Fund-of-funds Books

This book, is well presented and provides excellent information for any non profit.

I love this book. It was one of the first books I ever read on fundraising for nonprofits. And it provided me with much theory on the subject. I have read quite a few books on the fundamentals of fundraising and the tactics used to raise funds, but when I was reading them I ALWAYS thought back to a lot of what I read in Ms. Grace's book. I highly recommend ANY fundraiser get a copy of this book and read it. It doesn't matter if it serves as your introduction to the field, or as a night cap to your many readings on the subject. This book is well written and outlined with substantial substance between its covers.

The book is only 12 chapters long. And I think it would still serve its purpose if chapters 6 (annual giving programs), 7 (capital campaigns), and 9 (maximizing board development and participation) were deleted. I thought these three chapters were wonderful. Don't get me wrong. But the power of this book is in the other chapters.

Beyond fundraising is about how a fundraiser should approach her job. It is about inviting investment, not about begging for a gift. It's about working for a nonprofit with a worthy cause that is doing what it should with the money it receives. It's about planning and not about winging it. It's about how to help society be a better place. It's also about staying up with the times.

The author has been working as a consultant to nonprofits for many years. She has helped countless nonprofits with their fundraising efforts. She has presented many seminars on fundraising fundamentals. And this book in a way is a summary of what she has covered in her seminars. The author has also written many published articles on fundraising. Accordingly, she is an authority on the subject. In my humble opinion, this book is her best effort and contribution to the field. 5 stars!

This book shows strategies for fundraising and investment in this new world moving towards partnership donation based on social enterprise. Explains the new order and the shifts in activity and thinking required to be successful in the future.

Kay Sprinkel Grace is a wonderfully warm person whose personal mission is to help others develop their non-profit organizations to make the world a little better.

This book will help any development professional tie it all together is an easy to understand way. It will also be useful to organization volunteers who are affiliated with your organizations, particularly members of your board of directors.

I picked up this book just as the board of directors of the local theater group sent me to set up a campaign to raise capital for a new building. All of a sudden I was faced with the idea of raising lots of money instead of just the small amounts we need to put on individual productions.

To my surprise, although I guess I shouldn't have been, Chapter 7 is on Capital Campaigns. She summarizes them as: 'unique, occasional, exhausting, exciting, and productive; they focus organizations on a particular goal during a finite period of time and allow us to sharpen our sense of purpose and impact.' To that I can only say: Yup!

Ms. Grace has obviously been there, done that, not only in raising money for capital, but every other kind of fundraising activity as well.

This book is well written, and it positioned at a higher level than most fundraising books. By that I mean that she treats fundraising as almost an art form. Something where you don't need to feel like you're begging for a handout. Highly recommended.

As a teacher, and one who is sensitive and well aware of Native American lives and cultures, all I can say is BUY THIS BOOK!

A good survey of native kids' lives, activities that emphasizes their ongoing cultural contributions to life in the multicultural climate of today's America. Great color photos, text at about third grade level, this ought to shatter stereotypes right and left. Glossary, resource guide included.

The collaborative effort of Yvonne Wakim Dennis and Arlene Hirschfelder, Children Of Native America Today introduces young readers to the lives and cultures of Native Americans all across the nation. Ranging from the Ojibway and Cherokee peoples, to the Pueblo and native Hawaiians, Children Of Native America Today is enhanced with color photographs illustrating an outstanding survey which broadly touches upon a variety of different Native American tribes and cultures -- rather than going for an in-depth on any particular one. Careful attention to what life is really like, and emphasizing the importance of not allowing stereotypes to cloud one's judgement, make Children Of Native America Today a highly recommended addition to school and community library Native American Studies collections for young readers.

As a teacher I have always been interested in exploring the diverse history of Native Americans with my students but have been unable to locate a book that is both educational and fun...until now. Children of Native America today is a book that engages young people while showing them how Native American children are as diverse and heterogeneous as any other group. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in teaching young students about Native Americans.

As the authors explain in their preface, the goal of this book is to break stereotypes about Native Americans -- and it does this very well. All too often we think of Native Americans only in terms of powwows and costumes, and then only the "war bonnets" or beaded buckskin dresses of the Plains tribes. Some of the children in this book are wearing native dress (in many different styles) for traditional occasions, but they also wear modern clothes for everyday activities like sports, hiking, fun on the playground, etc.

In the Forward by folksinger Buffy St. Marie (whose music first raised my awareness of Native issues back in the 1970s), she correctly points out that every child belongs to at least one culture, but that children are not ONLY their cultures. "Even kids from the most traditional Native backgrounds have much in common with other children," she writes. "They have families, they grow and change every day, they love and work and play."

There are over 500 Native tribes in the United States, each of which has its own language and customs. This book covers 25 tribes representative of the various geographical areas, from Maine to Hawaii, with a map showing their locations. There's also a section on urban communities. (Which city has the largest Native population? New York!)

