Fundraising When Money Is Tight: A Strategic and Practical Guide to Surviving Tough Times and Thriving in the Future [Paperback]

Mal Warwick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 2009

A Nonprofit Survival Kit for Hard Times

"This is a must-read for all of us in fundraising. Mal Warwick includes practical approaches for difficult economic times, from zero-based thinking about our programs to strategies for relating to our donors and making certain our fundraising programs are prepared to succeed not only now but when the economy recovers."
—Eugene R. Tempel, president, Indiana University Foundation

"Brilliant! No nonprofit organization can afford to ignore the insightful advice Mal Warwick offers in this concise and eminently readable book. It's practical, down-to-earth, and addresses the complex, real-world challenges of raising money in tough times."
—Ben Jealous, president, NAACP

"Fundraising When Money Is Tight is an important book in a difficult time for all. This is the right book for anyone who is committed to advancing the public good."
—Jane Wales, founder, Global Philanthropy Forum, and vice president, Aspen Institute

"This is a must-read book by any fundraising manager. It's timely, it's a good read, and the moment I put it down I made sure my managers got focused, got real, and got with the project today."
—Mark Astarita, director of fundraising, British Red Cross

"Mal Warwick will leave you with a focusing framework and dozens of practical, immediately actionable how-tos. It is hard to imagine anyone in the citizen sector who will not breathe easier after reading this book."
—Bill Drayton, CEO, Ashoka, and chair, Youth Venture

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A must-read for all of us who work in fundraising. The book details practical ideas to survive in difficult times, and prepares our organizations for better times to come. It offers fresh new strategies to position our organization and continue fundraising successfully, even when the economy is in the trenches. Fundraising When Money Is Tight is an instrumental and currently very relevant tool for every nonprofit organization. Read it today!"
—Association of Fundraising Professionals, September 2009

As a practitioner, Mal Warwick has spent a lifetime learning and teaching how to fundraise more effectively. His latest book is another in a series of gems laser-focused to help us succeed—and his experience shines through again in this must-have guide for today’s economic climate.
—Dr. Mark S. Albion, former Professor of Marketing, Harvard Business School, and New York Times best-selling author, Making a Life, Making a Living

Fundraising When Money is Tight is the book every fundraising professional needs to read immediately. It’s to the point, filled with both “the hard facts” and “realistic steps” that development shops, large and small, must understand and implement now, rather than later.
—Judith E. Nichols, author, Pinpointing Affluence in the 21^st Century

Mal Warwick doesn’t sell quick fixes and silver bullets—even in times of trouble. He offers specific, practical steps to cut costs and improve fundraising performance. He demands the best: donor-focused relationship building, strategic thinking, top-notch strategy, and competence. And he rewards us with both the “why” and the “how.”
—Simone P. Joyaux, ACFRE, author, Keep Your Donors and
Strategic Fund Development

In Fundraising When Money is Tight, Mal Warwick provides solid strategic and tactical insights of how best to lead our organizations during times of uncertainty. I found this book to be not only a quick, interesting read, but also an important guide for making critical decisions today and tomorrow.
—Kory Christianson, CFRE, St. Joseph's Indian School

Take Mal’s “exercise in visioning,” and use as many as you can of Mal Warwick’s dozens of cost-cutting ideas—all to enhance your net revenue today and increase your program’s potential for the future.
—James M. Greenfield, ACFRE, FAHP, author, Fundraising Fundamentals: A Guide to Annual Giving for Professionals and Volunteers

"Mal Warwick shares some simple yet sometimes counter-intuitive steps… that you can take to ensure that your organization will suffer the least possible damage in a down economy"
(www.gettingattention.org, May 19^th, 2009)

"Mal Warwick shares some simple yet sometimes counter-intuitive steps… that you can take to ensure that your organization [emerges] healthy and poised for renewed growth when the economic crisis has passed"
—Nancy E. Schwartz, www.gettingattention.org, May 19^th, 2009)

