Books, Blogs and more

A good fundraising library can give you inspiration and best practice tips. The Yonkers Public Library and White Plains Public Library are satellites for the Foundation Center with lots of great information on their shelves.

This list is a partial list of books and sites that I have found useful over 3 decades of fundraising and nonprofit marketing. 

CPR for NonProfits, Creative Strategies for Successful Fundraising, Marketing, Communications and Manegment; Alvin H. Reiss.  Some great ideas and inspiration in this book written by the late “Skip” Reiss, a former WLS Board Member.

Yours for the Asking; Reynold Levy. Mr. Levy is the former president of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.  This is a quick read that takes some of the mystery and fear out of asking people for money. Available in the WLS catalog.

The Ask: How to Ask for Support for Your Nonprofit Cause, Creative Project, or Business Venture; Laura Fredricks. This book is  filled with suggestions, guidelines, and down-to-earth advice that will give you the confidence to ask anyone for any size gift, for any purpose. If you ever have a chance to hear her speak at a conference (she was a presenter at AFP Westchester National Philanthropy Day) don’t miss it.  She has great stories!

Successful Fundraising for Arts and Cultural Organizations; Karen Brooks Hopkins and Carolyn Stolpher Freidman.  This has great material, best practices and templates that translate well to the library world.  Karen is the former director of the Brooklyn Academy of Music where she spearheaded their tremendous growth and prominence in the NY cultural sector.

The Fundraising Planner, A Working Model  for Raising Dollars You Need; Terry and Doug Schaff.  This is a basic handbook that will guide you to creating a solid fundraising plan.

Writing for a Good Cause; Joseph Barbato and Danielle S. Furlich.  If you have writers block (and who doesn’t?) when you sit down to write a proposal or your annual appeal, this may help.

Anything by Tom Ahern! Tom was a presenter at a past AFP Westchester Chapter National Philanthropy Day Conference a few years ago and really wowed the crowed.  These two books in particular are will help library fundraisers find ways to communicate their message:

Turning Doubters into Donors: How to make a Compelling Case for Your Cause.

What Your Donors Want …and Why!

But don’t forget his blog!  Always exciting to ready – and recently he took notice of Katonah Public Library’s newsletter giving it high marks! 

https://www.aherncomm.com/ahern-blog

Vendors and Consultants

Fundraising Professional Organizations