June 14, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
NEW BOOKS
Fired-Up Fundraising: Turn Board Passion Into Action
by Gail Perry
The idea of fund raising can scare off board members who see it as merely begging for money, but nonprofit employees can show them that “fund raising is a much more complex process than just asking,” writes Gail Perry, a nonprofit consultant.
“We need our talented and highly able board members to work with us on all aspects of fund raising — opening doors, cultivating prospects, and thanking donors,” she adds.
Eventually, trustees may discover a part of the process of raising money that they find “satisfying and fulfilling.”
Ms. Perry describes the five most common mistakes that nonprofit leaders make when trying to engage their boards in raising money, including asking members to make cold calls, which have a very low rate of success. Instead, she advises, charities should “preserve (trustees’) fragile self-esteem and protect them from negative responses, if you want their continued help.”
Board members can help with fund-raising efforts by cultivating or identifying potential donors, learning a 30-second “elevator speech” that conveys the importance of the organization, and making thank-you contact with donors.
“Our work is too important for us to operate according to rote habit and traditional structures,” Ms. Perry concludes. “We have to create nimble, engaged, passionate groups of volunteer board members who can turn on a dime to make things happen quickly.”
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 111 River Street, Fourth Floor, Hoboken, N.J. 07030; (201) 748-6000; fax (201) 748-6088; http://www.wiley.com; 212 pages; $34.95; ISBN 978-0-470-11663-0.
