Nonprofit Essentials

"Major gifts are at the heart of any coordinated, successful fundraising effort. Julie Walker shows you how to do it all-- find the prospects, staff the program, and ask for the money. The sidebar stories and real-world examples sprinkled throughout the book are entertaining, yet still make a point. I would buy it for the advice and keep it for the anecdotes." --Duris Holmes, Chairman of the Board Benjamin Franklin High School New Orleans, Louisiana Part of the AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series, Nonprofit Essentials: Major Gifts is a professional guide to major gift fundraising, concisely presented in a format that is accessible, lively, and easy-to-read. With in-depth advice from experienced fundraiser Julia Walker, this book takes the reader from the early stages of establishing a program through the core elements of all major gift programs: identifying and rating prospects; preparing the case; training volunteers; cultivating donors; making the ask; and providing recognition and stewardship for the gift. Its nuts-and-bolts presentation focuses on how to create a prospect-centered program that develops the capacity to engage and solicit donors, effectively based on their unique interests and needs.

Consultants are playing an increasingly important role in the challenging world of nonprofits. Yet despite the demand for consulting services, nonprofit professionals often lack the necessary insight into how best to choose and work with a consultant. Nonprofit Consulting Essentials is a vital resource both for nonprofit leaders selecting and working with a consultant to guarantee the best use of their agency’s resources, as well as consultants seeking a clear understanding of the more subtle dynamics that define a successful consulting practice working with social sector organizations. Drawing on Penelope Cagney’s years of experience as a top-level nonprofit consultant, Nonprofit Consulting Essentials is filled with keen insights and in-depth interviews with the founders and leaders of influential consulting firms. Throughout the book, Cagney outlines a number of concrete consulting strategies that can serve as additional tools for managers seeking to resolve complex organizational development issues. Nonprofit Consulting Essentials also offers recommendations to nonprofit leaders and consultants to make their relationship the best it can be. Once a solid alliance is formed, they can tackle complex organizational challenges together, such as fundraising and marketing, governance and management, and organizational development. Cagney explores what it takes to make the consulting experience a success and covers vital topics such as: the key differences between consulting with nonprofits versus for-profit organizations, the primary areas of nonprofit consultation, making the consulting relationship work, the special ethical considerations of consulting in the sector, and understanding emerging trends in consulting. Nonprofit Consulting Essentials reviews the best practices and thinking in the nonprofit consulting practice, providing leaders and consultants a way to ensure a robust organization in the future.

Inspired by a popular series of articles in the "Stanford Social Innovation Review," this volume teaches the social sector how to buck passing trends by using wise and time-tested strategies that foster investment and impact.

Praise for Endowment Building "This comprehensive work shows how endowments can provide multiple opportunities for donor involvement when the solicitation program is well designed and integrated with other fund development and program goals. Emphasizing the critical ethical issues inherent in marketing and structuring endowment gifts, it is an excellent reference manual and training guide." --Joanne Scanlan, PhD, Senior Vice President for Professional Development Council on Foundations, Washington, D.C. "Endowment Building provides both practical, hands-on advice and a philosophical, inspirational framework to guide novice and experienced mission-based organizations. Given the demographic opportunities and challenges facing the nonprofit world, this book is a must-read." --Nancy Herrold Strapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer Buckhorn Children & Family Services, Louisville, Kentucky "A comprehensive guide on how to start, grow, and maintain an endowment. It shows how to put theory into practice with numerous real-life examples and success stories." --Joe Bull, Director of Planned Giving, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio "After you read this book, you will know what to do and how to do it. It is a wonderful tool for new and emerging community foundations!" --Kay M. Marquet, President and CEO, Community Foundation Sonoma County, California "Endowment Building is an insightful, succinct, easy-to-read resource on building successful endowment programs. It's a well-organized guide containing practical suggestions and reminders of things development professionals know but some-times forget." --Jeff W. Smith, Vice President and Trust Counsel, Baptist Foundation of Texas, Dallas

