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50 Asks in 50 Weeks: A Guide to Better Fundraising for Your Small Development Shop Paperback – March 26, 2013

by Amy M. Eisenstein (Author)

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50 Asks in 50 Weeks: A Guide to Better Fundraising for Your Small Development Shop
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Are you raising money for a nonprofit organization with a small development office or no paid fundraising staff? Do you want to raise more money? Are you stuck in a rut with your fundraising program? Do you want to feel motivated and re-energized about fundraising? Do you need an action plan?

50 Asks in 50 Weeks will help you:

Raise more money;
Create a basic development plan; Identify new prospects;
Ask for gifts more frequently;
Review the basics of fundraising;
Work with your board on fundraising;
Hire your first development staff member; and
Work as a cohesive development team with your executive director, development staff members, and board members.

About the Author

Amy M. Eisenstein, MPA, CFRE, is the principal and owner of Tri Point Fundraising, a full-service consulting firm for nonprofit organizations and foundations. Her firm serves a wide variety of social service, educational and healthcare organizations.

Before creating Tri Point Fundraising, Amy served for more than 10 years in the nonprofit sector as a director of development for large and small nonprofit organizations. These include the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, the Associate Alumnae of Douglass College at Rutgers University, and Shelter Our Sisters, a battered-women’s shelter. For these organizations she raised millions of dollars through event planning, grant writing, capital campaigns, direct mail as well as major and planned gift solicitations.

Amy is a frequent speaker at conferences and a facilitator of board retreats. She currently serves on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals – New Jersey Chapter and is chair of the 2010 New Jersey Conference on Philanthropy. She received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from the Wagner Graduate School at New York University and her Bachelor’s Degree from Douglass College at Rutgers University.

Print length

156 pages
Language

English
Publisher

CharityChannel Press
Publication date

March 26, 2013
Dimensions

6 x 0.36 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0984158022
ISBN-13

978-0984158027
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CharityChannel Press; 1st edition (March 26, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 156 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0984158022
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0984158027
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.36 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,144,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #373 in Non-Governmental Organization Policy
- #967 in Philanthropy & Charity (Books)
- #1,600 in Nonprofit Organizations & Charities (Books)

Customer Reviews:
16 ratings

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5 star		64%
4 star		14%
3 star		22%
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1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Kay

At the top of my list - this book is essential!

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2013

Verified Purchase

I have several other fundraising books, but they just gather dust. Amy's style of writing makes it easy to grasp the information. She explains things clearly and concisely, and offers plenty of tools to translate that information into action. The worksheets in the book are extremely useful. Take the time to go through the steps she outlines to know who your donors are and who they could be.

For us, grant-seeking was new territory. Amy breaks the process down into a simple grading process and offers guidance on how much to tackle at once. The result is a solid plan and peace of mind - and success!

We are much more purposeful in all aspects of our fundraising after following Amy's advice. Everything from our methods of communications, to pursuing grants, to our budgeting process has improved. We got in 42 asks last year using what we learned from this book, and saw an increase of 50% over the previous year!

I highly recommend both "50 Asks in 50 Weeks" and "Raising More with Less" Raising More with Less: An Essential Fundraising Guide for Nonprofit Professionals and Board Members to anyone involved in a non-profit, whether you're an Executive Director like myself, or a board member.

2 people found this helpful

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Alder

Little New Here

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2013

Verified Purchase

While Ms. Eisenstein offers little that is new, either from original or secondary research, she does offer a compact summary of generally accepted fundraising principles.

The book is most valuable to those new to fundraising. Even those with experience will find her charts motivating, although many fund-raisers use similar methods.

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Frank

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2015

Verified Purchase

A great book if you are involved with a nonprofit

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Steven Van Der Heide

Good for beginners

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

Very basic book in content, may be helpful for brand new fundraisers, those with experience should look elsewhere.

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Pam Grogan

Great Fundraising Resource

Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book is a great resource for new fundraisers as well as experienced fundraisers like myself who simply wish to refresh and update their current knowledge and education in the field.

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Jonathan Jones

Worthwhile purchase

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2014

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This book is a great tool in providing a strong framework for best practices in the field of development

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JG Rattler

The Only Fundraising Book You Will Ever Need

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2012

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This book covers everything you need to know about fundraising. I have read many fundraising books over the years and this is one of the few books that I will read over and over again.

