[BOOK REVIEW] Classic fundraising book is back, this time with even more

Relationship Fundraising: A Donor-Based Approach to the Business of Raising Money (3rd Edition) by Ken Burnett

I’ve been a fan of this book almost since the first edition came out in 1992.

Just thinking about the title can be a catalyst for great fundraising. Fundraising can be a relationship? Really?

It can! It must!

Back in the 90s, Relationship Fundraising was a sort of meme for a fundraising revolution that was growing in our industry. Standard fundraising back then was all about getting good at asking. And asking. And asking.

What was becoming clear was all-asking fundraising was breaking down. So we were ready to re-think it, and Relationship Fundraising came along at just the right time.

But of course it was more than just the idea of “relationship fundraising.” The book was full of practical actions and philosophical direction for anyone who wanted to move toward relationship-based fundraising in real life.

This 3rd edition is a big book. More than 500 pages. With important learnings on every page. Rather than read it all at once, take it slowly — like read one chapter a month That’s why I urge you to take your time with it. Read a bit at a time and let things sink in. With 14 chapters and 15 appendices, you’ve got more than two years’ treasure heading your way!

In the meantime, here are some practical ways you can make and keep friendships with your donors (from chapter 9):

• Don’t emphasise finding new blood unless you are already doing all you can to keep your existing donors.
• Set up a logical program of reactivation for lapsed donors.
• Intrude appropriate schemes of recognition and reward.
• Hold a donor recognition event at least once each year.
• Test your donor-get-donor recruitment methods.
• Consider whether you can make your appeal mailing unique to you and different from the rest, while retaining their effectiveness.
• Establish a telephone information line.

There’s more like this in Relationship Fundraising. So very much more.

Just as the first and second editions were must-haves for the fundraiser’s bookshelf, this one is too. Snap up your copy now. You’ll be glad you did!