Fund-of-funds Books

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I am a governance and leadership consultant. I train and speak to literally hundreds of trustees, CEOs, Directors, and other nonprofit professionals every year - this will be on the required reading book list!

I purchased the book after hearing Reynold's keynote speech "Recession! What Recession? Raising Money in Tough Economic Times in Washington D.C. a couple of weeks ago.

It was a great speech - Levy's charm, positive nature, and sense of humor won a very suspicious, cynical, and bail-out beaten nonprofit audience over. Who would have thought he could carry that keynote title off among a group of the nation's highest fundraising professionals?

He was a cross between Woody Allen and Hugh Jackman with a little Sting and Coltrane thrown in.

So - I bought the book. What woman wouldn't buy a book by a guy made up of Sting, Coltrane, Jackman, and Allen?

I read it on the plane on the way home and have marked it, sticky noted it, and read it again. When my secretary saw it - she said, "Boy that one must be good!"

I have read more than 200 titles on fund development, what I love about this one are the stories and the conversational style Levy brings to a tough topic - How to inspire regular people to ask regular people for money?

Oh, and by the way, how to inspire not regular people (wealthy)to ask other not regular people (wealthy) for money is covered too.

If you think having a wealthy board means they are an automatic friend-raiser - then you haven't been around enough leaders in the nonprofit sector. Many people of wealth would rather write 2 checks than ask anyone for money!

I appreciated Levy's personal attention to and beliefs about the role of the Board of Trustees/Directors in a nonprofit organization's fund development strategy. It is clear he views the goal of ensuring adequate resources for the advancement of the mission as an equal partnership between the board and staff.

And he has actually done it.

Other books say the same - but many Executive Directors tell me the books read more like good theory than the reality they experience with their boards in many small nonprofit organizations.

Many organizations at the level of Lincoln Center have small boards (7-9 or under 20) of very influential and affluent individuals. Not Levy. As you read the book it is clear he has mastered the "art" (pardon the pun) of developing a strong board network - utilizing a very large number of individual board members through careful recruitment, committee, and leadership assignments.

That requires a leader who is not threatened by size and who either has a phenomenal assistant - or phenomenal time management - or both. In the book he claims he returns calls within a short time every time. I had a friend in Birmingham test him last week - he did!

As I read the book I could imagine these smart committee leadership structures and Levy having a Board Chair who is like a "General" to a huge army of cultural soldier ants - - hundreds of ambassadors telling the story of the Lincoln Center and the various organizations within it - - convincing their friends, their neighbors, their vendors, probably even their kids and dogs... to do the same and so on.

Reading Levy's stories, I pictured him as more of the guy next to the General (Chair of the Board )in the front of the Jeep - pointing out good paths and possible obstacles and encouraging unsure leaders and staff with a good joke and a good laugh when things get a little bumpy. Acting as supportive coach and mentor and being coached and mentored - unifying folks around common goals. A leader who has figured out how to lead up, across, and down.

Levy turns ordinary people into donors, donors into heroes, and extraordinary heroes into cultural philanthropists.

Levy tells stories about how he played a part in helping people help him raise funds at many organizations and his belief that giving money and how you do it and how you feel about it - - separates the drive-by donor from the passionate social capitalists - the investment minded philanthropists.

Great fund development professionals should be judged not by the funds they raise -but by the number of people they raise who raise.

Can they inspire others to help them raise funds on behalf of the organization? True institutional advancement.

To have a guy write about how he actually got this done among a very large group of high-level volunteers is not good reading, its great reading!

Allison, Birmingham.

There couldn't be a worst time to raise money for worthy causes and, for that reason, I can't think of a better book for anyone concerned about a non-profit's mission and financial viability. Levy has committed decades of experience into a compact and lively book that will be instructive for the professional staffs, board members and committed volunteers of almost any non-profit organization. The book balances sound practical advice with engaging and often humorous anecdotes from the author's own careers in business, philanthropy, and global public affairs. In the end, Levy demonstrates how fulfilling a professional life at the intersection of those three spheres can be.

