ROI For Nonprofits: The New Key to Sustainability (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Explore the methods and processes to help nonprofits raise money in an environment that increasingly demands accountability, transparency, and results. The realities of today's economic environment have required that nonprofits, and those that raise money for them, make their case for support as strongly as possible. Warm and fuzzy appeals that tug at the heart strings have met with limited success. Assuming that funding targets intuitively know the value of the good work being done is unrealistic. The Key to Nonprofit Sustainability offers an abundance of pragmatic tips, tools, case studies, and techniques to make the process easy to understand and implement.

From the Inside Flap

ROI for Nonprofits: The New Key to Sustainability

"Nonprofits are not that different from for-profits." This statement alone can cause heated discussion, but the truth is, nonprofits face the same challenges as for-profits when it comes to raising money and keeping investors happy. When investors in nonprofits are shown that their money is making a difference and their investment is paying off, they are more likely to keep investing—making return on investment (ROI) a valuable method for nonprofits to demonstrate the value of their organization.

Written by Tom Ralser—a CFA uniquely qualified to apply ROI methodologies to the nonprofit sector—ROI for Nonprofits: The New Key to Sustainability details the methods and processes to help non-profits raise money in an environment that increasingly demands accountabi-lity, transparency, and results. Divided into two main sections, the first section of the book establishes the benefits and motivations for the investment-driven approach, while the second section demonstrates the range in which ROI can be put to use.

Filled with an abundance of case studies as well as pragmatic tips, tools, and methods used successfully by hundreds of nonprofits, this practical book covers topics including:

• Defining ROI

• The Leverage of Investors

• Learning from the For-profit World

• Moving to an Investment-based Mindset

• It's the Economy Stupid! Revisited

• Treating Investors as Investors

The prospective investor in a nonprofit wants to know "What was accomplished with my money?" ROI for Nonprofits: The New Key to Sustainability offers imme-diately useful concepts that accentuate, enhance, and augment solid fundraising and represents a major change in how to capitalize on the motivations of those who are likely to invest in your organization.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (November 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470168870
• ISBN-13: 978-0470168875
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #614,226 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ROI for Nonprofits is a Fundraising Must Read, April 15, 2008

By	frank w. bennett - See all my reviews

Tom Ralser offers an understanding of nonprofit fundraising that is critical for any nonprofit to truly achieve consistent fundraising success. With the number of nonprofits in needs of money and the limited number of potential 'investors', making an objective analytic argument for support will be critical to the success of all nonprofits. The days of simply making an emotional appeal to potential 'donors' is over, there are too many organizations vying for too few potential `investors' for this antiquated fundraising process to work effectively. To raise significant dollars, organizations must embrace 'the investor model' discussed in this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read for Nonprofit Community, March 31, 2008

By	Mark Bergethon - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Tom Ralser is well-known in the nonprofit world as the pioneer of incorporating an ROI approach to fundraising. As a nonprofit consultant who has been involved in dozens of fundraising campaigns, I can attest first hand to the power of this approach. When a nonprofit can effectively demonstrate its impact and value on the communities and constituencies it serves, prospective sources of funding will "invest" (rather than donate) vastly greater resources to that organization. There is intense competition for funding. The nonprofits that incorporate notions of measurability, accountability, and return-on-investment into their fundraising efforts have a huge leg up in that competition, especially when it comes to securing corporate, foundation, and government funding.

"ROI for Nonprofits" is an excellent tool for anyone in the nonprofit sector or anyone involved in fundraising. I'd venture to say that it's even a worthwhile read for anyone who makes charitable contributions or investments to nonprofit organizations of any kind. I've seen the principles espoused in this book in action and the results are clear. The ROI approach really is the key to enhanced nonprofit sustainability. And "ROI for Nonprofits" is the clearest and most complete treatment of the subject I've ever seen, written by the preeminent expert in the field.

Mark Bergethon
Sage Fundraising Solutions
[...]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good information, April 16, 2008

By	Toniann Richard "Toniann Richard" (Missouri) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great book that forces non-profit executives to take a serious look at sustainability of their organization. Tom backs his theories with proven techniques in small and large communities. He is excellent at assisting leadership to put a dollar amount on services offered by the organization. Encouraging his clients to view non-profit as a business rather than an emotional appeal is what sets ROI apart from other non-profit consultants. Get the book, good information.