Why are many nonprofits today unable to operate at their full potential? Why have others grown steadily, becoming the go-to groups on their issues, the place to work, and the leaders in their fields? In their book, The Charismatic Organization, Deb Jospin and Shirley Sagawa argue that these organizations don't depend on charismatic leaders—rather, they strengthen their core and build strong networks of support within and around themselves to build charismatic organizations.

This chapter excerpt, "Purposeful Innovation," explores the role of innovation in building charismatic organizations. Jospin and Sagawa offer a framework for how to pursue purposeful innovation, including recommendations and examples around empowering all levels and parts of the organization, seeking ideas from a broad range of sources, problem-solving, nurturing the new, testing promising ideas, and having the capacity to implement change consistently.