The authors describe their photo essay as "a book of few words and many pictures." The bright, colorful photos are indeed fabulous, and the "few words" are well-chosen. Each tribe gets a two-page spread, with child-friendly facts about history and daily activities that range from sports (Lacrosse is originally a Native game) to harvesting clams, making maple syrup, riding horses or carving totem poles. Sidebars give the total population of each group, its geogrphical location(s), and names of some famous people. Throught the bookj, the focus is always on things that children do, with lessons about about diversity, respect, tolerance, ecology, and other issues gently woven in and not at all preachy. I myself learned a lot myself from reading this book, and the photo on page 11 finally cleared up the mystery about an odd old tool I found on my hobby farm -- it's a "comb" for harvesting cranberries!

There is also a teacher's activity and resource guide (sold separately) that goes with this book. The Guide has biographies of contemporary members of various Native groups, with suggested investigative activities focusing on that person's accomplishments and/or expertise. For example, the page on Lori Aviso Alvord, the first Navajo woman surgeon, has a discussion of traditional forms of holistic healing, and suggestions for investigating different healing approaches used in the world today. Taken together, the activities in the Guide cover the whole gamut of contributions that Native Americans have made in all areas of society and life.

The authors are currently working on another diversity book about children's ceremonies around the world. (In fact, that's how I learned about this book. Author Yvonne Dennis queried me for details about a traditional hair-cutting ceremony for Hasidic boys. I was very impressed that she actively sought to include Jewish children, because so many diversity projects do not see Jews as a culture.) The goal of their new book will be to help children relate to each other through learning about the ways that children are special in each culture. I look forward to reading it when it comes out.

I teach a class in fundraising and I use this book as my text. Great book, good examples. It's a comprehensive introduction to development for non-profits.

Even though I have not been able to read the Guide in full or use the CD Rom, all the special topics I have checked out thus far have been highly informative. I especially like the detailed charts and exhibits which provide an "at-a-glance" guide.

Having been a management consultant for 15 years, although not in the Arts Funding Area where I now toil as a volunteer, I have a good eye for serious data. And, having read several other books on the subject of nonprofit organizations, I can honestly say this book by Stanley Weinstein provides the kind of nuts and bolts data that is essential to fundraising.

Finally, since I had to pay for this Guide out of pocket, I can honestly say that I feel I got my money's worth even at this early stage of the fundraising process. It's a winner.

Please give me an opportunity in the future to provide another review...after our fledgling group...The Westlake Arts Center in Westlake, OH...implements some of the suggestions.

Weinstein does a good job representing the many facets of fundraising development today. The CD-ROM is a helpful addition. Highly recommended.

I loved this book. It covers so much about nonprofit fundraising in such detail that I'm so glad I came across it a few years back when I was learning about the subject. I was working as an associate capital campaign consultant and found it kind of hard to find fundraising books that covered much of anything about capital campaigns. Then I found this book.

Most of the hardcover books I buy and read I don't bother to make notations using a pencil. I used this book so much to learn the basics of nonprofit fundraising that I broke tradition and used a pencil on it quite extensively. As a result, I have a few recommendations as to how the next edition could be improved. First, and foremost, I think the chapters should be reordered as follows:

PART 1. Fundraising Basics
1. (1.) The five major fundraising principles
2. (2.) Your organization and the nonprofit world
3. (3.) Managing the resource development function
4. (5.) Managing information
5. (15.) Human resources
6. (6A.) Prospect ID, research, and segmentation
7. (9.) Direct and select mail fundraising
8. (10.) Telephone solicitations
9. (7.) Nurturing relationships
Part II. Major Gift Fundraising
10. (4.) The Case for Support and fundraising materials
11. (6B.) Prospect ID, research, and segmentation
12. (8.) Major gift programs
13. (13.) Planned giving
14. (14.) Capital and endowment campaigns
Part III. Add-on ways to generate funds
15. (11.) Special event fundraisers
16. (12.) Grantsmanship
Part IV. An appendix
17. (16.) Evaluation

The numbers above in parenthesis are the actual chapter numbers. I would have liked the book much more if Chapter 6 had been split into two chapters. As far as I know, prospect identification differs significantly when working an annual campaign and soliciting funds using direct mail and the telephone. This topic could and should have had its own chapter. There is also the prospect identification, research and segmentation I am initimately used to that relates to major gift solicitation and capital campaigns. That topic should have had its own chapter (maybe even two chapters?).

I would have liked the book better if the content at pages 247 and 248 were reworked. I would reword the text as follows:

"Resource development professionals who have had years of capital and endowment campaign experience have come to recognize FIVE fundamental prerequisites indicating institutional readiness:

1. Does the nonprofit have a sound Case for Support?
2. Is there a good database of donor prospects with many high in CCCC, i.e., capacity, capability, connection, & commitment?
3. Are there sufficient volunteers who can provide strong leadership?
4. Is now a good time to initiate a campaign considering the current obligations of the nonprofit, the attitude and composition of its Board, and fundraising activities in the community from other nonprofits that share this nonprofit's constituents?
5. Can the nonprofit pay for and orchestrate the campaign effort?"

