YOUth

“Many young people have great ideas to make the world a better place and need just a little guidance to put their plans into action. I wish I’d had a book like this when I first started in the nonprofit world; it would have saved so much time and prevented a lot of mistakes.”—Celeste Headlee, award-winning journalist and bestselling author of We Need to Talk“Zhang has taken a complicated task of creating a nonprofit from the ground up and turned it into delicious snack-size tips for young people to devour and use to build!”—Nancy Lublin, Founder, Dress for Success, and former CEO, DoSomething, Inc.“Olivia has crafted the perfect ‘how to’ book for young people on starting and growing a nonprofit, based on her own experiences. She demonstrates that you don’t need years of experience to tackle a daunting problem.”—Tina Seelig, Professor, Stanford, and bestselling author of What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20“This work is like a power tool for young changemakers—sharp, efficient, and built by someone who’s done the work. She skips the fluff and gets real about what it takes to build something that lasts.”—Marley Dias, Founder, #1000BlackGirlBooks, and bestselling author of Marley Dias Gets It Done “I’ve seen the power of resilience, and Olivia Zhang channels that same grit and heart on every page of this equal parts playbook and pep talk for the next generation to lead with purpose.”—Ethan Zohn, Cofounder, Grassroot Soccer“This book provides a crucial blueprint for young people yearning to positively impact the world NOW—everything from the bits and pieces to the big picture, and also the challenges found within the cracks!”—Nadya Okamoto, Cofounder, August, and Founder, PERIOD“Zhang offers a grounded and thoughtful guide for young founders. Having started my own organization at 21, I appreciate the clarity and conviction it takes to lead early—and this book captures that well.”—Dr. Alaa Murabit, Libyan-Canadian physician, policy maker, and strategist

Olivia Zhang founded Cancer Kids First (CKF) in 2019 at age fourteen after losing two loved ones to cancer. As CEO, she’s grown CKF into the world’s largest youth-led nonprofit in its field, with 40,000+ volunteers across eighty countries. Zhang is a 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Impact honoree.