
"Nonprofit leaders are all too often bombarded with for-profit strategies that simply do not apply to our very different sector. Lean Impact is different. I have already applied some of its lessons, to great benefit, and would recommend it heartily to anyone interested in making social change at scale."
Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO, New America
"In Lean Impact, Ann Mei Chang applies an engineering-like mindset to the challenge of achieving positive social impact. This provocative book provides readers a useful way to think about driving change. Her approach should be useful for environmentalists who seek to protect nature at scalerather than one project at a time."
Mark R. Tercek, President and CEO, The Nature Conservancy and author of Nature's Fortune
"We are living in a pivotal moment where rapid advancements in science, technology, and innovation make it more possible than ever to give all people the chance at a better life. Ann Mei's call to embrace innovation to advance the cause of social justice will help reshape the way we think about fighting inequity around the world."
Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President, The Rockefeller Foundation
"With equal parts passion, practicality and specificity, Ann Mei Chang has deployed her broad and deep experiences in social transformation to provide the missing link between good work and undeniable impact. Simply put, this is a 'must have' resource for the faith-based community and anyone serious about making each dollar work for the marginalized."
Dr. Carolyn Woo, Former CEO, Catholic Relief Services
"Lean Impact will help all of us make the world a better place through careful listening, rigorous experimentation, and constant improvement."
Eric Schmidt, former Executive Chairman, Alphabet
About the Author
Ann Mei Chang is a leading advocate for social innovation who brings together unique insights from her extensive work across the tech industry, nonprofits, and the US government. As Chief Innovation Officer at USAID, she served as the first Executive Director of the US Global Development Lab, engaging the best practices for innovation from Silicon Valley to accelerate the impact and scale of solutions to the world's most intractable challenges. She was previously the Chief Innovation Officer at Mercy Corps, and served the US Department of State as Senior Advisor for Women and Technology in the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues.
Prior to her pivot to the public and social sector, Ann Mei was a seasoned technology executive, with more than 20 years' experience at such leading companies as Google, Apple, and Intuit, as well as at a range of startups. She is a keynote speaker who has been featured at TEDx MidAtlantic, SxSW, Social Good Summit, SOCAP, and Lean Startup Week, as well as numerous nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies.
Audiobook
