Keys to an Individual's Happiness and a Nonprofit's Success

Review of "The Cathedral Within," by Bill Shore

In The Cathedral Within, Bill Shore uses a cathedral metaphor to highlight the keys to an individual’s happiness (19) and a nonprofit’s success (265). Unfortunately, Shore only cursorily connects the metaphor with his suggestions to nonprofits. Shore’s metaphor is weak, but his nonprofit principles are strong. 

Shore’s main emphasis is on long-term sustainability. He believes that problems are not solved with quick fixes, but instead require long-term, continuous solutions. Shore uses an anecdote about his children to illustrate this. Some nonprofits focus on helping children while they are between 0 and 3 years old (when children’s needs are most urgent), but Shore tells that his children needed his help much deeper in life, whether catching a softball or getting help with algebra (54, 71). 

This anecdote is an effective way to illustrate a point. However, Shore takes it much too far. The discussion relating his anecdote to nonprofit sustainability is far too drawn out, and Shore poorly describes the connection between the two. Furthermore, Shore doesn’t describe sustainability especially well; he simply repeats the need for sustainability over and over. Shore speaks far too much on nonprofit sustainability, and the topic wears thin (54, 71, 122, 137, 173-180, 217, 264). One strong explanation would have succeeded over repetitive droning.