Customer Reviews

Filthy Rich: How to Turn Your Nonprofit Fantasies into Cold, Hard Cash: 2nd Edition

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have shared this book with several organizations including both senior staff and board members ... all have found it very practical and energy-creating. The concepts are perhaps not new but Steckel puts together a simple, step by step process for people who have not been through it before. This makes it a little less overwhelming and a lot more doable. Of particular importance it the fact that a entrepreneurial venture must be embedded into your organization strategically and practically. So many business ventures become badly managed warts on the organization. Steckels approach helps prevent this from happening.

I wonder if the reviewers who panned the book: a) already run successful businesses making this book too basic or b) have a bitter taste in their mouths from failed ventures (maybe they should read the book again!)or c)wouldn't be caught dead sticking their necks out in a planned and deliberate way that Steckel prescribes.

All in all ... its worth the read. Don't let the title put you off. His point is "there is not dirty money and clean money there is only money."

Paula J. MacLean Edmonton Alberta Canada

Worth the read and certainly the modest price. For the rookie and intermediate non-profit manager and board.

Good for non-profit managers and board members who are not familiar with the subtleties and possibilities of income earning opportunities. Also, those with some knowledge and experience of having partnerships with businesses can validate what they are doing and get other ideas. The book has many vignettes to illustrate the authors' ideas and suggestions. Most of these are real life examples, not hypothetical. The title, however, can turn off people, sounds almost greedy and tacky. If one persists though, I think the authors give a more respectable twist to the phrase, "Filthy rich", somewhere in the introduction, and dont mean what it sounds. In contrast, the title of Steckel's other book, "Making Money While Making a Difference" is more appealing. Steckel has academic and consulting experience, so I would give credibility; however, the title makes you wonder if it is overstated. Read with caution but enthusiasm, which is perhaps what the authors really intended.

Upon checking for my review just now, I realized that I erroneously reviewed this second edition. I assumed that I was writing about the first edition only. I have NOT READ the second edition. So please remove my review from the panel of reviews for this second edition. I could not leave the rating item blank, so the rating of 1--has no relevance. I apologize for the inconvenience.

The title should have been a warning. The information given is a general summary of the usual semantics found in Marketing 101 and Management 101. I have never seen a book with nothing but generalizations (239 pages in large print - it could easily fit into half that size) and no useful material. Whatever you are looking for, you will not find in here.