I would have liked to see some coverage of the Internet, Web sites, and email. There didn't have to be lots of this subject - just enough so the reader would know these topics are important to the fundraisers.

I loved the last chapter of the book. I thought it did a wonderful job of providing the reader with a checklist to effectively evalutate a fundraising department at a nonprofit. 5 stars!

I'm new to the fundraising/development field. I found this book very readable and informative. The subject is presented in a style that is intelligent and no-nonsense, unlike a lot of the "XXX for Dummies" and "Idiots Guide to XXX" series.

There is a nice little CD-ROM in the back with sample Word doc files on it. I wish there had been a few Excel spreadsheets too. I come from a sales background and found some of the advice for what to say to potential donors to be a bit ham-handed.

But, overall a great intro to fundraising with a lot of good advice that nonprofits should follow.

For anyone who wants to have various economic theories explained in layman's terms, this is the book to have. Even though it is several years old, the principles described are timeless and pertinent in today's trying economic times.

I used the first edition extensively after it came out in 1993. This second edition is updated appropriately and retains all of the classic material that made the first edition so good.

Concise and insightful collection of article on Economics; an exceptional primer with something for everyone from beginnner to "enthusiast".

Also, if you ever get a chance to hear the author speak at a lecture or presentation, don't miss it!

This book is such a valuable resource! The articles are concise and simple to understand for the non-economist. I recommend this book to anyone interested in economics. Not only are the articles top-notch, but the further reading lists are all you need to start becoming an expert on each individual topic. This book is worth every penny.

Compiled, organized and edited by David R. Henderson (Research Fellow with Stanford University's Hoover Institution and an Associate Professor of Economics at the naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California), "The Concise Encyclopedia Of Economics" is a superbly presented introduction to economics comprised of more than 160 entries which draw upon the experience and expertise of some 152 contributors. Now it a completely revised, expanded and updated fourth edition, "The Concise Encyclopedia Of Economics" covers a diversity of subjects ranging from basic economic concepts, to discrimination and labor issues, to corporations and financial markets, to economic history, to economic legal issues, governmental regulation, taxes, environmental regulations, economic policies, macroeconomics, money and banking, international economics, economic systems within and outside of the United States, schools of economic thought, and so much more. "The Concise Encyclopedia Of Economics" is substantively enhanced with the inclusion of succinct biographies of leading and influential economists and a comprehensive Index. Also available in a hardcover edition (9780865976658, $45.00), "The Concise Encyclopedia Of Economics" ideal and indispensable addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Economic Studies reference collections.

I return to Nigel Slater's cookbook, Appetite over and over again. He give's us great recipes, and then teaches us how to vary the recipes - an invaluable skill in the world of cooking and eating! Bravo Nigel.

Nigel Slater is a real cook. His books are a joy to read. He makes you want to jump-up and cook. He inspires.. A no-frills cook. Comfort food is OK. His traditional recipes are soothing, pleasing, comforting. - Food Porn!

This is an inspiring read. Slater writes about real food the way real people like to eat. His recipes are practical and unfussy. They are irreverent and certainly do not submit to any soul and appetite destroying preoccupation with ersatz low-taste,low-fat food. Worth reading for the description of how to roast a chicken that is almost poetic

`Nigel Slater's Real Food' and `Real Cooking' by Nigel Slater (name above the title, of course) are two great expositions on the real joy of cooking. Slater characterizes his point of view in the motto to `Real Cooking' as `There is too much talk of cooking being an art or a science - we are only making ourselves something to eat.' With this sentiment, Slater dismisses the Shirley Corriher / Alton Brown `kitchen science' camp on the one hand and the Keller / Boulud / Girardet `haute cuisine' camp on the other. In some ways, this also dismisses the high-end culinary magazine crowd as you may find in `Bon Appetit', `Gourmet', and `Martha Stewart Living'. While this seems to dismiss a goodly portion of the modern culinary establishment, it really does not. Slater is certainly in the same camp as his nibs, Jamie Oliver, his good friend, Nigella Lawson, and Oliver's mentors, Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers of London's River Café. In fact, if I did not know that Oliver was primarily influenced by Gray, Rogers, and Gennaro Contaldo, I would have guessed that Oliver was a Slater disciple from the word `GO'. I am happy to say that there are plenty of important cookbook writers in the United States who can easily be considered to be in Slater's camp. Leading the list is probably Jacques Pepin, especially with his various quick cooking books such as his latest `Fast Food My Way'. I do not wish, however, to give the impression that Slater is all about fast cooking. He is certainly about simple cooking in the same sense that Richard Olney describes in `Simple French Food', but he is a whole lot more about being in love with the sensual qualities of food and how well those qualities of various foods mix together in the most effective way.

What is certainly true is that both Slater and Oliver represent the kind of cooking I enjoyed on my two trips to England, primarily the kind of cooking I saw at some of the better pubs in Hampshire and in London suburbs.

