"Greg and I have been collaborating in one way or another since we first met and worked together in a small community in El Salvador nearly 20 years ago. I’ve always been struck by his remarkable ability to get to the heart of problems and co-create empathetic, approachable solutions in complex and constrained environments. This innovative and practical toolbox is a clear reflection of this. Without a doubt, this book should be on every aspiring and practicing changemaker’s bookshelf."
NEIL BLUMENTHAL
CO-FOUNDER + CO-CEO | WARBY PARKER
"Greg has a wonderful gift for taking complicated concepts and breaking them down into approachable tools that help groups work together to address complex problems without feeling overwhelmed. This practical toolbox is a perfect example of that."
KIMBERLY ASCOLI ALMEIDA
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS | LEVI STRAUSS FOUNDATION
"Greg's combined expertise in business and years of experience in social entrepreneurship around the globe give him a unique understanding of the drivers of innovation. He has a remarkable ability to distill key strategic insights that explain success and communicate them in ways that are both accessible and inspiring."
DAVID BORNSTEIN
CO-FOUNDER | SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM NETWORK
AUTHOR - HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD: SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS AND THE POWER OF NEW IDEAS
"For more than two decades, Greg's been a trailblazer in the field of social entrepreneurship. Always willing to share the lessons learned on this odyssey of impact, Greg has curated herein an outstanding array of tested tools that can be put to work immediately by any aspiring changemaker or experienced social entrepreneur seeking to develop more effective solutions to the world’s most pressing problems."
MATTHEW T.A. NASH
DIRECTOR | CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION - STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER
"As a Social Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Greg has been an invaluable resource to the Berkley Center and the next gen changemakers we've worked with over the years. This toolbox is a brilliant distillation of his experience in the trenches. The content is both accessible and highly actionable for both those new to the space and those who are more seasoned. It provides a useful, must-read road map for anyone looking to build something meaningful, lasting, and impactful."
CYNTHIA FRANKLIN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | BERKLEY CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP - NYU STERN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
"Greg’s unique career designing high-impact social innovations uniquely qualifies him to share the “how” that’s so critical to translating mission to execution and creating practices that make organizations resilient, especially in attempting to scale. Greg’s guidance has been measurably effective for my teams across several disciplines, from venture-funded startups to childhood literacy initiatives."
KEVIN KUSHMAN
CEO| ELECTRADA
"I have had the immense pleasure of working for and with Greg for over a decade now, and I have learned so much from his approaches to social innovation and social impact strategy. They are clear, empathy-oriented, iterative, and ultimately very effective. So much of what I learned from Greg shaped me as an innovation leader, and I still find myself reflecting on and applying lessons I gained from him years ago. It is awesome that others can benefit from his wealth of knowledge and resources through this toolbox. And, selfishly, I’m excited to keep learning and problem-solving from it as well!"
ALANNA HUGHES
VICE PRESIDENT - INNOVATION | PER SCHOLAS
RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER
"Greg is always working to put empathy in the heart of his work. This toolbox is a testament to that. He's clearly designed this with significant thoughtfulness and care so as to create equitable access to the skills and tools that can help empower changemakers everywhere."
MOHSIN MOHI UD DIN
FOUNDER + CEO | #MEWE INTERNATIONAL
"For more than 15 years, Greg has shared his distilled learning as a social entrepreneur with class after class of social entrepreneurship students at Notre Dame. His unparalleled expertise and matter-of-fact approach to applying these tools to the most challenging social issues of our day left many students not only inspired, but resolute in their own attitudes and beliefs as changemakers. With this toolbox, Greg’s vision and learnings from the field are that much more accessible to emergent changemakers across the globe. And I can’t wait to put it into practice in my own classroom!"
MELISSA PAULSEN
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, ENTREPRENEURSHIP + EDUCATION DIVISION |
PULTE INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT | UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
"This is a book the world needs now more than ever...and there is simply no one better than Greg to upskill us all in the realm of impact innovation education. Greg has given us a practical, accessible, and empowering playbook to both imagine and shape our own futures in an age of unprecedented complexity and uncertainty. Wherever one may be on the changemaking journey, this is the ultimate resource for any young person, parent, educator, or leader who’s interested in the "how" of agency, empowerment, collaborative problem-solving, and meaningful engagement for our communities and the planet."
CRAIG VEZINA
CEO | THE SPACESHIP ACADEMY
"Greg is one of the foremost social impact leaders in the social entrepreneurship space. If you are fortunate to meet him, you’ll find his passion is contagious. For those “meeting” him through his writing, you should be excited to embark on this journey. Greg is a masterful designer of structured, pragmatic approaches to breaking down problems, understanding root causes, and working collaboratively with communities. Moreover, his approaches are timeless and broadly applicable to impact-centered problem-solving. I am inspired by his authentic compassion, coupled with the ingenuity he brings when tackling some of the thorniest market problems in low and middle-income economies. Having the opportunity to work with Greg not only shaped my career path, but showed me how to engage in social impact work with both empathy and rigor. I often leverage the concepts and frameworks that I learned from Greg, whether I am working with large tech companies or small nonprofit organizations seeking to create social change. I'm positive readers will find this content similarly empowering."
MICHELLE MULLINS
STRATEGY + OPERATIONS LEAD | IMPACT, NEWS, CIVICS - GOOGLE
"Greg has the most unique combination of being a visionary and a pragmatist. As a visionary, he questions injustices with a never-ending curiosity and the deep belief that change is possible and solutions can be found. But it’s the pragmatist in him that leads him to develop sustainable, scalable solutions that solve systemic problems with a continuous focus on collaboration. And now, with the vision to enable anyone to be a changemaker, Greg's created this very practical and easy-to-use how-to toolbox based on his decades of changemaking experience. Why am I not surprised? I have been blessed to have been changed and help create change with many of these tools, and I am so excited that anyone who wishes can now access and accelerate their own changemaking journey. Game on!"
MARY CLAIRE MANDEVILLE
CEO | VENNLI
"One of my favorite mantras is: "The problem is the problem." This deceptively simple concept is actually a radical way to approach the biggest and most complex challenges humanity faces, and Greg's critically important work will help any organization or team identify the problems they are facing and then find the best solutions. This is a must-use for any NGO, corporation, or government agency that is truly invested in changemaking."
JANE EHRENFELD
FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | CENTER FOR INSPIRED TEACHING
