It's a Great Day to Fund-Raise! : A Veteran Campaigner Reveals the Development Tips and Techniques That Will Work for You

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Utterly Brilliant!

Fundraising Demystified

The "Bible" of fundraising books

His simple, pragmatic writing style patiently mentors . . .

It's a Great Day to Fund-Raise! : A Veteran Campaigner Reveals the Development Tips and Techniques That Will Work for You
Tony Poderis
Manufacturer: FundAmerica Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0965206602

Customer Reviews:

Utterly Brilliant!.......2004-01-23

Often fund-raising experts understand an organisation's structure well enough to keep it
a float. Tony Poderis, understands the passion and personalities behind the story of each of his non-profit clients / institutions. Tony's insight positions him to get inside their mission as well as the motivations of prospective funders. It helps FUNDERS to GIVE in a way that catapults the financial futures and visibility of non-profits.

"It's a Great Day to Fund-Raise" is utterly brilliant in several ways:

A manual for Trustees.

A companion to non-profit directors.

A crucial first step for prospective board members.

A guide for current board members.

A conclusive resource for FUNDERS helping them to identify non-profits in key areas mentioned in this book.

"It's a Great Day to Fund-Raise" helps non-profits raise more than funds, they gain and raise genuine friends, who will love and care for them through thick and thin.

Wendy Cheltenham

Fundraising Demystified.......2004-01-20

Tony Poderis reminds all of us who have ever been development officers that it's not rocket science. In his words, "It's just hard work." He's right.

Poderis's "Nine Basic Truths of Fundraising" are worth the price of the book alone. But then he goes on to tell us chapter and verse just how to organize a development department, run a fundraising campaign, and work with volunteer leadership.

With over 30 years of fundraising experience, Poderis knows what he writes about. He's done it all and run a major operation as development director for the Cleveland Orchestra.

Newcomers and old hands alike will derive tremendous benefit from this book, and every board member should read the Nine Basic Truths.

This just could be the best book ever written on fundraising.

The "Bible" of fundraising books.......2004-01-19

I have been a development professional for over twenty years, but Mr. Poderis' book has been, and continues to be, right at reach on my desk as his insights and encouragement have been key to my success as a developmen director of a large arts organization.

A more than handy, practical, reference tool which is timeless and always relevant.

His simple, pragmatic writing style patiently mentors . . ........1998-01-09

The problem with Tony Poderis is that he is terribly tardy in writing "It's a Great Day to Fund-Raise!" If I had read it 20 or so years ago, when he should have written it, I would have avoided some of the blunders he warns against. I wouldn't have taken nearly so long to become effective as a fund raiser. And I wouldn't have quite so many gray hairs today, each earned in the hard school of "experience." But (sigh) he wrote it only recently. Of course, there is a good reason for the interminable wait: Tony first had to rack up an incredible 20 years as director of development for The Cleveland Orchestra, where he was responsible for the largest annual institutional fund-raising campaign in Cleveland. Oh, and toss in another four or five years subsequent consulting experience, as well. I note, with some satisfaction, that the author has even more gray hairs than do I -- each one earned, no doubt, in the same "school." As evidence, I present Exhibit A: the picture on the cover (there's Tony standing before, of all things, an open bank vault!). That experience shines through in the book. His simple, pragmatic writing style patiently mentors the reader in the art of effective fund raising. The reader may be new to the field, where a book like this is invaluable and where I suspect Tony directed his focus. Or the reader may be well-experienced, where the book reaffirms lessons learned and truths well tested. Did I use the word "pragmatic"? "It doesn't take a genius to raise money," he states early on. "The process is a combination of common sense, hard work, preparation, courtesy, commitment, enthusiasm, understanding, and a belief in what you are selling." See? As expected, the book starts with goal setting and leadership (Chapter 2). But this is not an academic "text." Rather, the author reaches into his bag of experiences and pulls out the time a board trustee got up and announced, "What we need is more endowment. We ought to have a $50 million endowment campaign." Gulp. Wasn't his hair dark brown just before that? This guy has been there. Done that. That's where mentors come from. Well, actually, Tony starts even sooner than goal setting and leadership. Chapter 1 covers the Nine Basic Truths of Fund-Raising. Here's one: "You don't wait for the 'right' moment to ask; you ask now." I loved that one. How many fund raisers are captivated by the word "cultivation," so much so that they don't seem to understand that fund raising also requires "reaping," too? I often wonder how many fund raisers, were they farmers, would leave their carefully cultivated crop to wilt in the field, season after season? Tony's "Nine Truths" are as close to "theory" as he gets. After Chapter 1, he moves methodically through what it takes to succeed. Chapter 2, on goal setting and leadership, is quickly followed by an admonition to "know your organization" (Chapter 3); creation of a general development plan (Chapter 4); funding sources (Chapter 5); prospecting for donors (Chapter 6); rating and evaluating prospects (Chapter 7); annual campaigns (Chapter 8); endowment campaigns (Chapter 9); capital campaigns (Chapter 10); sponsorships and underwriting campaigns (Chapter 11); developing a campaign plan (Chapter 12); preparing for a campaign (Chapter 13); managing a campaign (Chapter 14); assessing and reviewing a campaign once it's over (Chapter 15); and developing the development team (Chapter 16). Clearly, this is a useful book that I'd wholeheartedly recommend for the fund raising professional -- new or seasoned. But it is also ideal for any other person involved with an organization's fund raising. Tony's simple, straight-forward, no-nonsense style will be welcomed by board members, volunteers, and others who will appreciate being able to get through it over a couple of evenings or a weekend.