Both of these books are primarily about recipes and the salient qualities of particular classes of food. For a study of Slater's `philosophy' of cooking in depth, see his recent book `Appetite'. These two books are even organized in very similar ways, in that each chapter presents a particular raw material or class of raw material. The more traditionally organized `Real Cooking' has chapters on:

Fish & Shellfish
Chicken & Other Birds
Pork, Bacon, and Sausages
Lamb and other Meats
Pasta, Beans, Rice & Grains
Vegetables
Cheese, Snacks & Puddings

The later book, `Real Food', which is also the tie-in book for a Television Series (not seen in the US, to my knowledge) is more to the point, with chapters entitled:

Potatoes
Chicken
Sausages
Garlic
Bread
Cheese
Ice-cream
Chocolate

The chapter on bread is a good indication of Slater's point of view, in that he gives us nothing on baking bread, but just about everything you may want (this side of Nancy Silverton's sandwich book) to know about making some really interesting and unusual sandwiches. Similarly, the sausage book says nothing about how to make sausages, only how to make the very best use of them.

True to his word in his `motto' quoted above, you will find not one word about the relative fat content of milk and cream, the emulsifying power of an egg, or calibrating the temperature of your oven. On the other hand, you will find much about, for example, the relative tastes of pork, beef, and lamb fat and the virtues of free range raised poultry. Here is one strong point of contact between the articulate and reflective Slater and the ebullient and emotional Oliver (or our own Emeril Lagasse, if you wish). Both will rhapsodize at length over the qualities of a nice thick layer of fat on a chop from an artisinally raised hog.

For those of you who do not like `chatty' cookbooks, both of these books may be preferable to the very discursive `Appetite', although both of these books do have their share of culinary poetry before the recipe details. Neither book is as extreme as `Appetite' in the direction of teaching us to cook without a book. You can easily pick out a recipe from these books and make them without a lot of background reading or culinary skill. But never confuse `simple' with `easy' or `fast'. While Slater may do the Rachel Ray gig in other books, these books have their share of slow marinades and braises. They also have their share of whisking, filtering, and thickening techniques.

The other side of the coin is that Slater's palate is extremely simple. Aside from his protein or starch of choice, few of his ingredients go far beyond the simple pantry of milk, cream, butter, basic cheeses, parsley, flour, lemon, lime, bacon, sage, thyme, bay, bread, olive oil, rice, stock, garlic, and mushrooms. Unlike Sir Jamie, Slater is about as down home English cooking as Paula Deen is about Savannah cooking.

The biggest difficulty an American is likely to have with Slater's recipes is that they are all make heavy use of metric units for weight and larger volumes in place of ounces, pounds, and cups. Even though I was a chemist thoroughly familiar with the metric system, I had to dig out a good conversion table to remind myself that a pound was about 450 grams. A lesser difficulty may be with Slater's names for common food varieties such as potatoes, although he almost always specifies `waxy' or `floury' potatoes rather than the English varietal name.

The other main difficulty with Slater's recipes is that they are all paradigms of high fat, high sodium, and high cholesterol preparations. They are definitely dishes to be eaten when the occasion calls for serious comfort food.

If you like Jamie Oliver or Nigella Lawson, you will really like Slater!

In Real Food, Nigel Slater manages to invoke the feeling and quality of comfort food but goes beyond that with some of the bold and certainly delicious flavours he encourages us to explore. Every recipe that we have tried out of this book has been a huge success. It's great to find a book where the recipes are simple without being boring. Don't comb through the book looking for the low-fat gems, instead enjoy these delicious recipes in moderation.

I liked this book. I purchased a copy back in 2005 when I was learning everything I could about fundraising. It certainly covers many of the things I had learned (and was learning) during my stint as a consultant to nonprofits regarding capital campaigns. I found this book to be a marketing vehicle for the authors' Internet-based fundraising consulting firm. It has the feel of a blog since most of the book is written in question-answer format. And the questions and answers are lifted from work product produced by answering questions of patrons of the firm's Web site.

This book was a very easy read for me. It covered its topic well and flowed pretty good from beginning to end. It explains that successful fundraising requires the mastery of three key concepts:

1. Develop a Case Statement
2. Develop a Campaign Plan (Fundraising Plan)
3. Identify the strongest possible campaign leadership

Since I visualize a Campaign Plan as starting with an annual effort (annual campaign), I would have liked the book better if the chapters were reordered as follows:

5. Annual Campaign
4. Prospect Research
6. Direct Mail
11. Grants
12. Corporate Dollars
7. Special Events
8. Major Gifts
10. Planned Giving
9. Capital Campaigns

I'm used to the Range of Gift Table to be referred to as a Donor Pyramid (DP). And I didn't see a reference to DP anywhere in the book. This surprised me. I found Chapter 1 to be pretty good. I found Chapter 2 to be lacking in substance and good organization. There was content there, but it just did not help pull the book together. Why jump into capital campaigns at the outset? I would have liked the book much better if Chapter 2 were to be expanded and broken into 2 or three chapters. And it seemed like the blurb on prospect research was out of place by being included in Chapter 2.