"…there is loads of good advice for fundraising during these times which also translate into when times are good"
—Sean Triner, Fundraising Recession Watch, March 15, 2009

"Add Mal’s survival guide to your first aid kit."
(The Agitator, March 26, 2009)

"Mal Warwick has just written a book…on specific things you can do to minimize your costs and ensure that your organization is in a position to resume growth when the crisis passes (and it will!)"
—Suzanne Rainey, Influence, March 31, 2009

"…this book packs SO MUCH in so little space that, if you haven't taken pages of notes or if you have marked less than 10 pages to revisit again, I can guarantee you missed on lots of things"
—Manny Hernandez, blogcritics.org, April 8, 2009

"…Fundraising When Money is Tight is a practical guide to help social ventures tackle the challenges of raising funds in difficult economic times." (Social Edge, April 2009)

"Find out why you should make changes in your fundraising program during an economic downturn." (Causeplanet.org)

"Discover three scenarios for economic recovery and how to apply three possible fundraising strategies to those scenarios." (Causeplanet.org)

"Learn how to strengthen your case for giving during tough economic times."  (Causeplanet.org)

"Find out what the nine practical steps towards peace of mind are and how to apply them during an economic crisis." (Causeplanet.org)

About the Author

The Author: Mal Warwick has been raising money professionally since 1979. He has written or edited 18 previous books including How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters, The Five Strategies for Fundraising Success, and Fundraising on the Internet. He teaches fundraising throughout the world. Find more information on Mal and his books at www.malwarwick.com and www.josseybass.com/go/warwick.

Mal Warwick has been raising money professionally since 1979. He has written or edited 18 previous books including How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters, The Five Strategies for Fundraising Success, and Fundraising on the Internet. He teaches fundraising throughout the world. Find more information on Mal and his books at www.malwarwick.com and www.josseybass.com/go/warwick.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (March 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470481323
• ISBN-13: 978-0470481325
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.8 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mal Warwick is a writer, social entrepreneur, impact investor, and consultant who is best known for his many books on fundraising for nonprofit organizations and for his involvement in the movement for socially responsible business. He is currently collaborating with Dr. Paul Polak (author of Out of Poverty) on The Business Solution to Poverty, which will be published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers in July 2013.

In 2010, Mal helped launch the One World Futbol Project, a social enterprise established in Berkeley, California. He is one of four partners in the business. One World Futbol manufactures and distributes a revolutionary new soccer ball that is virtually indestructible. The One World Futbol was designed to withstand the harsh conditions prevalent in refugee camps, war zones, and impoverished inner-city neighborhoods and rural villages -- and to sustain the spirit of play among children and young people to whom play is often denied.

The One World Futbol responds to two widespread problems: the vulnerability of standard soccer balls, which are often destroyed within days or even hours in rough terrain, and the environmental impact of the millions of discarded soccer balls that end up on trash heaps or landfills (an estimated 20 million annually in Africa alone).

Previously, Mal distinguished himself through his contributions to the nonprofit sector as one of the world's leading authors, consultants, and public speakers on direct response marketing and fundraising for nonprofit organizations and as an advocate for socially and environmentally responsible policies and practices in the private sector.

He is the author of Fundraising When Money is Tight: A Strategic and Practical Guide for Surviving Tough Times and Thriving in the Future, which was released in March 2009 by Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Mal has written or edited a total of nineteen books, including the standard fundraising texts, Revolution in the Mailbox and How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters, both of which are now in second editions. His two books on fundraising strategy--The Five Strategies for Fundraising Success and (with Steve Hitchcock) Ten Steps to Fundraising Success--are in use throughout the world as strategic planning guides for nongovernmental organizations.

Mal is the founder and chairman of Mal Warwick | Donordigital (Berkeley, CA, and Washington, DC), a fundraising agency specializing in fundraising and marketing via mail and online. The company has served nonprofit organizations since 1979.