No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner

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Spin, spin, spin
Great Historical Look at Democratic Politics
Tedium, Mostly, Except When Infuriating
A good look inside the other team's playbook
Shrum's excellent memoir

No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner
Robert Shrum
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743296516

Book Description

He was named by The Atlantic Monthly as "the most sought-after strategist in the Democratic party." He was targeted by National Review as the Democratic Party's "poet goon." From his unique perspective, Robert Shrum gives us an epic and personal story of the struggle for power in America during the past four decades.

With wit and humor, rare candor, and a wealth of detail, he vividly recounts the real personalities and real forces that shaped the outcome of the closest and most important elections of our time. We are there with Shrum in the back rooms, on the planes, and in the motorcades with Ted Kennedy, Al Gore, John Kerry, John Edwards, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Shrum reveals the manipulations and limitations of old and new forms of political persuasion, from the historic and sometimes controversial speeches he wrote to the negative ads he created for national and statewide candidates, from prepping presidential nominees for critical debates to the deployment of the new political weapon, the Internet.

He lifts the curtain on decisive moments. Did John Kerry and John Edwards actually believe in the Iraq war they voted for? What was the real reason the Kerry campaign didn't respond faster to the Swift Boat attacks? Why didn't Al Gore let Bill Clinton campaign all-out in 2000? How did Clinton get through the first perilous week of the Lewinsky scandal?

This is a provocative journey through recent history: George McGovern's antiwar campaign of 1972, the improbable rise of Jimmy Carter, Senate campaigns that made historic breakthroughs and shaped the presidential contests of the future, the gifts that made Bill Clinton a great politician -- and the circumstances and calculations that kept him from being a great president.

As strategist, adviser, and often friend to the leaders he enlisted with, Shrum shows them as they are, with their strengths and human weaknesses -- as well as his own.

Assailed as a populist who pushed the Democratic Party, in a phrase he coined, "to stand for the people, not the powerful," Shrum argues that unlike Republicans from Reagan on, Democrats fall short, politically or in office, when they trim their convictions and walk away from fundamental issues -- like universal health coverage.

This is one of the most fascinating books ever written about the victories and defeats, the causes and candidates, the "flawed heroes" that drive the high drama of American politics.

Customer Reviews:

Spin, spin, spin.......2007-10-16

Bob Shrum drank the Kool Aid back in high school and has never wavered from his view of the world. A master spin doctor and superb speech writer, this book is a 500-page apolgia for his life in politics, making a fortune advising liberal Democrats. It really is more of a written infomercial by an author who has never engaged in deep philosophical thought and his use for philosophers is limited to appropriating their work for use as rhetorical devices. If you want a gossipy, name-dropping book and are willing to suspend disbelief that a person could be right on all major issues over a 40-year career, this book will suffice. The lack of introspection on the part of a mature, intelligent man is simply stunning.