I loved Chapter 3 about Nonprofit Boards. I thought it covered its topic very well. I think I would have liked the book better if each of the chapters had better introductions and conclusions. Since most chapters are not very long and the "blog entries" that filled the book were each headed by a boldfaced question, I don't think the chapter intros needed to include bulleted lists of the blog entry headings. All in all, this was a good book. And I recommend it for any fundraising expert's resource shelf. 4 stars!

The quest for funding is a high-pressure, never-ending process for nonprofit organizations large and small. Authors G. Douglass Alexander and Kristina J. Carlson break the process down into manageable pieces while covering each major avenue that fundraising professionals travel in the search for financial support. The authors use a question and answer format to explain and illustrate the premise outlined at the beginning of every chapter. Packed with useful, applicable information from cover to cover, this book deals with a range of topics including the basic principles of fundraising, annual and capital campaigns, special events, major gifts, foundation funding and stewardship. Such a comprehensive, well-organized analysis of any one subject is rare. We strongly recommend this book as a primer for any individual or group seeking guidance for a strategic approach to raising funds.

I've served on the boards of a number of organizations that have developed very strong fundraising capabilities -- and some that have not. The latter group could catch up quickly by reading this book. Authors Carlson and Alexander have covered all the key topics in an easy to read and easily referenced format. Their depth of experience is evident throughout. Anyone involved in nonprofit fundraising should invest the time to read and appreciate these "essential principles."

I just finished reading the book. After serving the non profit sector for over 20 years it is nice to have an easy to read, yet comprehensive publication for everyone to learn from. It will be required reading for all of our new hires at my organization. I cannot think of a better way to learn how to properly raise money in a variety of manners.

Jay

Although others will be doing fund-raising for Earth Intelligence Network, to fill in whatever our parent sponsor cannot provide, I found this book to be extraordinarly useful to me, so that I could understand in detail what is expected and required.

Bottom line: Fund-raising is a *professional* *year-long* orchestrated, documented *demanding* endeavor. It is neither easy nor an after-thought.

Over-all this book is a best in class offering that is superbly organized, superbly presented, and clearly authoritative. I noticed right away on the jacket blurbs that both givers and seekers of funds were represented.

The quick summary (there is no substitute for reading the book in detail, and probably annually as well), is found in the 9 principles on page 6:

1) Face to face solicitation is the most effective means
2) Individual giving (not foundation or corporate) is the greatest return
3) Money FOLLOWS involvement
4) Challenge gifts can solve most fund-raising problems
5) The board must lead if others are to follow (in giving)
6) Make it personal
7) Believe in volunteers
8) Offer opportunities
9) Practice sequential fundraising, starting at the top (the big gift)

A few highlights that stayed with me:

+ Range of Gifts table very useful device for planning and presenting
+ Core concepts credited to Ms. "Be" Haas--the authors are respectful
+ Key ingredients are the case statement, sequential fundraising, and the strongest possible campaign leadership
+ Connect to donors (DEVELOPMENT) first, ask LATER
+ 80% of giving is individual
+ Board membership (another book, not this one, says put them on the stationary) is the most powerful signal
+ Focus on personalized, face to face wherever possible
+ Volunteers are both a form of giving, and a form of connecting to others
+ MAKE YOUR CASE--"Need" is NOT a case, "Impact" is...
+ Prospect research is a sub-discipline now
- Helps find donors who are both able to give and passionate about the cause you represent
- Philanthropic history is more important than total wealth
- Websites exist for "conducting prospect research"

The authors shy away from recommending specific individuals or institutes but they are very professional and provide more than adequate pointers to specialty websites that I would not have been able to find myself.

+ Ethics matters
+ Annual campaigns are life-blood of the organization
+ November-December are the hot months for end of year deductable giving
+ Philanthropy 400 is a key reference
+ Capital campaigns every ten years or so
+ Planning giving is a long-term strategy but hugely promising
+ Foundations are NEXT TO LAST with Corporations LAST.

The chapter on technology is excellent, and covers the basics:
01 Website including "donate now" button
02 Fundraising software, one size does NOT fit all
03 Avoid spam, know the STATE law, quality matters
04 Email delivery of newsletters or other value is good

Stewardship is its own sub-dsicipline, the nurturing and appreciation of those who give and cannot be forgotten or taken for granted.

I have a full two pages of notes, not for this review, but really great ideas tailored to our program that I would never, ever, have thought about without reading this book.

This is a great book, a serious book, one you cannot do without (IMHO).

It's a book for my masters program, I have no opinion, it's a requirement.

An essential book for every American both young or old, male or female, Democrat or Republican. A delightful discovery on the need of God and guns (or perhaps swords) in the United States and the intolerance of a government in charge of all but answerable to noone. An undeniably perfect fit for todays culture.

