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Asking Beautiful Questions - Book Review and Commentary

Writer's picture: capitalphilanthropcapitalphilanthrop

Berger, Warren. A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. Bloomsbury Publishing, 10th anniversary edition, 2024.



This post also appears in Leah's Savvy Altruism Substack Blog. Click on this link to go to that post.


Preface

As we head into a new year and a new administration, we know people – regardless of party or socioeconomic status, are asking big questions – “What’s going to happen now?” Some questions will be solution-oriented -- “How will we work together to make sure our communities are safe?” or “What if we invited them in to talk?” Others, however, are likely to be more divisive -- “How could you possibly think that?” or “What’s wrong with them?”


Questions are powerful tools. So, it was timely that Warren Berger last year released a special 10th Anniversary edition of his bestselling book, “A More Beautiful Question.” Berger shows us that questions – used thoughtfully – can help forge connections and build understanding, enabling us to move forward toward common goals. It was with this in mind that we were especially pleased to write this review and commentary.

M&L

 

High Stakes

Asking courageous, provocative, and beautiful questions lies at the heart of social change. For nonprofit leaders, these questions are more than tools—they are catalysts. They challenge the status quo, surface hidden assumptions, and unlock new possibilities.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Consider the transformative power of questions that sparked action: what if Habitat for Humanity never asked, “How might we ensure that everyone has a decent place to live?” What if the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. never asked, “How might we overcome unjust Jim Crow laws?” What if Share Our Strength never asked, “Why are so many families going hungry in our nation, and what can we do about it?” Their courageous questions led to game-changing impact.


In his bestseller, A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas, Warren Berger offers a treasure trove of insights for nonprofit teams and social change makers. With the 10th anniversary edition, Berger introduces timely chapters on critical thinking, leadership, and influence—issues deeply relevant to the nonprofit sector. This inspiring and practical book shows how intentional questioning can spark breakthrough ideas and shape transformative action. Berger reminds us that questions can be a source of inspiration, healing, and transformative ideas for programmatic interventions in the social sector. We felt compelled to write this book review after falling in love with lessons which we quickly adapted into our own consulting work with philanthropic foundations and nonprofits.


Why Questions Matter for Nonprofits

Those of us carrying out the hard work of social change are often finding our way in the dark and grappling with many unknowns as we design programs and interventions, struggling to figure out what works. If we think about it, every nonprofit is a hypothesis – we believe our mission and interventions will accomplish what we set out to do, but we don’t know – we have to find out. We are often trying to see around corners, which can be a challenge as we press ahead without pausing to look up and ask “What’s happening?” Whether we like it or not, questions come with the territory. We can lean into our uncertainty and questions. Berger writes, “a good question is like a lever used to pry open the stuck lid on a paint can.” And “One of the best descriptions I’ve found for what questioning does is this: It enables us to organize our thinking around what we don’t know.”



Putting Questions into Practice

What does this kind of intentional questioning look like in practice? Berger shares a story of a Philadelphia pastor who was actively searching for better ways to serve at-risk young people in his community. He described how questions changed his approach, “Instead of trying to tell local youths that he knew what they needed,” he related, “I decided to ask, ‘What would you do to reach yourself?’” This simple yet profound shift led to innovative programming designed in partnership with the community it served.


There are growing trends in the nonprofit sector that make questions more and more relevant. For example, there is a growing recognition that top-down approaches aren’t the answer, as practitioners call for trust-based philanthropy, empowerment evaluation, and appreciative inquiry. Questions can be empowering and energizing as we collaboratively ask, “How might we do this better?” Our sector struggles with burnout, but questions, used the right way, enable us to learn, to partner, or to confidently say no to things, freeing up our time for better use on more impactful efforts. They can help us when we feel “stuck” and unable to move forward. As Berger states, beautiful questions are “ambitious but actionable.” After all, if you’re not going to do anything about a situation, “You’re not questioning, but rather complaining,” Berger asserts.


Transforming The Mission Statement

As nonprofits discern their role, they might well consider Berger’s suggestion that we transform the tried-and-true mission statement into a “mission question.” We must ask ourselves hard questions about not just what we do, but why we’re doing it in the first place. His framework for confronting a changing landscape can be used by any organization as part of strategic planning. The nonprofit ecosystem is constantly shifting, and organizations must be prepared to investigate how their industry is changing or understand the trends which are most likely to have a profound impact on the future.



A Framework for Innovation

Questions can provide a useful framework through which we can foster innovation and creativity. The book follows three major questions “Why?” “What if?” and “How” and explores how answering those questions leads to new understandings and perspectives. Leah’s book “Innovation for Social Change” uses similar questions alongside stories of nonprofit organizations who used the Why/What if/How framework to achieve transformational results.


Berger specifically cites “Appreciative Inquiry” as another way creative questions can make a difference. This approach focuses on envisioning a positive future by encouraging organizations to ask, “What is?” followed by “What could be?” and culminating in “What should be?” It builds on success, asking how that could be replicated, rather than focusing on a problem that needs to be fixed.


These and similar models can bring energy to a nonprofit’s work. Questions are assets, things to be supported, and even encouraged, for both leaders and team members. We should not be afraid of questions or to ask questions. Questions are what lead to inspiration as organizations look for solutions and envision a way forward. They become ways through which we can connect in positive and productive ways. Conversations that might have started with “Why didn’t you?” can be transformed to ones that begin with “How might we?”


Questions are also useful tools. One of Marshall’s foundation clients gathered grantees together to ask basic but valuable questions, such as “What’s happening in your organization?” “What’s keeping you up at night?” or “What might we be missing?” The organizations were grateful for the gathering, appreciating the safe space a funder had created where questions were encouraged. And the answers to those questions informed the foundation’s future grantmaking.


Overcoming Barriers to Questioning

One might ask, “If questions are so great, why don’t we use them more?” What gets in the way of asking questions? In philanthropy, one consistently identified roadblock is the power dynamic between funders and nonprofits. Nonprofit team members may be uncomfortable asking questions, fearful to be seen as challenging. Further, funders can come across as using questions to “check up on” rather than inspire or engage with nonprofits. Berger raised this point as he related the story of how public education advocate Deborah Meier challenged the educational system regarding how questions were often used with young students in ways that discouraged curiosity or exploration.


A Must-Read for Nonprofit Leaders

“A More Beautiful Question” is compelling, highly readable, containing story after story that will inspire you. Though most of the stories in the book are from the for-profit business world, the lessons are still highly relevant to those of us working in the nonprofit world. As you read the book, you will undoubtedly find yourself saying, “That can apply to philanthropy,” or “I’ve seen nonprofits take this very same approach.” It’s a great read for executive directors, program managers, board members, grantmakers, or advisors. It would make a great book club choice for your team.



You are guaranteed to find examples, concepts, and ideas that immediately resonate with your work, your career, your organization, or your personal life.


Final Thoughts

Questions are not just tools; they are transformative forces that shape how we see and solve problems. Berger’s book reminds us to embrace curiosity and to view questioning as an asset—one that empowers nonprofits to navigate complexity, foster innovation, and drive meaningful change. As Berger asserted, beautiful questions are, in fact, “ambitious but actionable,” and this mindset can unlock the full potential of nonprofit leadership and teamwork.


By:

Marshall H. Ginn, Principal of Capital Philanthropy and a 30+ year veteran of the philanthropy and nonprofit sector. https://www.capitalphilanthropy.com

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