Great Historical Look at Democratic Politics.......2007-09-16

Shrum gives an indepth look at democratic politics since the late 1960's with an insiders view. Yet, he is willing to point out his shortfalls along the way and the shortfalls of the candidates he served. This book is great for those interested in both an insiders view along with a refreshing dose of history that comes flying back. A little too much history at some points, but a great read all together.

Tedium, Mostly, Except When Infuriating.......2007-09-12

Oh who cares, ultimately, what this spinmeister has to say? He's yesterday's news, thank God. The only interesting thing he has to tell concerns the disastrous poll-driven advice he gave to his candidate clients. If you want to know why Democrats lose elections, I suppose Shrum's book is illuminating - but not, I think, in the way he intended.

A good look inside the other team's playbook.......2007-09-04

Even though I am a Republican and have never voted for one of his candidates, I still enjoyed Shrum's inside look at the campaigns. It was fun to be on the inside of the other side. It is an enjoyable read.
What really struck me, and I do not mean this to be a partisian statement, was the frequency with which the candidates' statements and positions were shaped by polling results and political expediency, rather than the candidates' principles or values. I wonder, are campaigns just a sham to get elected and then the candidate will govern as he or she truly believes? At first you might think so, but remember there is always another election.
Shrum therefore, does give us an interesting inside look at the leaders of at least one of our major political parties. After reading this, I wonder if both parties couldn't do better.

Shrum's excellent memoir.......2007-08-27

Bob Shrum has written an excellent memoir, full of campaigning details not found elsewhere. Easy to read.

My Dream of Martin Luther King (Dragonfly Books)

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Beautiful cover
Facinating book on Martin Luther King Jr.!
Beautifully illustrated and well written
Outstanding!
a unique approach to telling the story of MLK, Jr.

My Dream of Martin Luther King (Dragonfly Books)

Manufacturer: Dragonfly Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0517885778
Release Date: 1998-12-07

Amazon.com

Faith Ringgold had a dream about Martin Luther King. Simply narrated in her own voice, Ringgold--award-winning creator of Tar Beach and Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky paints a vivid, powerful picture of King's childhood and strong family life, along with glimpses of prejudice, segregation, and protest. Her vision blurs dreamily into King's adult life--from his family, to protests of Rosa Parks's arrest, even to his assassination: "This time we had come to mourn Martin Luther King's death by trading in bags containing our prejudice, hate, ignorance, violence, and fear for the slain hero's dream. We emptied the bags onto a great pile, and as the last bag was dumped, the pile exploded into a fire so bright that it lit up the whole world. There, emblazoned across the sky, were the words: EVERY GOOD THING STARTS WITH A DREAM." Illustrated with Ringgold's dramatic folk-modern paintings, My Dream of Martin Luther King is one of the most creative, successful, accessible tributes to Martin Luther King for children that we've seen. (Ages 4 to 8)

Book Description

Now in Dragonfly--from the acclaimed creator of the Caldecott Honor Book Tar Beach comes a personal and captivating portrait of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful cover.......2007-01-12

I have used this book, My Dream of Martin Luther King (Dragonfly Books)
by Faith Ringgold, from my book box that my daughter labeled "The Wonderful African American Experience" for a long time and in various settings. I've read it in South Oxnard, CA at Hathaway School where children are mostly Mexican American first or second generation Americans now, and in the smallest of school districts in the San Diego mountains that services two reservation schools where the children and more established teachers seemed oddly (a couple years ago) worried about my month of Black American Awareness teaching but where the children were absolutely intensely involved in the work. [...] Teaching children in 1st grade through a piece like this is a very interesting construction. For one thing I talk to children embedded within a poverty setting and they are talking about things they find rather amazing. Skin color, past histories...it becomes a platform to discuss the way it is, the way it was, in different places, times, with a wide variety of realities to honor and reveal. I so recall my own daughter who went to Hathaway school at five years of age never really knowing about skin colors as they are seen in a greater world of comparisons based on skins...and having been called "olive" for her Italian complexion, always colored her self-portraits so very dark, returned home from Kindergarten to tell me about a book she read on King in the library. She stated, "Mom he was shot for what he did, people were hosed and dogs set on them and some had separate schools. Mom what kind of place is this"...and I had to tell her I recalled these things, it was America's story, and she just stared at me. Today a class of 6 year olds just stared the exact same way. Try it, get this book, go read to a 1st grade and see what they tell you. How we go from this kind of truth to the insanity of this world is something I can never fully understand. [...]