Discover your roots from the men that gave their lives for the signing of the Constitution; true heroes. Their resolve was unquestionable and the love for country without reproach.

They brought us so far. We've walked away. Read it and weep. BK

When you read this, you can't help but wonder where all the great minds have gone. This assessment of basic human rights and freedoms should be required reading for all kids, and repeat reading for adults with any appreciation of history and/or politics. Its lessons and statements are universal, and should not be examined as simply a part of US history, but rather how the lessons may be applied elsewhere in parts of the world that are still stuck in the Dark Ages.

The Federalist was an astonishing political document. Written for public consumption during the debate over adoption of the U.S. Constitution, it combined immense learning and sophistication with shrewd insights into the nature of politics in a republic. It's an essential text for anyone interested in American political history or constitutional theory. In fact, the Federalist should be essential readingt for any educated American: it remains an unparalleled example of realistic political analysis being placed in the service of political ideals.

After more than 200 years, the Federalist has lost little of its relevance. The sections on judicial review and Presidential nominations, for example, could have been written about current controversies over judges. Likewise, the discussion of Presidential war powers, or the emphasis on checks and balances as essential to the preservation of liberty, are eerily topical in an age of pre-emptive war and one-party control of Washington. Even when the analysis is wildly dated -- as with the Commerce Clause or slavery -- the reader can see how far Constitutional doctrine has wandered from the "intent" of the Founders.

The Federalist is also superb as literature: the writing is droll and eloquent, once you get used to the long, convoluted sentences. The introduction by Benjamin Wright is excellent and helps to place the text in political and intellectual context. I don't know why I wasn't forced to read the Federalist at law school! Six stars.

Note: Contrary to one review below, God is hardly mentioned in the Federalist, and then only as a rhetorical flourish. The Federalist has countless references to ancient Greece and Rome, but none to the Old or New Testaments. It is a thoroughly secular document. Religious nationalists and other conservatives should actually read it.

We want our founders to be demi-gods and our original texts to be divinely inspired. For an example of this nonsense, please see the first review on this page.
I want to offer a vision of The Federalist in historical context. I will argue that to see it thus enlarges its greatness will allowing us to admit its faults.
In many ways, the developments that led to the Constitution of 1787 started as soon as colonists reached our eastern shores. We had at least 150 years of experimentation in writing charters and in representative governance behind us by 1787. After the Declaration of Independence the States either wrote new constitutions or reaffirmed old charters. The national government wrote the Articles of Confederation and we lived under that from 1781 to the late 1780s.
The Federalist should be seen as part of that ongoing development. More specifically, it should be seen as part of the ratification debates in New York. Largely written by Madison and Hamilton, these papers reflect the compromises that the founders made in regards to the Constitution. Madison had wanted the President to have a veto over any state laws. Hamilton had favored a President for life during good behavior (read #78 in re the appointment for life of federal judges to sense the fervor that Hamilton felt for the benefits of lifetime tenure). Neither man believed in the necessity of a Bill of Rights. Madison eventually saw the political necessity of such amendments. During the first United States Congress he wrote up the Bill of Rights and guided them through passage. This way he could make sure they did not grow too numerous.
As a whole then The Federalist should be seen as rhetorical and political arguments for passage of a Constitution that the authors had some doubts about.
Of course, as Publius they could express no doubts. Madison, Hamiltion and Jay used this pseudonym which was a typical rhetorical device of elite writers at the time. (See Saul Cornell's The Other Founders for a nice discussion of the variety of rhetorical strategies used by writers during the ratification debates.) The idea was that hiding their identities would allow readers to focus on the quality of their arguments. As a result, there are many passages that can strike the modern reader as duplicitous because Publius pretends to know nothing of what went on during the convention. Madison and Hamilton, of course, were instrumental throughout the Constitutional Convention.
Publius works his explication of the need for the Constitution by critiquing the Articles of Confederation then by going thru the new document, article by article supposedly answering all objections. His counterarguments are largely of two types. In the first type, he will state a political principle so "obvious" that any "candid" reader will instantly agree to it. Publius then builds his arguments from there. The famous paper #10 is one such chain of argument. Or Publius will demolish the arguments offered against the Constitution by pointing out that the article objected to is contained in some or many of the States' constitution and have resulted in no such problems. Many of these arguments are justly famous. Number 10 is very much worth reading. (Although I still find it curious that when Madison asserts that a man's property holdings has a great influence on the way he thinks it is celebrated as political realism but when Marx says much the same thing it is decried as class warfare. But that's just me.)
But the reader really does get a sense at to how much thought went into the various checks and balances and the competing claims of the states and the new national government. To me this is where the glory of the book lies. We as a people thought our way out of the failure of our first experiment in nation building. We avoided civil war (for a while) and did not become the victims of foreign manipulation. We don't have to make our founding fathers and mothers demi-gods. In their fully flawed humanity, they dazzle aplenty.
Finally, it should be noted that The Federalist as a piece of political rhetoric avoided some issues entirely. The main problem that most Anti-Federalists had with the proposed Constitution in re jury rights had to do with the following phrase: "such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed" (Article 3, Sec.2, Para. 3). Whig thought at that time insisted on juries being as local as possible. Blackstone stated that jury trials should be held within the county of the crime. This guaranteed that local knowledge of the crime, the defendant and the victim would be maximized in the jury pool. Trying cases in distant jurisdictions or without juries had been some of the main provocations of the British prior to the revolution. Men like Patrick Henry saw that phrase in the Constitution as a clarion of the tyranny to come from the new national government. The Federalist does not speak to this issue at all. Instead, Hamilton focuses on arguments about whether jury trials are guaranteed for civil cases and even has Publius argue that maybe we should limit jury trials a little because juries are so bad with complicated issues, blah, blah.
Should all Americans read this book? Yeah, probably. Are we the worse if they don't? Again, probably yes, but what we really need as a people is more of a sense of our history. I would rather have more people read a good series of books on our history as a whole (I recommend the Oxford History of the United States as one excellent ongoing series).
But if you want to get to know two great minds at work on political issues that are still relevant then this is your book. Forget Locke, Montesquieu and Rousseau. Their philosophies are antiquarian in a way that Publius is not.