This book was OK. Not bad, but nothing special. It was kind of two books in one, and neither was done particularly well. One book involved chapters 1-6 and 8-10. And the second book was Chapter 7. I think the first book could have been better if it had a good beginning, sound middle, and eloquent ending. But the way it was put together it felt like a mere bulletin board with notes haphazardly tacked here and there. Where was the chapter on annual giving fundraising programs? Wow, what a hole!

And the second book, i.e., Chapter 7, was quite a list of topics that could have been made into a wonderful treatise. But none of these topics were developed much. And each could have been made into their own chapter.

The author heads up a very impressive nonprofit organization. And he boasts that he raised over $1 billion in six years for that organization. I wish he had not made that boast because I hear way too many professional fundraisers and fundraising consultants boast about raising tremendous sums of money. The truth of the matter is that it's the organization that raises the money. The fundraiser is just the clerk that helps the organization do its thing. If you were to put the author in a rinky-dink nonprofit I can guarantee you that he wouldn't be raising $1 billion in 6, 10 or 20 years.

But if you are interested in nonprofit fundraising and want to read one person's "legacy book" on his life's work, then consider getting a copy of this book. It has some good content and may be a fun read for you. However, don't expect to be getting a "Guide to Fundraising and Management" as the title suggests. 3.8 stars!

PS. Take a look at the Search Insider material offered by Amazon. It includes a Table of Contents that will provide you with exactly what is covered in this book.

This book is a vivid journalisitc exploration of the children's lives who have been affected or infected by the African Aids epidemic. Ms. Kew has rendered these little souls with a humanity that transcends the tradgey which is about to engulf them. With sales from this book, produced almost entirely from her own funds (which in itself is quite amazing), she has managed to build her first school in Africa to educate 500 orphans and to retrain adults for future employment.

It is a worthy read and acknowledgement that we are all in this together, whatever continent we happen to reside on.

This beautiful book of African photos tells the touching story of a woman (Chelli Kew) who was compelled to help the aids orphans in Africa. She literally risked her life in this pursuit and against all odds has published this book. Sales proceeds from the book have enabled her to establish a school and continue down the path of helping many of the orphaned children. She is an excellent example of how one person can make a difference. Her story is truly inspiring and one that I have been proud to share with my family and friends. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in helping others and learning more about the disastrous aids situation in Africa.

This book is a beautiful collection of stunning photographs, thoughtfully recorded impressions, vividly depicted stories, and honest reflections. Kew combines the power of imagery and words to tell the story of children orphaned by AIDS in Africa. The work she is doing is so valuable, and this book supports her efforts. I hope it opens the minds of many readers who care, like Kew, to make a difference.

Any small to mid-sized nonprofit that requires funding cannot afford to be without Andy Robinson's book. In a nutshell, he demystifies major donor fundraising and makes it accessible to busy board and staff members. In short, direct chapters he helps remove people's natural fear of the process and instills the sense that asking for money is not only honorable but also incredibly rewarding.

Robinson has written an excellent and pithy introduction to the art of soliciting gifts - it's a relief to have the advice written in a clear and concise manner that's just right for the board member who has any trepidation at all about asking for money but wants a quick primer on how to make a significant difference in their fundraising skills.

What I like most about this book is that it's so practical and seems so doable. I know that most ordinary citizens would probably choose a root canal over the prospect of having to ask someone for a big ($500 to $5000) donation, even for a cause they really care about. But with the help of this book, you'll feel confident that you could really do the things that the author, Andy Robinson, is suggesting. Why? Because Andy de-mystifies the process of fundraising by breaking it down into easily conceivable steps. And, you feel like you can trust him because he seems like a regular guy, not a superhero. If he's done it, then you can too. I like that he shares what's worked for him. An added benefit -- you can read this enjoyable book in less than an hour. (Of course, you'll want to pick it up again and again for its handy advice.)

This is a book that Gary Frye - husband - provided information for but I found it useful because schools are always need more ways of getting funds into campuses to meet NCLB. Since I'm the one who always orders Gary had the follow comments: Working with Stan over the years has given me insights into the need for developing other system for getting funds into school districts. This book is GREAT and helped me think of new always that can use my school district's foundation and development office. Stan has provided another great service to public education by providing folks with a reason why a development/fundraising office it needed.

