April 9, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
NEW BOOKS
Fundraising When Money Is Tight
by Mal Warwick
The current economic crisis may lead nonprofit organizations to panic and make drastic cuts, decisions that are more reactionary than reasonable, writes Mal Warwick, a fund raiser and founder of his own direct-marketing firm.
This book cautions against such measures and advocates for strategic, though quick, action. “An economic downturn does not justify throwing out what has worked in the past,” Mr. Warwick writes. “In fact, it’s a time for caution and cost cutting.”
Mr. Warwick provides numerous tips for how charities can cope with reduced budgets and sources of support. Although he is careful to point out that there is no one cure-all for fund-raising woes, he recommends cutting costs in direct marketing and telemarketing because they are the most expensive facets of fund raising. Through a process called segmentation, Mr. Warwick says, charities can sharply lower their marketing expenses by mailing out personalized appeals only to the most productive donors, people who have given within the last three years or who have made sizable donations, rather than keeping cumbersome mailing lists that mostly include people who have been inactive for a long time.
The book includes a sample questionnaire to elicit donor information, a direct-mail package, and concludes with Mr. Warwick’s nine tips for dealing with the downturn and beyond.
Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard, Indianapolis, Ind. 46256; (800) 762-2974; http://www.josseybass.com; 214 pages; $22.95; ISBN 978-0-470-48132-5.