This was a fantastic easy read, great for new board members who want to get their feet wet in the world of fundraising.

The Heritage Christian University Board of Directors relies on this book as one of their guidelines. Every member has a copy and every new Board member receives one. We keep copies on hand. It's a great way to realize what's involved on your part with a Board of Directors of a Non-Profit.

I am currently involved in a Capital Campaign and found this book so helpful - from both sides of the fence. Through understanding the expectations that a Board member should have, it is helping me to frame my contact and training for the board. I refer to it regularly and would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to understand how fundraising works, and their responsibilities as a Board Member and for the fundraiser, a look from the Board Members shoes.

Everyone who works in the wonderful world of not-for-profits realizes that the dreaded day will come when they have to make an ask for money. This terrific book not only outlines the how-to of making such an ask, but also teaches the board member that this is their board participation responsibility. The book takes you step by step through the process teaching you that the best way to avoid the fear of the situation is to be well prepared.

However, i think one of the most important aspects of this book is that it convinces board members that theirs is a noble cause and that asking for money should bring a sense of pride, not shame. That may be a hard sell, but i think Lansdowne succeeds.

Lansdowne offers a well organized book that anticipates the pitfall of fund raising, while providing a well mapped procedure to follow.

David Lansdowne is the stern but understanding father of major gift solicitation. He pours light into shadowy corners, sets realistic expectations, punctures silly myths, and swiftly explains each step in the solicitation process, from preparation to asking to the thanks. He delivers full weight on the promise of his title and holds your hand throughout (though his touch is more of a sharp tug; clearly he's been through this a thousand times and heard every board member dodge and complaint). This is a super-fast read; ideal for busy board members. Lansdowne also makes clear that success is mostly a matter of diligence, common sense, and heeding expert advice -- and his advice is rock solid, industry tested. I rank this top shelf, up there with Kay Sprinkel Grace's Ultimate Board book and Jerry Panas' Asking.

Great tool for fundraising planning. Workable model for creating a donation and fundraising plan for nonprofit companies.

Terry & Doug Schaff have provided a virtual road map in The Fundraising Planner. The information is presented in a clear and well thought out manner presenting information that can be seamlessly inserted into your current programs. The planner illustrates how to develop, plan and implement the strategies necessary to conduct successful and accountable fundraising activities.

This book truly has something for everyone. From the neophyte to the seasoned professional, the Schaffs have provided a tool that will take your plans to the next level. The planner truly is a step-by-step guide that does not insult the reader with coddling phrases and usless data. Each chapter delves ever deeper into the raison d'etre for each mechanism used to move the fundraising process.

As a Development Director I found many applications within the planner that I can utilize to complement my planning activities. The real world applications provided after each step are valuable exercises as you facilitate your yearly planning process. The information presented is very timely, relevant and useful.

Well Done!

I loved this book. It was one of the first books on fundraising for nonprofits I purchased back in 2004 to learn about fundraising in the nonprofit community or sector. Throughout my 2-year stint as an associate consultant at a consulting firm specializing in capital campaign direction, I thought of and refered to this book book often. Besides the fact that it provides a stellar model for NPOs to use in developing a fundraising plan for their organizations, it also introduced me to the 3 C's: Capacity, Commitment, and Connection.

If you turn to pages 85 and 86 of this lovely book you will learn that one criteria for evaluating prospective donors is to consider their "capacity" to give. Another important criteria to consider is the "connection" a prospective donor has with the organization. I like the third criteria term "commitment," but I don't think the author uses it appropriately here. If a donor has already given a gift to the nonprofit, then they are no longer a prospect. They are part of the nonprofit's family so to speak. They merely need to be upgraded over time.