A serial entrepreneur, Mal has been active in promoting social and environmental responsibility in the business community nationwide for two decades. He is the co-author of Values-Driven Business: How to Change the World, Make Money, and Have Fun (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2006) with Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's. Along with Cohen and others, he was a co-founder of Business for Social Responsibility in 1992 and served on its board during its inaugural year. In 2001, after more than a decade as an active member of Social Venture Network, he was elected to its board and served as Chair (2002-2006). He also was a member of the Founding Advisory Board of the Center for Responsible Business at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2002-3.

Until February 2011, Mal edited the free monthly electronic newsletter, Mal Warwick's Newsletter: Successful Direct Mail, Telephone & Online Fundraising™, which had more than 10,000 subscribers in 69 countries. During his fundraising career, he was widely in demand as speaker and workshop leader throughout the world. Mal taught fundraising on six continents to nonprofit executives from more than 100 countries. He spoke annually for extended periods at the International Fundraising Congress (The Netherlands), the International Workshop on Resource Mobilisation (Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, and India), the Hemispheric Congress on Fundraising (Mexico), and the Association of Fundraising Professionals' International Conference on Fundraising (U.S.).

Among the hundreds of nonprofits Mal and his colleagues served over the years are many of the nation's largest and most distinguished charities as well as six Democratic Presidential candidates and scores of small, local, and regional organizations. Collectively, Mal and his associates were responsible for raising at least half a billion dollars--largely in the form of small gifts from individuals.

Mal played a leadership role in the fundraising and direct marketing fields both nationally and internationally. In 2009 and 2010, he co-founded and chaired the International Fundraising Congress Online, the world's first virtual fundraising conference, involving more than 400 sites in 42 countries, and he served as chair of its successor, Fundraising Online 2011. Previously, in 2007-8, he served as Chair of that event's sponsor, the international Resource Alliance (London, UK). The Resource Alliance is the organizer of the annual International Fundraising Congress in The Netherlands and a leading force globally in developing the fundraising capacity of nongovernmental organizations to build civil society. Having helped establish one of its two predecessor organizations in the early 1980s, he was also an active member of the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation (Washington, D.C.). He also served for ten years on the board of the Association of Direct Response Fundraising Counsel (Washington, D.C.), two of those years as President.

In 2004, Mal received the Hank Rosso Award as Outstanding Fundraising Executive from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Golden Gate Chapter and Northern California Grantmakers. In 2009, he was granted the Max L. Hart Nonprofit Leadership Award by the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation, in recognition of his lifetime contributions to direct marketing.

Mal chairs the board of Great Nonprofits (San Francisco, CA), which is partnering with major institutions to bring the voice of donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries to the forefront in evaluating the impact of nonprofit organizations. He is also a member of the advisory boards of several companies, including Mission Research (Lancaster, PA) and GoldMail Inc. (San Francisco, CA).

Mal was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador for more than three years in the 1960s. Since 1969 he has lived in Berkeley, California, where he is deeply involved in local community affairs. Early in the 1990s, he co-founded the Community Bank of the Bay, the nation's fifth community development bank, and the Berkeley Community Fund, where he served on the board (with one year as its president) until 2006. He also served for 11 years as Vice-President of the Board of the Berkeley Symphony (1991-2002).

In 2006, Mal was awarded the Benajmin Ide Wheeler Medal by the Berkeley Community Fund as "Berkeley's most useful citizen" in recognition of his lifetime contributions to the community. Mal joined environmental leader David Brower, celebrated chef and restaurateur Alice Waters, renowned orchestra conductor Kent Nagano, and other notable Berkeleyans as a recipient of the award.

He is the grandfather of Dayna, Iain, Matthew, Gwen, Andrew, Kaleb, and Benjamin.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Timely and highly relevant! A must-read for all nonprofits in times of crisis April 7, 2009

By Manny Hernandez HALL OF FAME

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

"Relevant" and "timely" fall short as terms to describe Mal Warwick's latest book. After going through a brief analysis of what history has taught us in terms of philanthropy in times of crisis and putting forward three scenarios for economic recovery, Mr. Warwick presents three possible fundraising strategies to take us through the period of economic recovery.

