613-550 Ontario St.
Toronto, Ontario
M4X 1X3
Packed with the hard-hitting
basics of all aspects of fundraising -- Canadian Fundraiser
Forget product sales and/or standing on the street with a begging cup. There are far better ways to raise money for non-profit causes, ways that will make your group self-sufficient and enable it to deliver the programs you care about. This book tells you how to do that and it does so in a step-by-step fashion that anyone can follow.
If you are just getting started in fundraising, The Best of Fundraising 101 will tell you how to apply for grants and what to do once you get one. It tells you how to get started in Direct Mail. It explains how and why you should hold an annual special event.
Even if you don't get a ton of cash from it, the annual special event will pull new people into your organization and provide you with a ton of free publicity. That means people are much more likely to contribute the next time you ask. Non-profit causes are about people working together to solve problems. The more people you get involved and feeling a sense of ownership around your cause, the more money you raise.
So who am I and how did I get all this fundraising knowledge? I was first introduced to the area of fundraising when, way back in 1986, I became the office manager for Ken Wyman & Associates, a firm of fundraising consultatnts. My job was to answer the phone, do the filing and coordinate something Ken had created called the Brown Bag Lunches. It was a free monthly seminar at a community centre where either he, the senior associate Lynn, or a guest speaker would give a talk about some aspect of fundraising. My job was to write down what they said and write it up in newsletter format. I learned a lot that way but I learned more back in the office. It was a small office and there were only room dividers between my desk, Ken’s and Lynn’s. So anytime a client came for a consultation, I got to listen in. Anytime Ken talked to a client on the phone, I was more or less forced to listen. It was like getting a graduate course in the fundamentals of fundraising. Eventually, I left Ken Wyman & Associates but I continued to feel that there was a need for good basic fundraising information. New groups start up all the time and look for ways to raise funds for their causes. I felt they could use a good basic introduction to the fundamentals so I started another newsletter called Fundraising 101. Seven years later there were more than enough issues to compile into a book and that’s what I did. The result is The Best of Fundraising 101. Anyone could pick up this book and learn something, but it is primarily targeted at groups that are either new and need to learn the basics or have been around a while and need to learn more.
If you or esomeone in your group needs to learn how to write a direct mail letter or a grant proposal, I think this book is as good a place to start as any. Running a special event? That chapter has checklists to make your job easier and ensure you don't forget something vital.
I did my best to make instructions easy to follow and I think I succeeded. One reader told me she used each issue of the newsletter as a checklist just to ensure that she had covered all her bases when she was involved in a campaign. If you would like a copy of The Best of Fundraising 101, it is available in both paper and e-book formats
The other way to get the book is as a PDF file. When you click on the white buy now button, you will be taken to Payloadz, which is a subsidiary of PayPal and very secure. You will be asked to either enter your credit card information or log into your Paypal account to make the payment. After you checkout, Payloadz will send you a link that allows you to download the e-book version instantly. You will need Acrobat Reader to read the book but that is a completely free download from Adobe.com and something you should have even if you don't order my book.
If you are not comfortable with using your credit card to order thru Paypal, you can print this page (File menu...print) and send a cheque or money order to Fred Gardiner, 613-550 Ontario St., Toronto, ON M4X 1X3.