I like to think of there really being 5 C's when evaluating a potential donor or an existing donor:

1. Capacity: How much can the individual give as a gift? The wealthier the better.
2. Connection: What is the individual's connection to the nonprofit? Without some sort of connection there is little hope that the individual will be willing to donate something.
3. Commitment: What is the individual's history of commitment toward this nonprofit or similar nonprofits? Has the individual at least made some donations or volunteered their time?
4. Care: What is the individual's history of caring for or being concerned about the cause or causes promoted by your nonprofit or similar nonprofits? Does this individual at least have some positive emotion regarding your nonprofit?
5. Contribution: What contributions has this individual actually made to your nonprofit? The larger money gifts the better.

This book is designed as a workbook. And it is really well outlined and written. The exercises it includes will help the reader create a fundraising roadmap to success. It will help the reader get a fundraising plan down on paper so the nonprofit it was written for can benefit from it. This book is centered on a fundraising model that most NPOs can follow.

Creating a written fundraising plan is not a waste of time. This is just as true as it is not a waste of time for a for-profit to prepare a written business plan that includes a written marketing plan. With a written fundraising plan in your arsenal of fundraising tools, you will be able to improve your command of scheduling and your ability to coordinate and track fundraising progress. If you cannot monitor your fundraising progress or lack of progress, then you will ultimately fail to reach your fundraising goals. Get this book and use it to prosper. 5 stars!

The Fundraising Planner does a nice job covering the "particulars" of planning without losing sight of the bigger picture. Like other titles in the Jossey-Bass series, this guide is helpful in structuring an approach and strategy for raising funds. Practical and well-written.

This is a pretty solid introductory book to fundraising, donor management, proposals, etc. If you are new to the business I would definitely recommend it, though more experienced people might not find it quite as helpful. (though there are still a some good nuggets of information)

To read about this amazing woman makes me realize that everyone can do more to make life in America better. When someone, who worked for years in a shoe factory, can spend 45 years of her life changing the things that are wrong. Here's a description from the Granny D website:
"In 2003 and 2004, she embarked on a 23,000 mile tour of the "swing states," encouraging women and the residents of poor neighborhoods to register to vote. She walked through housing projects considered too dangerous to visit by many, and registering voters all along her way.

In the spring of 1994, at the age of 94, when no Democrat would run against popular U.S Senator Judd Gregg in her home state of New Hampshire, she announced for the seat, with the idea that she would use the campaign to speak out against the Bush policies. Even through she was the official Democratic Party nominee for the seat, she refused all special interest PAC contributions, walking the neighborhoods of the state to talk to people directly. When the red state of New Hampshire turned blue in 2004 presidential vote by a mere 9,000 votes, her campaign was given a share of the credit."
This lady is 96 years old and still making a difference!!!

I say bravo to Ms. Haddock and to her book! I believe this country needs more passionate input and action from its citizens with regards to our government and the political nightmare we have all help to create and Granny D - Delivers.

Ms. Haddock, as a Californian, may I suggest a sequel to your what I hope will become most successful book: Granny D2 - Raising a little more hell! This one could add "Recall Campaign Financing Reform" to the agenda!

Regarding the lone star reviewer: A Texan against campaign spending limits...what a surprise!

Granny D is a patriot. Since her amazing walk across the country promoting campaign finance reform at the ripe young age of 90, she has resisted retiring on memories of her amazing feat. She continues her work to reform our government, and is still actively working to return the rule of our government back into the hands of "We the People", from the moneyed hands of "we the corporations.

But read this book even if you disagree with the goals or politics of this woman. Read this book because the spirit of an authentic American citizen shines through and because she is a terrific writer.

And please, take with a rather large grain of salt, the comments of the previous writer; one can only wonder for which corporation he/she is a paid shill for.

I confess I too was prepared to find that Granny D was, shall we say, "eccentric"... but reading Doris's book I came to know and love her. She put her very life on the line for a cause she believed in, and through her tenacity, wit and courage brought it to the national consciousness. This book is basically her travel diary and memoir. She vividly describes the incredible diversity of people she met across the country, mostly ordinary working folks who shared her sense of disenfranchisement. She relates how devoting herself passionately to a worthy cause saved her life. Her amazing speeches, transcribed in the book, are real stem-winders -- hard to believe a retired shoe-factory worker wrote them. A great and inspiring read. See also the many reviews of the hardcover edition. "Fort Worth": you slung a lot of invective but didn't mention anything about the book; have you read it?

Even if you believe that money has no corrupting effects on politics (much less that it does so to the point that it may subordinate national health and security to the almighty corporate interest) then you should be able to appreciate the fact that an 89 year old woman decided to walk from coast to coast in protest of what she saw as a deterioration of the American system. When Margaret Mitchell was asked what Gone with the Wind was about, she replied that it was about Gumption. I've always thought that was a great adjective for the great American novel. While the rest of us may wring our hands (and write online reviews) when faced with adversity, some people decide they have to do something and do it. That is what makes this country the best in the world and Granny D represents that most American trait-- gumption.