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Maintain your focus, your productivity, and your sanity in the contemporary fundraising environment
In Focused Fundraising: How to Raise Your Sights and Overcome Overload, accomplished nonprofit management strategists and leaders Christopher Cannon and Michael Felberbaum deliver a must-read combination of the latest mindfulness techniques and operational strategies that will equip you to succeed in an increasingly chaotic, noisy, and confusing fundraising environment. You'll find concrete strategies to navigate the challenges of modern fundraising, including technology changes, scarce resources, and shifting donor expectations.
In the book, you'll also find:
* Hands-on skills for sharpening your focus while those around you are giving in to endless distractions
* An insightful combination of big-picture views and micro-considerations that offer a practical roadmap to set and stick with your priorities
* Practical applications of tried and true mindfulness and nonprofit strategy research that you can implement immediately in your organization
An essential, desk-side resource for nonprofit board members, managers, leaders, and team members, Focused Fundraising is a one-of-a-kind toolbox designed to help you tackle the challenges you face every day.
List of contents
Welcome to Focused Fundraising: How to RAISE Your Sights and Overcome Overload vii
Part I The Challenges of Focused Fundraising 1
Chapter 1 The Constant Craziness of Nonprofit Life 3
Chapter 2 Focus Begins by Valuing the Work 7
Chapter 3 You Can Focus Because You Are Mindful 15
Chapter 4 The Tech Tug and Instant Overload 19
Chapter 5 Why Instant Overload Is Here to Stay: The 4 Ms 27
Chapter 6 This Is Not the Focus You're Looking For 37
Part II Focus- First: the Raise Framework 53
Chapter 7 How RAISE Helps 55
Chapter 8 Recognize Your Point of View 63
Chapter 9 Assess Your Standards 69
Chapter 10 Inspire Your Efforts 81
Chapter 11 Structure Your Work 93
Chapter 12 Evolve Your Approach 107
Part III Focused Fundraising Teams 115
Chapter 13 The Importance of Culture 117
Chapter 14 Prospect Development 125
Chapter 15 Engagement Strategies 135
Chapter 16 Fundraising Operations 139
Chapter 17 Strategic Information Management 151
Chapter 18 The Power of Maturity Models 159
Chapter 19 Focused Fundraising Maturity Model 167
Chapter 20 Further Thoughts on Thought Work 175
Chapter 21 Causativity 189
Conclusion 193
Toolkit: RAISE: Practical Examples and Coaching Prompts 199
Bibliography 213
Acknowledgments 217
Index 219
About the author
CHRISTOPHER M. CANNON is the President of Management Consulting at Zuri Group, where he advises many of the world's top nonprofits and oversees projects for clients who raise billions of dollars each year. He is the author of
An Executive's Guide to Fundraising Operations.
MICHAEL FELBERBAUM is the leader of Yale University's Advancement Systems and the co-founder of Causativity.org. Michael is a long-time mindfulness meditation practitioner and teacher. He also serves as a Board Member of New Haven's Solar Youth.
