Something you learn pretty quickly when you meet the Oneicity team (whether that’s one of us or a group of us), is that we love to read. In fact, on Facebook you’ll see a book recommendation list from Oneicity team members at the beginning of each month.
But these end up being mostly novels or historical nonfiction.
So, one question we often hear is, “Do you have any fundraising books you’d recommend?”
Yes, we do!
There are a ton of books about fundraising, nonprofits, and leadership out there. Not all of them are great (in our opinion), but there are a lot that we recommend. Whether you’re a seasoned fundraiser or you’re staring down your first fourth quarter, there are many resources out there that can help.
Here are a few, just to get you started:
- Donoricity, by Steve Thomas. We’re not going to pretend to be neutral here. Obviously we recommend Steve’s book—and not just because we know him. In it, you’ll find an easy and effective approach to building a fundraising strategy for your nonprofit that you and your donors will love.
- Fundraising When Money is Tight, by Mal Warwick. It wouldn’t be a book list about fundraising without including Mal Warwick. Pay no attention to the publishing date on the book, because most of the theories still apply today.
- Made to Stick, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Most of fundraising is storytelling, and this book walks you through the principles of writing a story that sticks in the brain of the reader. Which is kind of important in fundraising. It’s also on the more entertaining side of books we read for work.
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek. Most of us have seen his TED talk, and this book is just as good. Sinek looks at how and why some organizations and people are more effective and successful than others. Don’t get caught up on the “leader” portion of the title—even if no one in your organization reports to you, someone is looking up to you whether you know it or not.
- Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade, by Robert Cialdini. Successful fundraising gives donors a reason or desire to give their hard-earned money to an organization. Pre-Suasion gives tips on maximizing your potential to cut through distractions in donors’ minds and clear the way for them to take the action (giving a gift) that deep down they want to do.
Check these out (as of right now they’re all available on Amazon) and let us know what you think. And if you have some favorites, send them our way! You can email us at howdy@oneicity.com or find us on Twitter @oneicity.
