Effective Fundraising for Nonprofits: Real-World Strategies That Work

This is an excellent textbook and reference book on fundraising for non-profits. I recently joined the board of a non-profit and knew nothing about fundraising, but this book got me up to speed very quickly. The author treats you like a reasonably intelligent person, in contrast to some other primers that are too cutesy, and she writes in plain English and avoids jargon. It's packed with information, web sites, references, real-world examples, and recommendations. And it's up-to-date. If you're working for or with a non-profit, you need this book.

Just as money is the life-blood of governments and private enterprise corporations, so it is essential to carrying out the mandates of non-profit organizations as well. Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded second edition, Effective Fundraising For Nonprofits: Real-World Strategies That Work" by Ilona Bray draws upon her years of experience and expertise serving a variety of nonprofit agencies in every managerial capacity from development director and staff attorney to department manager and advisory council member to create a 496-page compendium of superbly organized and presented information, jargon-free advice, case examples, and illustrative comments from more than forty experienced and successful fund raisers who work in the non-profit sector. An ideal guide, readers will learn how to work with individual donors, plan special fund raising events, successfully compete in the solicitation of grants from foundations and corporations, obtain and exploit media coverage, utilize the Internet as a fundraising tool, start side businesses to create additional revenue streams, develop effective print materials (brochures, newsletters, annual reports), and a great deal more. Of special note are the eleven appendices offering fundraising worksheets for everything from sample cost analysis to press release templates. "Effective Fundraising For Nonprofits" should be a core reference work and a part of every community library and non-profit agency collection, and is an especially recommended study for non-specialist general readers having a responsibility to raise funds for their particular non-profit group.

Highly recommend reading this book. It has great real-life examples and useful tips. Very easy to read and follow. I love how it allows you to be creative and realistic at the same time.

This is a great book for the small nonprofit that does not know much about fundraising. If it were for a more established nonprofit, then it would not have referred to major gifts as those starting at $500. I'm used to major gifts starting at $10,000 and going up well into the 6 figures. This book explains how to do the following: 1. Work with individual donors 2. Plan special events 3. Solicit grants from foundations and corporations 4. Get media coverage (publicity) 5. Use the Internet to help in the fundraising process 6. Create print marketing materials like brochures, newsletters, and annual reports All the above are important parts of a fundraising plan. One has to set goals, strategize how to attain the goals. Then attract individual donors and develop a rapport with those donors so they give more and more each year. Eventually those donors will become major donors, but that topic is best left for another book. The book includes a good list of Web sites for prospect research. But the appendix materials didn't seem to be up to par. All in all, this book provides grassroots strategies for struggling nonprofits. It is no-nonsense and well organized. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn the basics about nonprofit fundraising. Topics beyond the scope of this book are planned giving, major gifts, capital campaigns, and endowments. But if you read this book and understand it, then you will be ready to learn about the other topics just mentioned. 5 stars!

There are a tremendous number of non-profits around. There are also a tremendous number of funding organizations. Your job as the fundraising manager (whatever your exact job title may be) is to put your particular non-profit together with one or more funding organizations to raise the money you need. There is a basic set of fundraising skills and technologies that you can use to fund nearly any non-profit. Gone are the days (in most places) where you can put together some simply fund raising activity and gain enough money to get you through the year. Here in one simple book is an excellent summary of all of the most modern techniques. It includes: Developing a Plan that will include your goal, the assets you have to do fundraising, and a strategy to use these assets in the most profitable manner. Attracting Individual Supporters, which means making your organization look wupport-worthy, understanding your supporters and attracting new ones. Your best supporters are those that have given you money before. Here are the techniques to keep them giving. These techniques and many more are discused here by an expert in the field. It should be required reading for anyone responsible for fund-raising in a worthy organization.