Packed with the hard-hitting basics of all aspects of fundraising -- Canadian Fundraiser

Just getting started in fundraising need to learn what techniques that are considered best practices? If so, this book is for you. In a step-by-step fashion that anyone can follow it covers everything from applying for grants to launching a planned giving programme.

It lays out the very practical reasons for holding an annual special event (and raising a pile of cash is just one of them) and moves on to how you can become self-sufficient by getting started in direct mail.

Do you have a list of wealthy influential people in your database that you are planning to ask for a major gift? By the time you finish Chapter Seven, you will, or at the very least you will know how start compiling one.

Do you want your cause to be sponsored by a corporation? Fine, but you need to know what they expect to get out of the deal and it isn't only to look like good members of the community. They almost always expect there to be some positive impact on their bottom line and if there isn't, they may give you some support but it won't be major and ongoing. Chapter Eight tells you how to present them with a proposal they can say yes to.

The Best of Fundraising 101 also has chapters on marketing for non-profits, recruiting volunteers, and keeping donors happy so that they stay with you for the long haul.

Anyone can pick up this book and learn something, but it is primarily targeted at groups that are new and need to learn the basics or have been around a while and need to learn what they may have missed along the way or simply forgotten about.
Most fundraising techniques are of the tried-and-true variety, which can be a bit tricky if you are trying to appear original in your approach. That's why there's a chapter that shows how almost any idea can be turned into a fundraiser, from flying paper airplanes to taking snapshots with your digital camera.

Fundraising is all about connecting with potential donors and persuading them to join you in a great adventure called making a difference in the lives of others. If you are just starting out on that adventure, or are already a good part of the way into it and need to get back on track, this book is the reliable guide you are looking for.