What a wonderful resource! Dr. Levenson's book is a valuable guide for helping find sources of grants and for better understanding the process of grant writing.

I particularly liked the examples of grant opportunities for K-12 schools and the list of 101 foundations and corporations interested in giving to K-12 schools. The examples of awarded grant proposals provided in the book show you the proper formats and various writing styles for a winning grant.

As a technology education teacher, I feel the section on writing mini-grants will be very helpful in obtaining future grants to further expand my program.

Having actually applied for and been awarded five mini-grants this year, I feel that Dr. Levenson's book will help me take my grantsmanship to the next level. He provides a blueprint for creating successful school grant writing teams and for obtaining major grants to meet larger needs.

As the new fundraising director within a new fundraising organization within a very old chicago public school, i needed to ramp up extremely quickly. I had no NFP fundraising experience whatsoever. I largely credit this book with taking us from zero to $150,000 in the course of several months. I have no affiliation with the author (I'm always supicious of glowing reviews), and in fact was on this page to recommend it to another school that's just kicking off their fundraising efforts. It's comprehensive, has a wonderful collection of docs and support materials, and I continue to pass our two copies around to new members of our team. Seriously, buy this book.

Enjoyed this book very much and found it quite helpful. Don't let the examples of high end events put you off the same principles can be used for any event. Don't try to reinvent the wheel use what others have learned.

If you are looking for a book to explain how to plan and implement a special event, this is the book for you. This book explains what to do and what not to do, so that your organization can get the most money out of your event. You can read it straight through or just go to certain chapters to get the information that you want. Also, don't let the celebrity/high society examples turn you off. What is in this book works even if you don't have access to a celebrity or society connections. I used what is in this book to raise money for my local Lions Club. Don't get any other book for special events--Black Tie Optional is the guide for special events.

At last! This book answers all the difficult "how to" questions for the fund-raiser for a non-profit organization. Every possible problem is anticipated and discussed, and reasons for doing and not doing are offered. Most organizations spend more money raising funds than they collect, and Harry Freedman explains where the hidden costs are and how to avoid them. Freedman seems to know what you are thinking and he will tell you why what someone else does may not be the right event for you. There is something in this book for the veteran fund-raiser or the eager new volunteer.
--Andrew Kevorkian
Public Relations Consultant

Book Review:

Capital Campaigns: Strategies That Work
By: Andrea Kihlstedt and Catherine P. Schwartz
Edited by: James P. Gelatt
Aspen Publishers, Inc. Gaithersburg, Maryland 1997

Reviewed by: Norman Olshansky: President
NFP Consulting Resources, Inc.
...

What a surprise! With over 30 years of non profit fundraising, leadership and capital campaign consulting experience, I expected to gain little from this "how to" book which I was given to review. Boy, was I wrong.

Step by step, the authors outline and expand upon the key elements of a capital campaign; from determining whether or not your organization is ready for a campaign, to the best ways to celebrate and evaluate its conclusion.

I appreciated the amount of detail the authors included and their emphasis on organization, planning, leadership involvement and communications. They explore the basic process and then give in depth coverage of each step. In addition to sharing their own personal knowledge and expertise, they gathered much of their material by interviewing friends and clients who also had extensive capital campaign experience. They made the book more interesting, and dramatized the points they wanted to make, by the inclusion of short vignettes and quotes by volunteer and professionals, from actual campaign experiences.

Among the important subjects covered by the book are: how to select and use consultants, building the case for support, conducting a feasibility study, creating a campaign management plan, prospecting and prospect research, team building and leadership development, techniques of solicitation, campaign materials and public relations, events, thank yous, recognition, and much more. They even have a trouble shooting guide which focuses on what to do when things go wrong.

I highly recommend this handbook for volunteer leadership and staff alike (whatever their level of previous experience) who are considering a capital campaign. It is a book that should also be part of the libraries of campaign consultants. I have to admit that I picked up several great new ideas and techniques from reading the book.