And as you teach, work on and refine how to talk to these issues and to honor, to learn and to attempt to reach for the truth, you see your limits and you see the palpable ignorance that is what we do. It's a very important job; I do not take it lightly nor see it enough as a part of the dialogs going on in so much of the "schools of the future " work blasting on about the global economy. And that's a crime against all children, an invalidation, this holiday stands to talk to us about much that needs to be done. Education stands with trans formative power. It stands as a public responsibility and a way to shape the future. Not make everyone a millionaire and thus be immunized. It is a way to share our history so we are not condemned to repeat it. This book helps in that quest.

[...]

In my lifetime I have had the opportunity to see so much. I was able using this book and so many others in literature based instruction today to revisit some of my truths. And in that to honor memories and people, to stand once again upon the shoulders of those who made a difference both known and the thousands unknown to the greater world except inside the leaders and good people who make America what she is at her best.
[...] Golden rules are lived constructs not platitudes on plaques. I lived and heard King. I saw these times chronicled by Ringgold. I recall the speeches. I know what it felt and sounded like to live in the 60's. I recall the struggle for human rights and know what the content of character was/is about. I know what it is to teach in places that are more dangerous than you know, for the kids that live there everyday as their reality-and they live in this in this land of the free. I have been able to see the disparity in America. I know all children need to be filled with "the dream". And I know all children are gifted and all essential to our survival. I know talking to my class of children today about the issues raised in this story of prejudice, hate, separate but equal...with their questions and amazement....I know there is still an unspoken separate and call it equal. I see it done through NCLB, real estate, and corporate control in our country. Today in a teacher meeting I heard a few peers state things about kid's potentials as limited by their poverty and ignorant parents not seeing themselves as dream givers but dream enders...I consider myself a person so lucky to teach in so many realities, in Appalachia too. For I know that my life has shown me so much so many lack living a life about getting, holding and securing for self. I know what it is to dedicate myself to the hope for a better day. Because I am a witness, and a teacher. I have worked in poverty and seen what lack of healthcare looks like, what ignorance brings, what it is to lose hope. I know. And that is something with great meaning. And these things come to classroom in the form of leadership. And that is what a teacher does. They decide to lead. Knowledge is power and children need to learn about slavery, history, unfairness, prejudice and hate. It matters so much.
I know that there are ways to make a street in Watts where 93rd Street school sits, seem as if it sat so far from your reality you never worry for 5 seconds about the children without crayons, safety, food. I taught a little girl there Phyllis, never even sure she had more than a pair of flip-flops and a coat. I saw no sign of a home. She negotiated a place to stay daily with other kids. She was 8. I've seen what social service looks like for kids in CA. I've seen what it is like when a child in my room doesn't have enough to eat and after writing a compassionate story about her my brother in law suggests it's her problem if her family is too stupid to go to a charity. I know that we are a long, long way from the days we can say that this is a fair world.

But I do think a book like Ringgold's helps. It's important to have a way to begin to share our thoughts. It's so interesting how she talks of having a dream herself and this is the thread running through her book a waking dream of memories of the life of King. Children in first grade struggle with the Dream notion...what does this mean.... a dream quest, a vision. She talks of a dream where she sees all the peoples of the world holding bags of their hate, anger, prejudices going up stairs to trade the bags for love and peace. In this she briefly sees shifting through the dream the events often told of King. The rejection of the neighbor child, the learning big words, the teacher of King's made to stand on the bus, the marches and jailing. I find at my level a need to stop as I read and contextualize a little bit. But I do have very young children. It's fair to say that I wonder if children up the road in wealthier, affluent areas are reading this book too with their classes to prepare for our upcoming holiday. I wonder.

Ringgold always produces books to hear. And no different today. My students did very much enjoy going along in her first person narrative. I would like to complete this with the children writing Dream poems.

Facinating book on Martin Luther King Jr.!.......2002-01-19

Students were very absorbed in this book. They found the story exciting and it stimulated a great discussion. The idea that someone could dream about Martin Luther King Jr. and see him as a child and then as an adult allowed students to think about how different dreams are from reality. Students were anxious to borrow the book and share it with their families.

