Beyond Fund Raising: New Strategies for Nonprofit Innovation and Investment (Nsfre/Wiley Fund Development Series)

Beyond Fund Raising: What It Means

"Because this book is written for volunteers and staff people working in a sector that is based on the measurable success of its fund raising, the title may seem odd. The principle is simple: To go beyond fund raising, organizations must do more than fund raise. They must:

• Believe and practice the principle that development is a comprehensive process of which fund raising is a pivotal part
• Understand that development is the series of deliberate activities by which we engage and retain funders in a donor-investor relationship with our organizations
• Embrace stewardship—the process of involving and appreciating donor-investors and bringing them into a deeper relationship with the organizations—as the most critical development practice
• Give up the view that "development" is just an unlinked series of approaches to prospects and donors (mail appeals, phonathons) yields revenues and donors from year to year. That is not development; it is fund raising. And, it is not enough

The need for the nonprofit sector to go beyond fund raising and to understand and apply development principles is growing. Increased competition among funders and a higher level of sophistication among donors have changed the nature of philanthropy, development, and fund raising. This shift in expectations requires organizations to practice the longer-term process of development: to go beyond fund raising." —Kay Sprinkel Grace

A donation to a nonprofit organization is an investment in the community the organization serves.... The philanthropic sector has an opportunity to build stronger communities through boldness, innovation, and new models for action that are based on results, not needs; on investment opportunities, not institutional financial urgency.... Donors do not give to organizations because organizations have needs; they give because organizations meet needs.

It is time to infuse the nonprofit sector with innovation and investment strategies that will develop long-term relationships with funders and volunteers. These relationships must be based on an understanding between organizations and their donor-investors of their mutual responsibility to provide essential community services. They must be inspired by shared values, partnership, respect, and vision.

The request for a gift is less an appeal for money to meet the organization's budget goals than an invitation to join in an entrepreneurial venture, an opportunity to invest in a process that will pay dividends in the form of a stronger, more vital community. Beyond Fund Raising is a blueprint for building new donor-organization relationships and explains how organizations can integrate fund-raising practices into the far more dynamic, comprehensive, and rewarding process of development. This book helps nonprofit organizations replace the feeling of begging with innovative practices that will create stable, ongoing donor-investor relationships.

Beyond Fund Raising examines the common concerns of many nonprofits and offers proven steps to attract and retain donor-investors—not just to the organization, but to its mission. Supplemented with forms, task lists, and charts to help readers incorporate this new philosophy into their own organizations, this book shows nonprofits how to:

• Use a broader context of values-based philanthropy, development, and fund raising
• Maximize board development and participation and prevent mission drift
• Assess community needs by "replacing their mirrors with windows" as they plan
• Institute institutional planning that supports these innovations at three levels: philosophical, strategic, and tactical

For fund-raising professionals, nonprofit executives, board members, other volunteers and consultants, Beyond Fund Raising offers the key to both a successful financial future and a reinvigorated organization.