Keep in mind that this is a "how to" book and will continue to be of value as a reference tool. The table of contents and index are complete and excellent in their detail.

I felt the authors could have put more emphasis on and expand the section on feasibility studies, or as I like to call them, pre-campaign assessments. Too many organizations try to avoid this important process thinking that they already know they need to know. They feel the pre-campaign study will take unnecessary time and resources. A good study not only sets the stage for a successful capital campaign and determines a realistic goal, but also provides invaluable information about the way the organization is perceived in the community, potential for major support, and extent to which leadership and staff are ready or capable to do what is necessary for success.

Organizational culture, leadership styles, personality management and what is often referred to as organizational politics are other areas which I felt deserved expanded coverage by the authors. Human factors, organizational history, and communication styles are all addressed in the book but are not given as extensive or in depth presentation as is warranted.

In summary, this book not only meets, but exceeds its very appropriate title: Capital Campaigns-Strategies that Work.

I loved this book! It does an excellent job of covering A to Z about capital campaigns. The book is large. It's pages are 8.5xll. The type is somewhat small. And the pages are formatted so as to include two columns of text. I read the paperback edition and it's definitely not a light book at 253 pages.

Probably my only complaint about this book is that a good amount of the terminology used between its covers was not defined in the Glossary of Common Campaign Terms (Appendix B). Nor were the terms I wanted defined included in the book's index. For example, Exhibit 1-2 makes reference to a "kitchen cabinet." That term is not defined anywhere that I could see in Chapter 1. But later in the book at page 82 the kitchen cabinet is defined as being the "core committee." Great! But the definition of kitchen cabinet is not included in either Appendix B nor is the term included in the book's index.

The book is so rich in content that having an incomplete Appendix B and less than book index hurts it. One other shortcoming I found (and I didn't find many) was when the number of interviews for a feasibility study was capped at 25-35. I'm used to many more people being interviewed during a feasibility study. And the cost for having a consultant do the study is a bit higher than this book indicates. Such studies usually last between 6 to 8 weeks. At least the ones I am used to.

But what a book. I worked for two years as an associate consultant to nonprofits that provided campaign direction. I would have loved to have had this book at my fingertips when learning the ropes of the trade. Just about everything I learned through observation and experience is written about eloquently in this book.

There are a number of people who can benefit greatly from getting a copy of this book. The first that comes to mind is any executive director of a nonprofit that is considering a capital campaign. If she doesn't know the ins and outs of embarking on a capital campaign, then she better get a copy of this book and study it. By getting this book she will know what she has to do to prepare her organization to be able to successfully have a capital campaign. And she will be an educated consumer when she has to hire a consultant that will provide her organization with campaign direction.

The second person that comes to mind is a successful development director who wants to become self employed as a consultant to nonprofits that provides capital campaign direction. When writing his business plan for his startup consulting practice this book will be instrumental in what and how he will provide his services. This book is truly a goldmine of information regarding capital campaigns in the nonprofit sector.

Other people who should read this book are members of nonprofit Boards. And the campaign chairman of a capital campaign will get a lot out of this book. 5 stars!

PS. Two other books that closely relate to the subject matter of this book are: The Ask (ISBN: 0787978566), and Major Gifts (ISBN: 0471738379). I have written book reviews for both these books and posted them on Amazon.

What a surprise! With over 30 years of non profit fundraising, leadership and capital campaign consulting experience, I expected to gain little from this how to book which I was given to review. Boy, was I wrong.

Step by step, the authors outline and expand upon the key elements of a capital campaign; from determining whether or not your organization is ready for a campaign, to the best ways to celebrate and evaluate its conclusion.

I appreciated the amount of detail the authors included and their emphasis on organization, planning, leadership involvement and communications. They explore the basic process and then give in depth coverage of each step. In addition to sharing their own personal knowledge and expertise, they gathered much of their material by interviewing friends and clients who also had extensive capital campaign experience. They made the book more interesting, and dramatized the points they wanted to make, by the inclusion of short vignettes and quotes by volunteer and professionals, from actual campaign experiences.

