Chapter 1: Introduction
When you are done with this section, you will be able to...
Explain the theme and purpose of the Do Good. Better. Guidebook.
Understand how to use the Guidebook.
Understand the Guidebook’s overarching layout and content.
INTRODUCTION
Across the globe and within local communities, plenty of pressing problems demand solutions. There are individuals facing hunger, homelessness, displacement, abuse, illness, and so much more. When faced with such large and multifaceted issues, it’s easy to feel powerless, like nothing a singular person does could possibly make a difference.
This Guidebook is designed to demonstrate how you, as an individual, possess the power necessary to enact real social change and contribute to a better world. Through this curriculum, you will develop the ability to approach social issues thoughtfully and analyze social ventures critically. The Guidebook supports this goal by breaking down complex concepts and enhancing learning through application-centered questions and activities.
BOOK THEME AND PURPOSE
At its center, the Do Good. Better. Guidebook reflects one core belief: social problems are solvable. By prioritizing compassion for the individual and beginning with intentional small-scale change, lasting impact can be achieved by individuals and organizations alike. Regardless of professional occupation, religious affiliation, political engagement, or social status, you can make an impact in the life of an individual using the skills taught in this book.
However, this text is not intended to answer every question or teach every possible tool. There is no uniform solution for the complex problems facing the world. Meaningful progress will always require innovation, creativity, adaptability, and experimentation. Tools will evolve, new approaches will emerge, and best practices will continue to change over time.
The Guidebook strives to establish a strong foundation for effectively addressing a wide range of social problems. It outlines core principles of social impact, connects them to practical tools, and highlights their real-world applications. It teaches readers the importance of fully understanding an issue, the people experiencing it, and the players who can help build solutions.
By bridging the gap between theory and practice, the Guidebook not only helps readers identify root causes and design actionable responses but also equips them with the skills to analyze and assess real-world problems with depth and clarity. This new perspective shifts how readers think about social issues and encourages a focus on long-term, sustainable solutions rather than seemingly quick fixes.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
For Students: The Guidebook is designed to help develop social problem-solving skills and engage meaningfully in projects, discussions, and reflective writing. It can be used to implement learned principles into your own life and community.
For Professors: The Guidebook provides supplemental information to be used while teaching. It contains readings to prepare students prior to class instruction, case-based educational material, and class discussion tools.
For Universities: The Guidebook supports civic engagement initiatives and teaches practical social problem-solving skills. It can be adapted for general education or interdisciplinary requirements, serving as a foundation for multiple programs, projects, or organizations across campus.
For General Readers: The Guidebook can be used as a self-guided learning tool or a reference for approaching and solving social problems. The language is intended to be easily accessible for a public audience, making it a valuable resource for anyone wanting to make a difference, including active citizens, board members, business owners, community organizers, family members, nonprofit committees, and neighborhood organizations.
BOOK LAYOUT, STRUCTURE, AND SPECIAL FEATURES
The Guidebook structure follows the Social Impact Cycle and each chapter introduces new principles in accordance with their phase of the cycle. Foundational concepts are introduced first, with more complex ideas added as the cycle advances. This progression reflects how social impact work unfolds in practice, with each stage building on the previous one rather than standing alone. An overview of each chapter is included below.
Chapter Overviews:
Chapter 1: Introduction – Provides an overview of the Guidebook’s purpose, structure, and uses.
Chapter 2: Social Impact Roles – Explores the many roles within social impact work and how individuals can contribute to social change from any position.
Chapter 3: Social Impact Terms – Defines common terms used in social ventures to establish foundational vocabulary.
Chapter 4: Social Impact Cycle – Explains how solving social issues is a cyclical process that can be reiterated on different scales.
Chapter 5: Loving the One – Teaches the importance of focusing on one person and prioritizing his or her needs to ensure program effectiveness.
Chapter 6: Compassion – Defines compassion, its application, and how it can be implemented to maximize impact.
Chapter 7: Identifying the One – Introduces affinity and proximity, issue triangles, and population and geography as tools to find an individual to center social impact work around.
Chapter 8: Scoping the Issue – Prepares changemakers to put social issues into context so they can be better understood and addressed.
Chapter 9: Secondary Research – Highlights the importance of conducting thorough research prior to developing a solution.
Chapter 10: Monolithic Thinking – Reveals the importance of breaking down complex social issues into manageable parts and avoiding thinking of social issues as monoliths.
Chapter 11: Ecosystem Mapping – Describes how to use an ecosystem map to identify effective practices already in place.
Chapter 12: Customer-Partner Orientation – Establishes those experiencing a social issue as part of the solution rather than beneficiaries in need of outside help.
Chapter 13: Interventions – Demonstrates how to analyze interventions already in place and calculate their effectiveness.
Chapter 14: Human-Centered Design – Instructs how to design solutions by focusing on the needs, experiences, and perspectives of the individuals affected.
Chapter 15: Theory of Change – Presents the “theory of change” concept and how it can be applied to create a clear plan for addressing a social issue.
Chapter 16: Funding and Legal Structures – Explores different funding and legal structures related to social problem solving.
Chapter 17: Scaling Social Impact – Guides changemakers in increasing the scale of their interventions.
Chapter 18: Outputs, Outcomes, and Impact – Distinguishes between an organization’s actions, the changes that occur, and changes directly attributable to those actions.
Chapter 19: Outcome Measurement – Teaches how to track changes and measure outcomes following the implementation of an intervention.
Chapter 20: Impact Assessment – Explains how to design experiments and analyze results to determine causality and the overall impact of your efforts.
Chapter 21: Organizational Learning – Analyzes how companies and institutions can use organizational learning to continuously improve.
Chapter 22: Conclusion – Gives an outro to the key concepts and lessons presented throughout the Guidebook.
SUMMARY
This chapter has outlined the purposes of the Guidebook. By following the objectives in each chapter, readers will learn how to thoughtfully approach and solve social issues while building the capacity to generate real change. The Guidebook aims to foster more intentional, informed, and proactive engagement in addressing both local and global social problems.