Beautifully illustrated and well written.......2000-08-13

This beautifully illustrated and well written book was a must have for my daughters library. She's a new teacher and a lover of good books. What a delight to buy this book for her!

Outstanding!.......2000-06-07

This is the best picture book I've come across concerning the Civil Rights movement of the 60's. The previous reviewer is correct in that the abstractness of the imagery is difficult for younger children, but that is precisely the beauty of the book. With a little explaining, my third grade class was still touched by the struggle of African Americans in this country. My class consisted of numerous minorities (Asian & hispanic) and they were able to come to see that MLK was fighting for them also. The way it is told is very moving and makes the book excellent for older children as well.

I still get choked up whenever I read it.

a unique approach to telling the story of MLK, Jr........2000-04-20

I'm a huge Faith Ringgold fan. This book is very good as expected, but my only complaint is that it is a little too abstract for the target age group (ages 4-8). For example, the kids were confused at the picture of MLK in jail as an infant and the people burning their "baggage". BUT, unique it is... just definitely in need of adult commentary.

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The Campaigners (Morland Dynasty)
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Manufacturer: Warner Futura
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0751506516

Book Description

In the Morland Dynasty series, the majestic sweep of English history is richly and movingly portrayed through the fictional lives of the Morland family. It is 1815, and Napoleon’s escape from Elba has convulsed Europe. The Allied Army is gathered in Flanders, and where the Army is, the fashionable world must follow. So Lucy and Heloise both take their daughters to Brussels for the most exhilarating season ever, and romance flourishes in the warlike atmosphere. Rosamund must finally come to terms with her feelings for her cousin Marcus, Sophie meets an enigmatic French major who may change her future, and Heloise renews acquaintance with a former suitor. The looming shadow of battle only makes the dancers whirl more feverishly, but when the army marches out to face the might of the French at Waterloo, one question is in every heart—which of them will not come back?

Black Stars of the Civil Rights Movement

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Black Stars of the Civil Rights Movement

Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 047122068X

Book Description

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY COMES TO LIFE

Discover why young people all over the country are reading the Black Stars biographies of African American heroes. Here is what you want to know about the lives of brave black men and women during the Civil Rights Movement:

LOUIS "SATCHMO" ARMSTRONG
MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE
MAJOR GENERAL BENJAMIN O. DAVIS JR.
W. E. B. DU BOIS
LIEUTENANT HENRY O. FLIPPER
MARCUS GARVEY
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
THURGOOD MARSHALL
ROSA PARKS
ADAM CLAYTON POWELL JR.
PHILIP RANDOLPH
PAUL ROBESON
JACKIE ROBINSON
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON
IDA B. WELLS-BARNETT
CARTER G. WOODSON
WHITNEY M. YOUNG JR.

"The books in the Black Stars series are the types of books that would have really captivated me as a kid."
-Earl G. Graves, Black Enterprise magazine

"Inspiring stories that demonstrate what can happen when ingenuity and tenacity are paired with courage and hard work."
-Black Books Galore! Guide to Great African American Children's Books

"Haskins has chosen his subjects well . . . catching a sense of the enormous obstacles they had to overcome. . . . Some names are familiar, but most are little-known whom Haskins elevates to their rightful place in history."
-Booklist

"The broad coverage makes this an unusual resource-a jumping-off point for deeper studies."
-Horn Book

Download Description

The courageous stories of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and many more

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully Enchanting.......2001-10-26

This wonderfully enchanting story takes you into the life of a young Sequoyah Indian. It is historically accurate, and a joy to read!

History Firsthand - Women's Suffrage (hardcover edition) (History Firsthand)

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History Firsthand - Women's Suffrage (hardcover edition) (History Firsthand)

Manufacturer: Greenhaven Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0737713046

Book Description

Suffragists explain the long struggle to obtain voting rights for women. They reveal how a small group of organizers inspired a national movement that culminated in the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment.

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Mahatma Gandhi (Judge for Yourself)
Christine Hatt
Manufacturer: Evans Brothers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

The Civil Rights Movement (Opposing Viewpoints Digests)

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The Civil Rights Movement (Opposing Viewpoints Digests)
James Tackach
Manufacturer: Greenhaven Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0737703555

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