Among the important subjects covered by the book are: how to select and use consultants, building the case for support, conducting a feasibility study, creating a campaign management plan, prospecting and prospect research, team building and leadership development, techniques of solicitation, campaign materials and public relations, events, thank yous, recognition, and much more. They even have a trouble shooting guide which focuses on what to do when things go wrong.

I highly recommend this handbook for volunteer leadership and staff alike (whatever their level of previous experience) who are considering a capital campaign. It is a book that should also be part of the libraries of campaign consultants. I have to admit that I picked up several great new ideas and techniques from reading the book.

Keep in mind that this is a how to book and will continue to be of value as a reference tool. The table of contents and index are complete and excellent in their detail.

I felt the authors could have put more emphasis on and expand the section on feasibility studies, or as I like to call them, pre-campaign assessments. Too many organizations try to avoid this important process thinking that they already know they need to know. They feel the pre-campaign study will take unnecessary time and resources. A good study not only sets the stage for a successful capital campaign and determines a realistic goal, but also provides invaluable information about the way the organization is perceived in the community, potential for major support, and extent to which leadership and staff are ready or capable to do what is necessary for success.

Organizational culture, leadership styles, personality management and what is often referred to as organizational politics are other areas which I felt deserved expanded coverage by the authors. Human factors, organizational history, and communication styles are all addressed in the book but are not given as extensive or in depth presentation as is warranted.

In summary, this book not only meets, but exceeds its very appropriate title: Capital Campaigns-Strategies that Work.

Anyone who adocates capitalism, liberty, freedom, etc. should read these letters. They inspired the American Revolutionaries. They inspired me. I'm willing to bet that they'll inspire you.

Cato's Letters are a must have for any lover of liberty. They are filled with enough passion, wisdom, and wit to make them shining gems on any bookshelf. The philosophy expounded in these letters is that of radical liberty according to the laws of nature. It is made clear throughout that governments are the servants of people, not there masters. The only just role of government is to protect the life, liberty, and property of the governed, any other role being usurped and explicitly tyrannical. It was this radical philosophy that made Cato's Letters such a huge influence in America throughout the 18th century. Their influence on the Revolutionary generation is rivaled only by John Locke and his Second Treatise of Government. Above all, these letters are classics of reason and resistance. In my opinion, they are the best exposition of libertarian principles ever written.

If you are searching the source documents of the founding period to find what folks were saying about the role of government and this idea of "liberty", then this is a must have. Following the recent passage of the Patriot Act many citizens would be shocked about these wide rangeing essays concerning the value of liberty and the deligence by which the citizen must watch the workings of government(and institutions)to restrict this concept. This is a great edition and a great addition to a founding period library...both then and now.

I am a Certified College Planner. Peter Laurenzo really knows his subject. If you want to know the step-by-step process on how to apply for financial aid, this is a great book. The language used is easy to understand without being condescending. This is a good reference book.

This book provided me with an understanding of how this complex process works in an easy-to-read and an organized format.
In only a couple of hours I was able to grasp how financial aid functions, and made a few changes that hopefully will give my son more aid eligibility.

After sifting through dozens of books, my husband and I found this easy to read, understandable and a good foundation to get through the financial aid process

The American Constitution did not spring fully formed, Athena-like, from James Madison's fevered brow. It was the product of many men's ideas and experiences. It was also a link in a long chain of efforts by the political communities of North America to put down on parchment the proper relationship between government and citizen. In showing (to change the metaphor) the family tree of the U.S. Constitution, this book is an invaluable documentary resource for anyone attempting to understand the origins and meaning of our system's central document.

From the 'Articles, Laws, and Orders, Divine, Politic, and Martial for the Colony in Virginia' (1610) and the Mayflower Compact (1620), through to the Articles of Confederation (1777), Donald Lutz has assembled an impressive documentary history. But his intention isn't simply to catalogue old contracts. As he notes in his Preface, Lutz's goal is to show how the early Americans thought of themselves, how they began to knit themselves together as a people, and how certain critical concepts -- popular sovereignty, rule of law, a virtuous society -- were adopted as 'symbols' of an emerging American consciousness. In this regard, the 'Introductory Essay' is itself a valuable piece of work.

