Selling Social Change (Without Selling Out) : Earned Income Strategies for Nonprofits

In Selling Social Change (Without Selling Out) expert fundraising trainer and consultant Andy Robinson shows nonprofit professionals how to initiate and sustain successful earned income ventures that provide financial security and advance an organization's mission. Step by step, this invaluable resource shows how to organize a team, select a venture, draft a business plan, find start-up funding, and successfully market goods and services. Robinson includes critical information on the tax implications of earned income and the pros and cons of corporate partnerships. The book also addresses when to consider outsourcing, collaborating with competitors, and raising additional funds to expand the business. "Andy Robinson shows, once and for all, how commerce can be used to create social change. If you want to generate more income for your organization, strengthen your programs, and revitalize your mission, buy this book."
--Peter Barnes, cofounder, Working Assets

"This book is a must for any nonprofit thinking of starting an earned income venture. Robinson mixes practical advice with real-life examples to create a great how-to and how-not-to manual."
--Mike Roque, executive director, Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training

"Andy Robinson's workshops on earned income get rave reviews from grassroots activists-a notoriously hard-to-please audience. If you can't get to one of his workshops, this book will open your eyes to new avenues for earned income."
--Jan Masaoka, executive director, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services

"Selling Social Change (Without Selling Out) is loaded with practical, serious, yet witty insights about ways to deepen a nonprofit's income. I highly recommend Robinson's book to any organization seeking doable advice on financial sustainability."
--Richard Steckel, author, Filthy Rich: How to Turn Your Nonprofit Fantasies into Cold, Hard Cash

"You get all the how-to's: how to plan, how to price (higher), how to sell (do retail last), and how to learn from your mistakes. Even better, you get an honest discussion of Why? and Why not? If your organization is looking for a dependable revenue stream to replace fickle foundation funding, get this book."
--Joan Flanagan, author, Successful Fundraising

In Selling Social Change (Without Selling Out) expert fundraising trainer and consultant Andy Robinson shows non-profit professionals how to initiate and sustain successful earned income ventures that provide financial security and advance an organization's mission. Step by step, this invaluable resource shows how to organize a team, select a venture, draft a business plan, find start-up funding, and successfully market goods and services. Robinson includes critical information on the tax implications of earned income and the pros and cons of corporate partnerships. The book also addresses when to consider outsourcing, collaborating with competitors, and raising additional funds to expand the business. Grounded in grassroots nonprofit experience, Selling Social Change (Without Selling Out) profiles two dozen organizations that use commerce to become more financially secure -- and stay true to their fundamental values along the way. Drawing a distinction between capitalism and small-scale commerce, fundraising consultant Robinson presents advice on how progressive organizations can develop and sell goods and services in order to finance their social goals. He discusses the creation and evaluation of earned income projects, the development of business plans, the raising of start-up funds, and successful marketing. Worksheets and brief case studies complement the text. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Shows nonprofits how to initiate and sustain successful earned income ventures that not only provide greater financial security but also advance the organization's mission. This book walks readers through the process of organizing a team, selecting a venture, drafting a business plan and securing start-up funding. When I was seven years old, I loaded my unwanted toys into my red Radio Flyer wagon and went door to door trying to sell them to the other kids in the neighborhood.