Keep Your Donors: The Guide to Better Communications & Stronger Relationships (The AFP Wiley Fund Development Series)

482 Pages·2007·3.62 MB·English

by  Tom Ahern

Keep Your
Donors
The Guide to Better
Communications & Stronger
Relationships
Tom Ahern
Simone Joyaux
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

AdditionalPraiseforKeepYourDonors:TheGuidetoBetterCommunications
and Stronger Relationships
‘‘Keep Your Donors servesas a reminder that what really counts inthese donor
relationshipsistheabilitytocommunicateourorganization’svisioninsuchaclear,
relevant,compellingandpassionatewaythattheyactuallylookforwardtohearing
from us. This book offers a practical prescription for many nonprofit ailments,
from failure to actively listen to failure to inspire action. It should be on every
thoughtful practitioner’s bookshelf.’’
—Sandra A. Adams, Senior Vice President, External Affairs
National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund
‘‘Every single person who considers themselves to be part of building donor
relationships must read this book. Truly superb concrete, research based
information. You will wish you had it with you all along!’’
—Patricia M Dowling, MSW, Executive Director of The Shoreline Soup
Kitchens & Pantries, and past Board President of Interval House.
‘‘This book isn’t about gimmicks, taste or (what we all secretly fear)
manipulating relationships to take advantage of others. Simone and Tom
synthesize the body of knowledge and research on fundraising to teach you to
communicate so someone can tell if your organization is worthy of his or her
interest-andgift.Yourrelationshipwithdonorsisbasedontheirdesiretomakethe
worldbetter insomeway,andyourorganization’sabilitytoaccomplishit.They
transformedhowIwrite(andIwasgoodbefore)andmadeitmorecomfortable
for myself and board members to ask.’’
—Stephen Slaten, Ph.D., Executive Director
Jewish Family Service of Worcester, Inc.
‘‘Withinspiredprecision,energyandpassion,TomandSimonehavesetanew
milestone and raised the bar for fundraisers around the world. Keep your Donors
throwsdownthegauntlet–itisnowuptoustosharetheirvisionandstepoutside
ourcomfortzonestomeetthechallengesoftheflatphilanthropicworldheadon!’’
—Jon Duschinsky, Fundraiser
France
‘‘Thisbookisa‘‘must-have’’forthosewhowanttomovebeyondcompetence
toexcellence,beyondformulatostrategy,beyondimmediate‘‘fix’’tolong-term
stability.’’
—Sarah C. Coviello, CFRE, President
Coviello and Associates

Keep Your
Donors

Keep Your
Donors
The Guide to Better
Communications & Stronger
Relationships
Tom Ahern
Simone Joyaux
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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ISBN:978-0-470-08039-9
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
&
The AFP Fund Development Series
TheAFPFundDevelopmentSeriesisintendedtoprovidefunddevelopment
professionalsandvolunteers,includingboardmembers(andothersinterested
inthenonprofitsector),withtop-quality publicationsthathelpadvancephilan-
thropyas voluntaryaction for the public good. Our goal is to provide practical,
timely guidance and information on fundraising, charitable giving, and related
subjects. The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and Wiley each
bringtothisinnovativecollaborationuniqueandimportantresourcesthatresult
inawholegreaterthanthesumofitsparts.Forinformationonotherbooksinthe
series, please visit:
http://www.afpnet.org
The Association of Fundraising
Professionals
The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) represents 28,000 members
in more than 185 chapters throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and
China,workingtoadvancephilanthropythroughadvocacy,research,education,
and certification programs.
The association fosters development and growth of fundraising professionals
and promotes high ethical standards in the fundraising profession. For more
informationortojointheworld’slargestassociationoffundraisingprofessionals,
visit www.afpnet.org.
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