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Sergio

A Superb Fundraising Guide for Small to Mid-Size Nonprofits in Start-Up or Transition

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2011

This review was first published on the For GrantWriters Only learning blog at [..]

In my consulting practice I specialize in working with nonprofit organizations and other service-based entrepreneurs that are in a start-up or transitional stage of growth. I'm happy to say that there is now a book that can help each and every one of them, and I always recommend it.

50 Asks in 50 Weeks: A Guide to Better Fundraising for Your Small Development Shop by Amy Eisenstein, Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) is a breath of fresh air when it comes to books on fundraising. A quick and easy read for those who are already overwhelmed with how much they need to learn in order to operate and grow a business, it lays out a simple plan for incorporating "Asks" into the everyday, and by doing so, both strengthening relationships and increasing support dollars flowing into the organization.

The Language of Fundraising

Amy clearly lays out the language of fundraising and addresses common challenges in its implementation - from helping board members understand their role in the process to clarifying the process itself. For example, did you know that the solicitation (or "ask" part of the process - the one most people are hesitant to engage in) represents only 5% of the process? The most time-intensive part of the process (and, not coincidentally, the more fun part) lies in cultivation (50%) and stewardship (35%) ... or, in other words, in developing and maintaining good relationships with people who are passionate about our cause. The remaining 10% of the process, which is often the most research-intensive part of the process, is identification.

Amy also address some common misperceptions about fundraising that new organizations have. For example, she says,

"The old saying `quality not quantity' rings true in the fundraising context. It is more important to make smart, informed asks than to make a certain numbers of asks each year. So although increasing the overall number of asks your organization is making is crucial, it is not enough. Prospective donors, whether foundations, corporations or individuals, must be carefully researched, cultivated, solicited, and stewarded. If you ask one hundred times per year, but do not receive any gifts, then frequency becomes irrelevant."

An Easy-to-Implement Development Plan

In 50 Asks in 50 Weeks: A Guide to Better Fundraising for Your Small Development Shop, Ms. Eisenstein addresses the following major areas of fundraising as part of a total development plan: board giving, bulk solicitation via direct mail, email and social media, individual giving, grant writing, and events. She provides easy-to-implement tips on getting started with each type of development program, and at the end, helps you understand how they all build up to 50 asks in one year (about 1 ask per week). Very doable!

Leadership for Organizational Growth

Near the end of 50 Asks in 50 Weeks: A Guide to Better Fundraising for Your Small Development Shop, Ms. Eisenstein provides Executive Directors with guidance on key management topics such as when and how to hire your first development director (and understanding how the E.D.'s role in fundraising will change after you do), creating a fundraising culture within the organization (and the board), and setting reasonable team goals for development.

I absolutely love Amy's Board Expectation Form and think everyone should use it. Completed annually and used as a tool for measuring board performance, it sets forth each board member's 1) financial commitment (via a direct pledge or pledge of participation by his company) and 2) leadership commitment as part of at least one committee. It also requires an acknowledgement by the board member that meeting attendance is a requirement for Board membership. The Board Expectation form, along with a comprehensive Board Orientation Packet, provides clear indicators for performance.

Setting the Right Expectations

If you're new to fundraising keep this in mind ... according to Amy, executive directors often have "unrealistic expectations for what development staff can accomplish, especially with the tools and resources that they are given. A new development staff member will raise money in the first year, but it is not likely to (cover the individual's salary via) unrestricted dollars." Often money raised in the first year through grants is more than the individual's salary, but as restricted program dollars, it cannot be spent on staff salary. So be prepared to cover the development staff's salary with unrestricted dollars from other sources, and set other more realistic expectations, like ...

1) Put a plan in place to achieve 100% board participation in fundraising.
2) Research and apply for eight to ten new grants. Establish relationships with foundation staff members.
3) Plan two parties for prospective donors at the homes of board members.
4) Identify ten individual prospects and create cultivation plans for each. Schedule meetings with them to meet board members and the E.D.

Then measure success and build upon the progress you've made.

In Conclusion

50 Asks in 50 Weeks: A Guide to Better Fundraising for Your Small Development Shop is sure to stay in my permanent business library, and it should be a part of yours, too. Simple changes can lead to big results. I give this book - and its author - my highest recommendation.

P.S. If you ever get a chance to hear Amy speak at a Grant Professionals Association (GPA) or Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) event, be sure to do so. She is both down-to-earth and engaging. I consider it a privilege to have met her at local GPA events here in New Jersey.

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