Both as an analysis and a collection of primary documents, this book deserves to be near at hand to any student of American constitutional history and practice.

Donald S. Lutz, professor of political science at the University of Houston, has long studied the colonial antecedents and development of American constitutionalism. In this fine documentary anthology, he presents the fullest collection of sources yet published to document the Americans' constitutional experiments from the 1630s through the 1770s. Many Americans forget that the time span between the first permanent English settlement in America and the declaration of American independence, (1607-1776, or 169 years), is the same length as the time span between independence and the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1776-1945). That long, contentious, and intellectually fruitful history deserves to be better known, and Lutz is eminently qualified to present and interpret it. This fine book is a worthy companion to his monographs POPULAR CONSENT AND POPULAR CONTROL (Louisiana State University Press, 1980), THE ORIGINS OF AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONALISM (Louisiana State University Press, 1988), and A PREFACE TO AMERICAN POLITICAL THEORY (University Press of Kansas, 1991).

The book begins with an excellent and lucid analytical introduction and then presents the full texts, with informative headnotes, of eighty documents of American political foundation -- organized by individual state, with a final grouping devoted to "confederations." A fine brief bibliography of editions of colonial and state documents concludes the book. My only regret is that the volume lacks an index.

Finally, a word about the other review of this book. It is grotesquely antihistorical to claim that the United States is a Christian nation. To be sure, the vast majority of the settlers of the colonies founded in North America were Protestant Christians -- and most of the remainder were Roman Catholics. However, in Rhode Island and in Pennsylvania, the colony's founders and later governors carefully preserved religious liberty (under the label of toleration) for anyone "demeaning themselves peaceably." Furthermore, the generallly libertarian and enlightened members of the Revolutionary generation of Americans went beyond the model of a majority's toleration for a dissenting minority. In such states as Virginia, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and New York, they embraced religious liberty to protect the church from the corrupting influence of the state, and the state from the corrupting influence of organized religion, and the individual human mind from the dangerous alliance between the two.

-- Richard B. Bernstein, Adjunct Professor of Law, New York Law School

Is America a Christian Nation? This book answers the question. It is not more arguments from each side pontificating about abstract principles. Instead in quick fashion this work presents the documentary history of colonial constitutional documents.

Each colony's basic documents are presented with only slight editorial introduction for historical context.

The reader will find that, yes, overwhelmingly, every colony whether "Catholic" or "Congregational" adhered to the orthodox creeds of the church universal and self consciously attempted however imperfectly to govern themeselves according to God's Holy Word the Bible.

Read it, and you will know one of two things: 1) that you either hate what America was and must confess you seek to rebuild it after your own image or 2) that you loved what America was and see how far it has fallen.

This should be required reading for every College Freshman or High School Senior.

The book is both entertaining and educational, light-hearted and informative. It's the perfect book for people like me who know a little bit about investing and Wall Street, who have an IRA and 401(k), but need to learn more in order to do it right and feel more confident about our decisions!

"Decoding Wall Street" is perfect for the person who knows just enough to be dangerous and would prefer to be knowledgeable. In one sitting people simply can't absorb much more in terms of digesting Wall Street and all of its terms. The secret is to learn about the markets and build upon that information. With "Decoding Wall Street" the investor has an entertaining and informative book that teaches and explains.

While this book is certainly of value to the do-it-your-selfer, the person who relies on professional help will find it invaluable. The next time you speak with your investment advisor representatve or financial planner, your glazed over eyes and blank stare will be replaced by knowing smile and a sharp wit. There is no substitute for understanding the concepts and the terms of the markets. This book does it.

I bought this book at the same time I ordered "Rule the Freakin' Markets" last week, and they're both very useful in understanding this crazy beast called The Street. I found this one a little more helpful for someone like me--a journalist who has to write about the markets periodically but really isn't a very savvy investment type. This book is also quite funny and I found myself reading parts of it aloud to my wife. Highly recommended.