The Zen of Fundraising: 89 Timeless Ideas to Strengthen and Develop Your Donor Relationships [Paperback]

Ken Burnett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2006

If all that has ever been said and written about the art and science of fundraising could be distilled down to just what really matters—what fundraisers everywhere need to know—there would be only a small number of true gems deserving of the description, “nuggets of information.”

Leading international fundraiser Ken Burnett, author of the classic Relationship Fundraising, has identified and defined 89 such nuggets which he presents here as The Zen of Fundraising, a fun read, one-of-a-kind look into what makes donors tick and–more importantly–what makes them give.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ken Burnett knows what donors want and how fundraisers can provide it. The Zen of Fundraising illustrates simple yet hard-earned lessons through which fundraisers can engage their donors as real partners, raising more money than ever. But to succeed, fundraisers need to aspire to greater levels of communication and donor engagement. This book shows us how"
—Chuck Longfield, founder and CEO, Target Software Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts

"The refreshingly brief principles provide inspiration and learning to anyone striving for exceptional fundraising practice."
—Nicci Dent, director of fundraising, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders, Sydney, Australia

"A gentle blend of humour, personal experiences and practical examples (but underpinned by pure steel), this book makes the most compelling case yet for thinking seriously about donor relationships."
—Adrian Sargeant, professor of nonprofit marketing and fundraising, Bristol Business School, UK, Adjunct Professor of Philanthropy, Indiana University Center on Philanthropy

From the Back Cover

If all that has ever been said and written about the art and science of fundraising could be distilled down to just what really matters—what fundraisers everywhere need to know—there would be only a small number of true gems deserving of the description "nuggets of information."

Leading international fundraiser Ken Burnett, author of the classic Relationship Fundraising, has identified and defined 89 such nuggets that he presents here as The Zen of Fundraising—a fun-to-read, one-of-a-kind look into what makes donors tick and, more importantly, what makes them give.

"Ken Burnett knows what donors want and how fundraisers can provide it. The Zen of Fundraising illustrates simple yet hard-earned lessons through which fundraisers can engage their donors as real partners, raising more money than ever. But to succeed, fundraisers need to aspire to greater levels of communication and donor engagement. This book shows us how."
–Chuck Longfield, founder and CEO, Target Software Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts

"The refreshingly brief principles provide inspiration and learning to anyone striving for exceptional fundraising practice."
–Nicci Dent, director of fundraising, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders, Sydney, Australia

"A gentle blend of humour, personal experiences and practical examples (but underpinned by pure steel), this book makes the most compelling case yet for thinking seriously about donor relationships."
–Adrian Sargeant, professor of nonprofit marketing and fundraising, Bristol Business School, UK, and adjunct professor of philanthropy, Indiana University Center on Philanthropy

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (April 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787983144
• ISBN-13: 978-0787983147
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ken Burnett is an author, lecturer and consultant on fundraising, marketing and communications for nonprofit organizations worldwide. He works closely with UK communications and marketing group Cascaid and the Australian agency Pareto Fundraising. He is a founding board member and former chairman of ActionAid International and is a trustee of BookAid International. A former vice chair of The UK's Institute of Fundraising and trustee of the International Fund Raising Group (now The Resource Alliance), Ken is a Fellow of the UK Institute of Fundraising and an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing in the UK. Among other books he is author of the worldwide best seller Relationship Fundraising, its sequel Friends for Life: relationship fundraising in practice and How to Produce Inspiring Annual Reports. Two new books by Ken have just been published, Tiny Essentials of an Effective Volunteer Board, (http://www.whitelionpress.com ) and The Zen of Fundraising (http://www.josseybass.com) Ken frequently contributes articles for The Guardian Unlimited/Society Guardian website (http://society.guardian.co.uk)and he is a regular contributor to the US journal Contributions (www.contributionsmagazine.com).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Speaking as a professional..., June 15, 2006

By 

J. Swinhoe "Jo" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Zen of Fundraising: 89 Timeless Ideas to Strengthen and Develop Your Donor Relationships (Paperback)

This book is a snap shot of everything that works in donor relationships - and some good advice about things that don't. It's about building a relationship that really means something to the donor as well as the charity they are donating to. And it's also about being proud to be a fundraiser - stand up and be counted!!

Through a writing style, which stays light right to the last few pages, Ken manages to capture the essence of a lot of jargonese which penetrates the fundraising world. This is a simple book - but not for simple minds. If you like the snap shot style of American quick fixes then this is a great introduction to relationship fundraising and a whole lot more. At the end Ken makes some personal points and a bit of a plea for better customer service - well made and if only half the advice in this little book is put into practice, there would definitely be a shift.

Just try one simple thing which Ken outlines - I would suggest a fundraiser working on their own would really benefit from number 17. Really understand your donors - no amount of consultancy and research by other people can ever replace that one!

If you are new to fundraising, then take advice from number 71 - Be proud to be a fundraiser - and number 76 - `Be respectful of your donors, and show that respect even when they're not present' - and lastly number 78, which gives the ultimate in reading lists for fundraisers, both old and new.

The fact that Ken points us in the direction of best practice from a great variety of sources - big household names from Britain such as the RNLI but also from across the globe. Reading this on the tube was ideal, it is possible to dip in and out and I enjoyed creating my own `fundraising menu'. Recommended is a number 78, 72, 48, 22 and 17. Oh and definitely 87, the outlawing of killer phrases such as `'That won't work' and `There isn't time'. But then again...

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Points, but Where's the Zen?, August 31, 2007

By 

Mary Essary "MKE" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Zen of Fundraising: 89 Timeless Ideas to Strengthen and Develop Your Donor Relationships (Paperback)

I was hoping that this book would provide an overview of working smarter, not harder -- for example focus on understanding your own message in order to be more effective. Instead, it is a "to do" list (which the title states)that only the largest and best established organizations would have time/resources/or history to do. I'm a start-up, and for me, I can only hope to get to the point where most of the ideas in this book are useful -- or even possible.

It's good in that the underlying theme is: It's the customer, stupid. But that is something that all good salespeople/strategic marketing know: take care of your own customers first, keep communication channels open, listen more than you talk, find out why they do business with you. etc.

So: my biggest problem is the title: It should be: Maintaing Funding for Charitable Organizations: A checklist for focusing on your donor relationships. If you are in that situation you should probably read this book. But don't look for the zen.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most of what you need to know to raise funds, July 10, 2008

By 

J. Lewis (Lake Oswego, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Zen of Fundraising: 89 Timeless Ideas to Strengthen and Develop Your Donor Relationships (Paperback)

Ken Burnett has been a friend since I was given the privilege of introducing him at the PBS Development Conference years ago. He wrote the book on donor relationships --Relationship Fundraising: A Donor Based Approach to the Business of Raising Money and here he's written the book on gift stewardship.

With all due respect to my many other published friends in the fundraising arena, if you have this book, Jim Greenfield's Fundraising Fundamentals: A Guide to Annual Giving for Professionals and Volunteers, and Kay Sprinkel Grace's Beyond Fundraising: New Strategies for Nonprofit Innovation and Investment, 2nd Edition, there's not much more you need to know.

Ken's book is an easy, breeze read--the whole message is delivered in less than 160 pages. But there's a depth of wisdom and experience here that belies the size. A great handbook from a terrific fundraiser.