August 31, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Accidental Fundraiser: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Money for Your Cause
by Stephanie Roth and Mimi Ho
Because small groups can rarely afford to hire a fund raiser even for short-term goals, inexperienced volunteers are often given the responsibility of raising money, and may struggle with the very essentials: asking for donations, organizing campaigns, and keeping detailed records. The Accidental Fundraiser guides beginners who find themselves “unexpectedly needing to raise some money to carry out a particular project, activity, or event.”
Written by Stephanie Roth, editor of the Grassroots Fundraising Journal, and Mimi Ho, program director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, in Oakland, Calif., this book outlines 11 fund-raising approaches that individuals and smaller groups can carry out successfully, such as phone banks, community dinners, and raffles, and classifies them in three sections: “asking people,” “social gatherings,” and “selling.”
The authors propose creative and inexpensive methods for gathering donations, and include for each approach notes on how many volunteers are needed, how much money can be raised, what context an effort is best suited for, and how much time is necessary.
In a chapter on house parties, the authors suggest that to save money, groups can hold a “virtual house party” by sending a lighthearted letter to potential donors describing an imaginary event to which they are “invited,” concluding with a pitch for contributions.
The book also offers practical tips on motivating volunteers, building confidence about asking for money, and thanking donors; a resource section includes forms and phone scripts that can be photocopied and personalized for each organization.
Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94103; (800) 956-7739; fax (317) 572-4002; http://www.josseybass.com; 303 pages; $19.95; ISBN 0-7879-7805-1.
