Customer Reviews

Fundraising When Money Is Tight: A Strategic and Practical Guide to Surviving Tough Times and Thriving in the Future (The Mal Warwick Fundraising Series)

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"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!

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.

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

This book is a must read for nonprofit executives and key Board members.

Mr. Warwick continues to educate, inform and provide leadership in the field.

Les Loysen, President

Consulting Services for Non-Profit Organizations

The title of this book pulled me in. But after a quick scan I was done with it. Good timing on behalf of the author, but same old advice.