Praise for Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan "Linda provides a very practical outlook on how to succeed in developing and implementing a fundraising plan for a nonprofit organization. The importance of the various players and their roles—staff, board, and volunteers—is critical for any nonprofit organization, and the information in Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan could effectively be used by any size organization to organize and execute an effective development strategy." —Diane Hartz Warsoff, Executive Director Utah Nonprofits Association "An excellent road map for creating a development plan and building the necessary staff and volunteer ownership of the plan, Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan is a valuable resource for every nonprofit that wants to raise increased funds more effectively and efficiently. Its tips and real-world scenario sections help to make the case that organizations must take the time to plan adequately if they want to be successful." —Barbara L. Ciconte, CFRE, Senior Vice President Donor Strategies, Inc. "Linda Lysakowski's Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan provides the resources, tools, guidance, and step-by-step processes for any organization to successfully create and manage a development plan. Her inclusion of tips and techniques, real-world stories, and her focus on organization-wide involvement make this essential reading not only for development officers, but for senior staff and board members." —Eugene A. Scanlan, PhD, CFRE, President eScanlan Company One of the most significant factors in the success of any fundraising program is the ability and willingness of the organization to take the time to develop an integrated development plan with realistic budgets, timelines, and areas of responsibility. Part of the AFP/ Wiley Fund Development Series, Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan takes the reader through the development planning process and helps both novice development officers and seasoned professionals to create a plan that contributes to an organization's realization of its mission. Exhorting readers to ensure their plan is a living instrument and not just a document sitting on a shelf, nonprofit expert Linda Lysakowski includes examples of typical development plan formats as well as timelines for the planning process to help users identify the level of detail that will be required. Whether large or small, your organization will benefit from Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan. This professional guide's nuts-and-bolts presentation equips your organization to create a dynamic development plan that fosters enthusiasm, cultivates a sense of confidence, and helps track success.

"Nonprofit Essentials: Managing Technology is a comprehensive work. Suitable for any size organization, the book is distinguished by its focus on 'the human factor' along with volumes of technology information. It should prove to be an invaluable resource for administrators, volunteers, and trustees who must ensure their organization's effective use of technology." --Richard F. Hobson, President Hobson Renaissance Solutions LLC

Praise for Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan "Linda provides a very practical outlook on how to succeed in developing and implementing a fundraising plan for a nonprofit organization. The importance of the various players and their roles—staff, board, and volunteers—is critical for any nonprofit organization, and the information in Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan could effectively be used by any size organization to organize and execute an effective development strategy." —Diane Hartz Warsoff, Executive Director Utah Nonprofits Association "An excellent road map for creating a development plan and building the necessary staff and volunteer ownership of the plan, Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan is a valuable resource for every nonprofit that wants to raise increased funds more effectively and efficiently. Its tips and real-world scenario sections help to make the case that organizations must take the time to plan adequately if they want to be successful." —Barbara L. Ciconte, CFRE, Senior Vice President Donor Strategies, Inc. "Linda Lysakowski's Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan provides the resources, tools, guidance, and step-by-step processes for any organization to successfully create and manage a development plan. Her inclusion of tips and techniques, real-world stories, and her focus on organization-wide involvement make this essential reading not only for development officers, but for senior staff and board members." —Eugene A. Scanlan, PhD, CFRE, President eScanlan Company One of the most significant factors in the success of any fundraising program is the ability and willingness of the organization to take the time to develop an integrated development plan with realistic budgets, timelines, and areas of responsibility. Part of the AFP/ Wiley Fund Development Series, Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan takes the reader through the development planning process and helps both novice development officers and seasoned professionals to create a plan that contributes to an organization's realization of its mission. Exhorting readers to ensure their plan is a living instrument and not just a document sitting on a shelf, nonprofit expert Linda Lysakowski includes examples of typical development plan formats as well as timelines for the planning process to help users identify the level of detail that will be required. Whether large or small, your organization will benefit from Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan. This professional guide's nuts-and-bolts presentation equips your organization to create a dynamic development plan that fosters enthusiasm, cultivates a sense of confidence, and helps track success.

Praise for Recruiting and Training Fundraising Volunteers "Linda Lysakowski brings into focus the realities of enlisting volunteers to ensure success in a campaign. She clearly outlines logical steps that lead to inspiring passion in the volunteer, who is so essential to reaching a goal. I wish such a comprehensive treatise had been available to me forty years ago!" --Milton Murray, Director Emeritus Philanthropic Service for Institutions Adventist World Headquarters (Silver Spring, Maryland) "It was a pleasure to read Ms. Lysakowski's book, which outlines the roles of volunteers in the art of fundraising. Linda has woven the guidance of the great masters of philanthropy and volunteer management partnered with her extensive life experience. This is a must-have resource for development officers and nonprofit leadership essential for both volunteers and management. I especially liked the 'In the Real World' examples of concepts in action that could be implemented locally." --Ann H. Moffitt, CFRE, Vice President of Community Development Keystone Human Services, and CEO, Keystone Partnership (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) "Research and practice tell us that organizations that engage volunteers in fundraising have more sustained success, even in tough times. This book is a substantive contribution to the literature of volunteer fundraisers, and it reminds us of the honorable role of volunteers in fundraising, even in this time of the growing professionalization of staff fundraising." --Timothy L. Seiler, PhD, CFRE, Director Public Service and The Fund Raising School, Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University (Indianapolis, Indiana)