Strategic Fund Development: Building Profitable Relationships That Last, Third Edition

Creating the Most Effective Fund Development Program

Lots to know. More to learn from ongoing research. Things like donor centrism and donor-centered communications, solicitation strategies, gift management, prospect research, ethics, and lots more. All those domains of fundraising practice listed in Exhibit 4.1, from CFRE International.

For a comprehensive overview of fundraising, get your own copy of Fundraising Principles and Practice by Sargeant, Shang, and Associates (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010). This textbook synthesizes best practice and academic research. The book includes dozens of real-life examples and dozens and dozens of figures and tables documenting research and providing essential information to support our work. You’ll want this in your library immediately. Even the most experienced fundraisers will learn from this book.

And that’s not all. Check out the excellent work of leading practitioners in the field of fund development. I’m looking at the authors on my bookshelf—people like Mal Warwick, Kay Sprinkel Grace, Ted Hart, Jim Greenfield, Ken Burnett, Kim Klein, Laura Fredricks, Tom Ahern, and more. Check the CFRE International booklist. Check the AFP International bookstore.

Still, there’s more. Don’t just read fundraising materials. I make that point throughout this book. Read about organizational development to help you build the best fund development program. Read the great books on communications and business management. Read about society and its changes. ...