These resources help us to think creatively about how to optimize fundraising revenue. We hope they inform, inspire and challenge your thinking as well.

Business Concepts for Fundraising

Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization (Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright)
Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright have produced research to show the enormous importance of culture in the workplace. Their book, Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization identifies five levels that work groups, or “tribes,” can progress through – from wallowing in self-pity to being highly productive and happy. Click to read our review.

Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential (Dan Pallotta)
Dan Pallotta’s recent book, Uncharitable, challenges us to consider why charities do not have equal rights as for-profit organizations in the market. Check out the resource page of his book’s website for some great information and links.

Change By Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation (Tim Brown)
Tim Brown’s book on Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation created quite a buzz, not just because it was a different way of looking at design. It was also about thinking. Brown extends his ideas – born in the rough and tumble of commerce – to the world of non-profits. Click to read our review.

Opposable Mind: Winning Through Integrative Thinking (Roger Martin)
Roger Martin, in his book Opposable Mind: Winning Through Integrative Thinking, makes clear that it is one thing to have an opposable mind, it is quite another to use it. To exploit its full potential we have to learn and practise integrative thinking. Under his guidance you can deconstruct options A and B, analyze their true strengths and weaknesses, and work through multiple models to that elegant solution that is beyond unacceptable trade-offs. Click to read our review.

Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age (Clay Shirky)
Social media guru Clay Shirky tells us in his second book – Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age – how and why we should stop being couch potatoes and get involved. The power of collaborations is the new ideas and ways of doing things that business-as-usual can’t match. Click to read our review.

Design Driven Innovation: Changing the Rules of Competition by Radically Innovating What Things Mean (Roberto Verganti)
Fundraisers take note of Design Driven Innovation: Changing the Rules of Competition by Radically Innovating What Things Mean.
Roberto Verganti is part of a growing drumbeat on the need to innovate, and the strength of his book is how fully he spells out the need, the process, and the impact. His verdict is salutary: keep producing new ideas, consistently; or run and run and get nowhere.
Click to read our review.

 

Staying up-to-date on the nonprofit sector:

  • The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Sign-up for the daily e-alert.
  • The NonProfit Times. Good e-newsletters.
  • Charity Village.com. An especially good resource for Canadian nonprofits.
  • Give and Take. This blog captures postings from other fundraising blogs and links to the best blogs.
  • Social Enterprise Alliance. This site will challenge you to think about how to generate revenue for your organization that reaches beyond fundraising.
  • nfpSynergy. A UK based research consultancy for nonprofit organizations. This site has some great free articles and good links, and the e-newsletter is really worthwhile.
  • Stanford’s Social Innovation Review. This Stanford publication brings innovative ideas and new perspectives to increasing nonprofit revenue. Overall, it is exploring a fundamental shift in how we think about fundraising.