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5.0 out of 5 stars For anyone trying to make an impact using better methods
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2018
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Lean Impact is a must read for anyone trying to figure out how to best have meaningful impact in the development sector.

The layout of the book was very clear, with bite-sized mini-segments that helped to orient readers and provided clear examples of practice that matched to theory. Excellent illustrations and metaphors/analogies to help guide readers along the journey of why our current system works the way it does and what specific exceptional organizations are doing within this ecosystem to help advance true innovation.

I really liked that the book was nuanced regarding how tricky it is to implement such a strategy. For example, understanding how incentives can be misaligned or where technology is better vs. other types of solutions (i.e., for data collection). Other sections I really enjoyed had to do with how to deal with failure in the context of the non-profit sector as well as all the many forms of hybrid financing and concrete numbers on what works/doesn't work and why.

The only suggestion I'd have is I hope that there's an online resources / forum part that complements the book where where people working in the social sector can trade notes on what's working/not working for them when they aim to implement lean impact methods and/or where they can download certain tools online (or via another channel) to design what they need even if it's just questions that guide their thinking on the best approach.

Overall, highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in advancing development via newer, better methodologies!
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Kendra Holly
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book I've Ever Read
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2019
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I bought this initially for myself. Now, I'm buying it for any new hire on my team as a welcome gift. I work in program development for a nonprofit. This book changed the entire way I see my job and I've aligned our process for developing and refining programs to the philosophy and methods in this book. I've read so many books for my field. So very many. Nothing had the influence on my work like this did.
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Cynthia Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Increase the Impact of Your Passion, Time and Money. READ THIS BOOK!
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2018
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I wish I'd had this book long ago when I first began investing my time and money in various issues that were important to me. While some of the approaches aren't entirely new, this book puts all the pieces together in a way that will reshape the way we ask questions, mentor NGO teams, guide as a Board member, and decide where and how to donate charitable funds. Fundamentals are woven throughout the book in a powerful and practical way, with lots of very useful examples and ways to avoid common pitfalls, such as analysis paralysis. I am particularly struck by the power and simplicity of the three pillars - Value, Growth, Impact - and the way these can transform an organization's focus and approach toward Lean Impact first by establishing hypotheses around these, creating an innovation dashboard and testing results using the concept of Minimum Viable Product. I am purchasing Lean Impact for my colleagues who lead NGO's as CEO's and Board leaders, as well as those working in the field of Philanthropy. THINK BIG, START SMALL, RELENTLESSLY SEEK IMPACT!
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D. Berelowitz
5.0 out of 5 stars The book I wish I had 10 years ago
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2019
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This is the book that I wish I had when I started scaling social ventures. The experiences that Ann Mei charts are uncannily similar to my own and her solutions are common sense and clearly laid out. This book is particularly important because many people try to pull systems and process from the corporate world and it rarely works - Ann Mei gives a road map for translating the seminal start up text Lean Startup, for social change. Highly recommended for anyone seeking to significantly scale up the impact of their venture.
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Peter Murray
5.0 out of 5 stars This will dramatically increase and improve your organization's experimentation
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019
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We work with dozens or nonprofits and are usually skeptical about the latest management philosophies and trends, but Lean has been transformative for the groups we work with and no book encapsulates the methodology better than Ann Mei Chang's "Lean Impact."

If your organization is looking to experiment with new models and methods for creating impact, Lean Impact is essential reading.
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Andres Leon
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2019
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Awesome. It really changes perspective for those in the social sector and applies lean startup amazingly. The only feedback would be that more insights would’ve been more useful in the growth section. Ycombinator has a lot of experience here that the author could use.
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Philippe Bailleur
4.0 out of 5 stars Lean Start-Up for Forces’for Good
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2019
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What is possible when the best of non-profit and profit companies is coming together? In this way Forces for Good emerge and that is what we need today on a global scale.
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Rose Hawayek
5.0 out of 5 stars How to for social good.
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2018
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Amazing way to explain a difficult subject.
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Top reviews from other countries

Asad Rahman
5.0 out of 5 stars Very compelling and actionable read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2019
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Lean Impact is packed full of examples on how to make lean startup and rapid iteration actually work in a social sector. As someone who works in tech for good, it's given me lots to think about!
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Amazon Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good !
Reviewed in Germany on March 16, 2020
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Thank you for this great book! I really enjoy reading it.

Many of the things in the book are so obvious, so true but so hard, so easy to point out if it is about others but so hard to execute when it is about yourself.
Thank you for pointing out all the emotional-biases that can create great pitfalls.
"Love the problem, not your solution"
"Nail it before you scale it"
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Amazon Kunde
4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthwhile Read On The Lean Approach
Reviewed in Germany on September 13, 2019
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Recommend reading this book. Take what you read with a proverbial pinch of salt. You will not necessarily agree with everything you read however I think it is worth your time.
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Mohamed Shiha
5.0 out of 5 stars The best way to make a social impact
Reviewed in France on December 15, 2018
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This is an incredible reading. Ann Mei has articulated in this book a practical approach to applying Lean in social sector and maximizing the impact from each buck you are intending to give or invest in making a change for a truly better world. I highly recommend the book and I personally found the YouTube videos of Ann speaking about Lean Impact of a big value.
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paromita goswami
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful
Reviewed in India on November 2, 2019
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Love the book! Wonderful insights :)
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