Fundraising When Money Is Tight: A Strategic and Practical Guide to Surviving Tough Times and Thriving in the Future (The Mal Warwick Fundraising Series)

Don't panic. Calmly, capably (as only a totally immersed 30 year veteran and thought-leader can be), Mal Warwick examines the downturn and its impact on charitable giving in the past (the single best analysis I've encountered), then explains what reasonable and determined nonprofits can do to counter the ill effects. Mal explains what to do, why to do it, when to do it, and how. With the agility of a gymnast, he moves the reader through the inner workings of the Boston Matrix (which helps you decide which fundraising activities to cut and which to save) ... to a fine, fast discussion of direct mail "creativity" and its down side ... to segmentation ... to stepping up your efforts online. I'd call this a back to basics book, but I think that's misleading. I think this is more a "back to the basics you might have been doing all along but probably weren't, with a ton of new research and insights added." Empowering. Entertaining. Reassuring. Serious (i.e., not for the weak). It joins a line of essential books by Mal Warwick that have enlightened (and, now maybe, helped save) countless nonprofits. Fundraising When Money Is Tight: A Strategic and Practical Guide to Surviving Tough Times and Thriving in the Future 17 CONTENTS 19 WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK 21 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 23 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 27 WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD CAUSES 33 Part I: Why You Really Ought to Make Changes in Your Fundraising Program 47 Chapter 1: What History Teaches Us 49 Philanthropy in Recessionary Times 51 Giving During the Depression 56 Chapter 2: A Proven Way to Anticipate the Future 61 How Scenario Planning Works 63 Chapter 3: Three Scenarios for Economic Recovery 71 Scenario A: Happy Days Are Here Again 72 Scenario B: On the Road Again 75 Scenario C: Misery Loves Company 76 Chapter 4: Three Possible Fundraising Strategies 83 Strategy 1: The Defensive Approach 83 Strategy 2: The Selective Approach 85 Strategy 3: The Aggressive Approach 89 Chapter 5: Identify a Winning Strategy 93 Consequences of Pursuing the Defensive Approach 95 Results of the Aggressive Approach 97 What Happens with the Selective Approach? 98 Part II: How You Can Face the Present More Calmly and the Future with Confidence 103 Chapter 6: Reassess the Whole Ball of Wax: Fundraising, Marketing, Communications 105 What Do You Cut? 107 Reassessing Your Work from the Outside In and the Inside Out 110 Chapter 7: Strengthen Your Case for Giving 119 Vision, Mission, and Values 121 Why Donors Give (or Don’t Give) 124 To Ask or Not to Ask 128 Chapter 8: Be Content with One in the Hand—Forget the Two That May Be in the Bush 129 Good Tests Versus Inconsequential Ones 131 What’s Really "Creative" in Direct Mail Fundraising? 135 Chapter 9: Cut Costs with a Scalpel, Not an Ax 145 Chapter 10: Fish Where the Big Fish Are 163 How Segmentation Works 164 How Segmentation Can Boost Your Bottom Line 172 Chapter 11: Stay Close to Your Donors 175 Give Your Donors That Warm and Fuzzy Feeling 178 Use Technology to Get Closer to Your Donors 181 Research Without Paying Through the Nose 186 Chapter 12: Get Personal with Your Donors 191 Step 1: Design a Questionnaire 191 Step 2: Test the Questionnaire 192 Step 3: Prepare the Direct Mail Package 193 Step 4: Mail the Questionnaire Package to Your Donors 206 Step 5: Enter the Information on Your Donor Database 206 Step 6: Put the Information to Work 206 Chapter 13: Step Up Your Efforts Online 211 Chapter 14: Break Down the Silos 223 Chapter 15: Summary: Nine Practical Steps Toward Peace of Mind 233 READING LIST 243 INDEX 251

A Nonprofit Survival Kit for Hard Times

"This is a must-read for all of us in fundraising. Mal Warwick includes practical approaches for difficult economic times, from zero-based thinking about our programs to strategies for relating to our donors and making certain our fundraising programs are prepared to succeed not only now but when the economy recovers."
—Eugene R. Tempel, president, Indiana University Foundation

"Brilliant! No nonprofit organization can afford to ignore the insightful advice Mal Warwick offers in this concise and eminently readable book. It's practical, down-to-earth, and addresses the complex, real-world challenges of raising money in tough times."
—Ben Jealous, president, NAACP

"Fundraising When Money Is Tight is an important book in a difficult time for all. This is the right book for anyone who is committed to advancing the public good."
—Jane Wales, founder, Global Philanthropy Forum, and vice president, Aspen Institute

"This is a must-read book by any fundraising manager. It's timely, it's a good read, and the moment I put it down I made sure my managers got focused, got real, and got with the project today."
—Mark Astarita, director of fundraising, British Red Cross

"Mal Warwick will leave you with a focusing framework and dozens of practical, immediately actionable how-tos. It is hard to imagine anyone in the citizen sector who will not breathe easier after reading this book."
—Bill Drayton, CEO, Ashoka, and chair, Youth Venture