On my fundraising shelf stood just two books and a binder: "Designs for Fundraising" by Harold Seymour © 1966; "The Raising of Money" by James Gregory Lord © 1987, and my collected monthly newsletters of tips from Taft. Not a lot to go on, but Seymour's classic helped me enormously, imparting such nuggets as, "At best, with few exceptions, people don't pay close or careful attention to anything."
OK, so listen up. Times have changed. Many, many books now beckon us, delivering the full spectrum of nonprofit knowledge. Yet all books are not equal. When Henry (Hank) Rosso gathered a number of esteemed colleagues together and put out Achieving Excellence in Fund Raising in 1991, it represented a milestone in fundraising education, based as it was on his many years of teaching through The Fund Raising School, which he founded right here in the San Francisco Bay Area. The School later became a program of The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, and it continues to provide superior, basic training in fund raising principle and practice throughout the country. All the years of teaching experience and the benefits of association with IU are now reflected in this expanded, caught-up-with-the-world second edition of the "Rosso" (RAH-so).
It was time. Consider that when Achieving Excellence debuted in 1991, the stock market stood at 2736, Giving USA estimated total philanthropic support at $105 billion, and the National Science Foundation had just lifted its ban on commercial use of the Internet. Today, as we reel and grapple, it is worth noting that the markets have more than tripled from 1991; philanthropic dollars have doubled; and the Internet is our bread and butter. The second edition adds several chapters in recognition of the changes and rounds out its predecessor. We read about the new order, how to build endowment, women as donors, trends in major donor giving (read with caution, as markets and donor experience have had some impact), diversity considerations, Internet strategies, special events fundraising, technology use, budgeting and accountability, stewardship, international perspectives, and fund raising as a profession. These are welcome additions.
Given the scope attempted by the book, I should point out that there are, in fact, a few areas not covered, including how to obtain government grants and contracts, and exhaustive instructions on how to write a grant proposal to a foundation. But if you heed what these authors have written, you will have no problem accomplishing either feat.
Most of the authors in this edition are new to the "Rosso," numbering 27 in all. The first edition lists 13 contributors. Hank wrote eight of the chapters of that book; he has two in this one. With Hank gone (1999), we are guided into Rosso II by the gentle, sure hands of Eugene Tempel, executive director of the IU Center on Philanthropy and Tim Seiler, current director of The Fund Raising School. Between them (with a chapter from Hank), they set the stage in Parts One (Context) and Two (Fundamentals).
The book proceeds logically and is easy to navigate or use as a quick reference. "Fundamentals" is followed by sections treating "building blocks" (e.g. annual fund, capital campaign), sources, methods (e.g. direct mail, special events), management (e.g. leadership, boards, information, budgeting, consultants), ethics, stewardship, and personal professional support. A thorough Glossary and Bibliography follow.
Our AFP chapter boasts several representatives here: Kim Klein reprises her excellent chapter on grassroots fund raising and Kay Grace on leadership; Mal Warwick writes the update on direct mail; Alan Wendroff supplies special events; and Skip Henderson updates us on the trustees' role.
The context is still Hank's, which means that ultimately, the book is not about the joy of soliciting but something higher. I'm sure he would be tickled if you inscribed your book as he wrote in so many of our first editions "I hope that you will enjoy the reading of this book. Let it help you to teach the joy of giving. Hank Rosso"