He then embarks on a detailed nine-step approach to what he calls "peace of mind":
* Step 1: Reassess the Whole Ball of Wax - to make sure your organization is around long enough to make a lasting impact, he proposes efficient management practices, something that is good even in times of abundance.
* Step 2: Strengthen your Case for Giving - donors don't care about you as much as they care about the issues you work on. Focus on those.
* Step 3: Be Content with One in the Hand -Forget the Two That May Be in the Bush - he questions the importance of creativity in tough times.
* Step 4: Cut Costs with a Scalpel, Not an Ax - he shares sixteen cost-cutting recommendations that impact the whole organization and fourteen more focused on cutting costs in print production. Here, I found his invitation to draw the line between major and small donors @ $1,000 very interesting.
* Step 5: Fish Where the Big Fish Are - this chapter deals with donor segmentation in as much detail as you need to "get" the idea and why it's important for you to do.
* Step 6: Stay Close to Your Donors - say thanks! And then, say thanks again!
* Step 7: Get Personal With Your Donors - collect and use data about your donors as a means to appeal directly to their cherised values and beliefs.
* Step 8: Step Up Your Efforts Online - lots of things you need to do to maximize your fundraising efforts by developing a comprehensive online strategy.
* Step 9: Break Down the Silos - a phenomenon that not only affects nonprofits but can hurt them badly, silos are discussed in this chapter.

In short, this book packs SO MUCH in so little space that, if you haven't taken pages of notes or if you have marked less than 10 pages to revisit again, I can guarantee you missed on lots of things: go back and read it cover to cover. You will thank me for it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Back to best basics, at last April 29, 2009

By Thomas Ahern VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Don't panic. Calmly, capably (as only a totally immersed 30 year veteran and thought-leader can be), Mal Warwick examines the downturn and its impact on charitable giving in the past (the single best analysis I've encountered), then explains what reasonable and determined nonprofits can do to counter the ill effects.

Mal explains what to do, why to do it, when to do it, and how. With the agility of a gymnast, he moves the reader through the inner workings of the Boston Matrix (which helps you decide which fundraising activities to cut and which to save) ... to a fine, fast discussion of direct mail "creativity" and its down side ... to segmentation ... to stepping up your efforts online. I'd call this a back to basics book, but I think that's misleading. I think this is more a "back to the basics you might have been doing all along but probably weren't, with a ton of new research and insights added." Empowering. Entertaining. Reassuring. Serious (i.e., not for the weak). It joins a line of essential books by Mal Warwick that have enlightened (and, now maybe, helped save) countless nonprofits.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fundraising Today.... and tomorrow April 10, 2009

By Morrie Warshawski

Format:Paperback

There's a reason why Mal Warwick is my fundraising hero - his advice is not only timely, but also timeless. FUNDRAISING WHEN MONEY IS TIGHT is not only a great introduction to the vagaries of fundraising in a down economy, it is also a primer on how to think through and plan your development efforts in a strategic manner so that you can maximize your efforts in any economy.
Readers will appreciate Warwick's contextualizing this Big Dip with a historical look at past recessions and the lessons that can be drawn from them. He has a particularly interesting section on the benefits of Scenario Planning - which has been used extensiveldy in the corporate world and has many benefits for nonprofits in these hard times. And, he holds our hand through a logic-model process of understanding what strategies are going to work best for us when we look into a future that can't be accurately predicted.
Then he's kind enough to hone in on a number of practical suggestions for achieving success and having a healthy development program. I'm buying an extra copy to give to the Development Director at my wife's nonprofit asap! And, I recommend you do the same.
Morrie Warshawski
www.warshawski.com
Author of THE FUNDRAISING HOUSEPARTY: HOW TO PARTY WITH A PURPOSE AND RAISE MONEY FOR YOUR CAUSE - 2nd Edition