by John Marks
First published 2024
Social entrepreneurs prioritize community impact over financial returns when they build ventures for positive change. John Marks created this practitioner's manual based on his career leading Search for Common Ground, the peacebuilding nonprofit he established with Susan Collin Marks that became the largest organization of its kind globally. His approach centers on recognizing differences while building on shared ground. Marks details real breakthroughs his organization achieved, starting with an unlikely project that brought CIA and KGB operatives together. The examples span from genocide prevention work in Burundi to children's television programming that reduced ethnic conflict in Macedonia to establishing mediation practices across Morocco. Readers discover strategies for adapting when results differ from expectations, crafting stories that persuade audiences, and implementing change that balances incremental progress with transformational impact. The book combines detailed case studies with actionable frameworks for negotiation and conflict resolution, giving readers concrete methods for bridge building and sustainable social change.
Genres: social-change, business, non-fiction, activism
Vibes: inspirational, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: bridge-building, sustainable-change
Setting: Burundi, Macedonia, Morocco
Period: 21st-century
208 pages · Paperback · Columbia University Press