Books and Publications

Big Gifts for Small Groups: A Board Member’s 1-hour Guide to Securing Gifts of $500 to $5,000, by Andy Robinson, 2004, 112 pages, $24.95 plus shipping. A wonderfully
engaging book for board members of small nonprofits (or anyone, for that matter) on the art of asking for major gifts from individuals. Order from Emerson & Church, Publishers at www.emersonandchurch.com or by calling 508-359-0019. Discounts available for quantities of 5 or more (call for information).

Board Café is a free electronic newsletter exclusively for members of nonprofit boards offering a menu of ideas, information, opinion, news and resources to help board members give and get the most out of board service. To get Board Café, send an E-mail message to info@compasspoint.org, and in the body of the message type SUBSCRIBE BOARD CAFÉ.

BoardSource (formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards) has a number of fine publications:

• Fundraising and the Nonprofit Board Member, by Fisher Howe, 1998, 24 pages, $9 for members, $12 for non-members
• Fearless Fund-Raising for Nonprofit Boards, by G. Worth George, 1996, 24 pages, $12 for members, $16 for non-members
• Shaking the Money Tree, by BoardSource, 2000, 16 pages, $7.50 for members, $10 for non-members

Order any of these publications from the web site at www.boardsource.org or call (202) 452-6262 or (800) 883-6262 for more information.

Grassroots Fundraising Journal The Board of Directors: Developing an Effective Board, by Kim Klein and Stephanie Roth, includes 10 how-to articles, several of them on board fundraising, $12. To order, visit www.grassrootsfundraising.org, or call, toll free (888) 458-8588.

• "So You Want Your Board to Raise Money," Vol. 2, #1, February 1983
• "When Board Members Wriggle Out of Fundraising," December 1989
• "Beyond Board Bashing," by G. Worth George, August 1990
• "From Rags to Riches in Only Three Years!" Vol. 10, #6, December 1991
• "55 Ways for Board members to Raise $500," Vol. 15, #1, February 1996

To get these articles, you must order the entire issue. Each issue is $5 and can be ordered from the web site at www.grassrootsfundraising.org or call (888) 458-8588. An annual subscription to the Journal is $32 for six issues.

River Voices
"Capturing the Magic of the Board," Volume 5, Number 1/Spring 1994, 20 pages, $2.40 for Partners, $3 for non-Partners. Includes several fundraising articles. Order by calling (503) 241-3506 or online at www.rivernetwork.org.

Training and Consulting Resources

Listed below are a few places to find consulting services and training courses on how to involve your board in fundraising. If you want to train your board members in fundraising techniques, consider bringing in an outside trainer who can tailor a workshop to meet their particular needs.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals holds an annual conference which provides training in almost every aspect of fundraising, including board fundraising. There are also chapter conferences, usually called "Fundraising Days," in most major cities which provide a wealth of opportunities. For details, check the web site at www.afpnet.org.

BoardSource offers training and consulting for and about boards. See their web site, www.boardsource.org, for a detailed listing.

Conservation Impact is a private consulting firm located in Denver, founded to help conservation organizations successfully achieve their missions to protect the earth. For consulting or tailored training, contact them at (303) 321-4405.

The Environmental Support Center provides funding to environmental nonprofits, especially advocacy organizations serving communities of color, for board training and consulting. They will also refer you to trainers and consultants in your area. For more information, consult their web site at www.envsc.org or call them at (202) 331-9700.

The Institute for Conservation Leadership sometimes has training programs on board fundraising, and will consult or tailor workshops to fit your board's needs. See their website at www.icl.org or call them at (301) 270-2900.

Check local nonprofit management support centers, such as the Georgia Center for Nonprofits or the Support Center of Chicago, for board fundraising courses. To locate the nearest support center, search by city and state on the Alliance for Nonprofit Management's web site, www.allianceonline.org/Provider_Search.

Andy Robinson is an experienced fundraising consultant and trainer, specializing in helping nonprofit environmental organizations. Contact Andy at andyfund@earthlink.net.

Marc Smiley is a consultant and trainer located in Portland, Oregon, specializing in board development and planning. See his web site at www.marcsmiley.com.

Training Resources for the Environmental Community, located near Seattle, Washington, sometimes has training programs covering board fundraising. They also have an information and referral hotline for answering specific questions. For more information, call TREC at (206) 463-7800 or check their web site at www.trecnw.org.

Web Sites

Here are a few web sites to launch your search for additional materials on board fundraising:

www.boardsource.org
BoardSource, formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards, is an outstanding resource for practical information, tools and best practices, training, and leadership development for board members of nonprofit organizations worldwide. To take full advantage, you have to pay the $88 membership dues, but some information and links are available free.

www.allianceonline.org/faqs
The Alliance for Nonprofit Management's site has some good material on board fundraising under the topic "Fundraising."

www.genie.org
This site, sponsored by the California Management Assistance Partnership, has some good information.

www.mapnp.org
The Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits, located in Minnesota, has a free management library, which has very good materials on board fundraising under the topic "Fundraising."

www.raise-funds.com
Tony Poderis' web site has a number of relevant articles accessed by clicking on "Fund Raising Forum Library."

www.raisingmoremoney.com.
This web site, put together by fundraiser Terry Axelrod, has some great articles on board fundraising. Click on “Free Resources” , then on “Archives”, and scan the “Board” section. The best materials are preceded by the word “feature.”

www.zimmerman-lehman.com
This California-based consulting firm has a good write-up on “Boards that Love Fundraising”, under “Free Articles.”