Customer Reviews

Fundraising for Dummies

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In case you've been trapped on a desert island for the past several years, IDG books has been publishing "Dummies"-themed books on every subject under the sun and moon, from Windows 2000 to sex. Fundraising for Dummies is a typically informative, easy-to-read, and useful guide to fundraising for nonprofit organizations.

With 28 chapters in five parts and appendices of checklists and how-tos, the book has loads of information for novice and intermediate fundraisers alike. In fact, it's also a pretty good reference for board members and volunteers involved in fundraising activities.

There is a chapter devoted to predictions on the future of philanthropy in the U.S., with one-paragraph explanations of brief statements, such as "E-giving Will Grow." Most of these predictions are obvious to nonprofit-sector experts (and especially those of us who participate on CharityChannel!). However, I must admit to being intrigued by the idea that "Nonprofits Will Rule!", meaning that, as more for-profits become regional and national in scope, local nonprofits will assume increasing local community leadership influence.

As good as this volume is in its general approaches and many helpful tips and techniques, do not mistake this book for a thorough treatment of the subject or any of its components. I was alarmed by its breezy assertion that nonprofit board service

"...is not as risky as serving on a for-profit board. Nonprofit board members are protected personally from liability in any legal action against their charitable organization..."

Haven't the authors heard of the IRS and Intermediate Sanctions? And, since nonprofit corporations are state-chartered (like their for-profit brethren), wouldn't liability vary from state to state, as well as depending on the facts and circumstances of each case? I would imagine that the D&O liability insurers would like to address this before the second printing!

One benefit of this book I found is one which I'm not sure is intentional. Grant writing is given short coverage in the appropriately-numbered Chapter 13 of the book, thereby providing two subtle reminders that grants are but a minor part of fundraising success.

Any reader interested in the subject will learn much from this book, as long as they don't take its accounting and legal advice too literally.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1 -- Gearing Up to Raise Funds

Part 2 -- Getting to Know Your Donor

Part 3 -- Using Your Fundraising Tools

Part 4 -- On the (Fundraising) Campaign Trail

Part 5 -- The Part of Tens

Index

I am just starting my first job as a fund development director, and this book is a terrific step-by-step reference. I've been reading lots of stuff, and this is the best. The authors know fundraising on both sides--as fund raisers and funders. The book is readable,interesting and full of specifics, "case studies," and references (with helpful contact information--addresses, etc.). I would think even "old hands" in fundraising would learn a thing or two.I highly recommend it.

"Fundraising for Dummies" will not give you a Masters degree in Non-profit Management, but it does contain EXTREMELY valuable and assorted information all under one cover that used to take quite a bit of research and pavement pounding to track down. Save that pavement pounding and learn what types of fundraising are going to work the best for you, and how best to employ them. Like the title states, this book is geared for folks who may not have any previous experience with fundraising, or may need a refresher on old standbys and new avenues.

There are many avenues available to organizations now, and this book breaks each down for its strengths and weaknesses, as well as how to employ them, many of which many folks may not have even considered to be viable. Everything from bake sales to preparing for and writing grant proposals, as well as everything in the middle, can be found in the chapters of "Fundraising for Dummies".

Whether you are looking to buy new little league uniforms, set-up an online donation portal for a local community center, or are pursuing grants for a national level non-profit, this book can substantially help you understand where to start, how to evaluate which forms of fundraising will work best for you, what leg-work needs to be done before you can hit the ground running, how to gauge what aspects your team can handle and what aspects you may need to hire a prefessional to handle, fundraising ethics, and what follow-up you need to do AFTER the fundraising to keep donors "writing checks" for long term endeavors. The writing style is straight forward, accessible and quite enjoyable, without talking over/down-to the reader. A very worthwhile investment for the return-potential!

I have been in the fundraising world for several years, and found this book to very insightful - and helpful. I recommend it for board and staff members of non profits. The layout is great for referencing. I have already used the book in some very practical ways, getting rid of some old habits.

A great gift to new board memebers, and a desk reference for the professional.

I recently purchased Fundraising For Dummies. I and a friend are just beginning to look into fundraising. This book was an enormous help. It offered something we really needed-practical, down to earth advice on how to actually go about fundraising. This was great because many of the books I had read before were more about the philosophy behind fundraising or just a particular aspect of it.

I feel that anyone interested in fundraising would benefit from this book. As a novice in this field, I found it particularly helpful and will use it as a reference for quite some time.

This is a great book on fundraising because it doesn't intimidate you with terminology or complicated schemes. It presents the subject in very practical, bite-sized nuggets which, not only are extremely helpful and insightful, but has also actually succeeded in getting me excited about getting out there and doing the job!

All is good in this simplified examination of fund raising--certainly excellent for the novice. I do challenge, however, the single comment on page 180, that appeal letters should be "short and sweet." To get nominal response, this may be true, but for those wanting to impact donors on an emotional level, a comprehensive "case for support" (as displayed in well-written appeals), letters must be at least three pages, four being even better. Readership is not the point--it's response that counts and all research from longer letters prove that length is best. Please be careful about "Gimmicks" in appeal letters. Be honest, tell the story of one person, touch the heart of readers, and watch the funds pour in.

While I was skeptical to read yet another Dummies book, this one did a fairly good job at conveying the basics of fundraising. A good intro primer for small or mid-sized nonprofits; should be read alongside other recent titles. A fun read.

Katherine Murray's Fundraising for Dummies, 3rd Edition, addresses ways to utilize new approaches to fundraising in today's turbulent economy. As many in the nonprofit world know, giving patterns have shifted significantly in the last few years. Katherine addresses these changes along with ways to engage today's donors that will help put your cause on their map.

From utilizing presence technology like Twitter to other social media to create strong connections and a buzz for your cause, Katherine walks you through a variety of ways to effectively use social networking tools.

As for some of the basics, I found her easy-to-use process for crafting a compelling mission statement quite helpful: "Describe the issue you're addressing; explain your solution; (then) specifically describe your organization and show how it uniquely addresses the problem you opened with." More simply, she describes this process using a photographic approach:
* Big picture (problem)
* Zooming in (solution)
* Close up (the specific ways in which your organization addresses the problem)
If your organization provides a wide range of services like ours does, this process could also be utilized in your face-to-face asks to hone in on specific services that you may be looking for donors to support.

Be sure to read Katherine's "Ten Predictions About Fundraising" where she discusses the increased role that women will play in fundraising, the enhanced relationship between nonprofits and their attorneys general, and the greater commercialization of nonprofits.

For some reason, the term "fund raising" scares people in the same way as hearing "root canal". Being the director of a high-profile non-profit, fund raising is one of my most important roles. Fundraising for Dummies takes the fear out of this task and shows you how it is done. It is about building relationships, telling your story, engaging people with your passion. It is also written by two skilled authors whose knowledge and experience would be the envy of any Director of Development. This is the best, most clear, and easy to understand guide I have read. Buy it now! John Aleshire