The Money-Raising Nonprofit Brand: Motivating Donors to Give, Give Happily, and Keep on Giving

Appendix BSuggested Reading for Fundraisers

There are many excellent books that can help you be a better fundraiser. I urge you to read as many of them as possible. I'm including this extremely short reading list because I believe these books can have quick and specific payoff. For each book I've included here, there are several more that belong, even on a short list. But this is a start.

• Making Money from Donor Newsletters by Tom Ahern (Emerson & Church, 2013): This is a hands-on resource that will guide you to the best practices for producing a newsletter that does a dual job of improving donor retention by reporting to donors what their gifts accomplish while raising funds by asking effectively. This book is a must for any organization that wants to produce a donor newsletter.
• Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace by Gordon MacKenzie (Viking, 1998): This is not a fundraising book. But it's easily the best “business” book I've ever read. It's about the awkward reality: We all work within organizations, and organizations by their nature stifle creativity and innovation, even though they desperately need those things. This book shows you how to deal with these realities successfully—how to be useful to and valued by the organization while not being “dragged under” by the unavoidable forces that exist within all organizations.
• Asking: A 59-Minute Guide to Everything Board Members, Volunteers, and Staff Must Know to Secure the Gift by ...