Fundraising Book Review: 'Green Green'
I love fundraising book recommendations and, as you probably know by now, I love reading (and writing) fundraising books.
So here is a review of the book "Green Green," published by Civil Sector Press, written by Canadian David Love, who has been raising funds for more than 51 years. Incredible! Congratulations!
If you’ve been fundraising for a while, you may have come across David’s name or perhaps his daughter Jen Love of Agents of Good, an agency in Canada. While "Green Green" looks like it is a tiny book, its 141 pages are packed full of wisdoms, examples, figures, projections and case studies. Some are downloadable as well. It took me about two hours to read it all. In an easy-to-read manner, David gives away so many of his secrets in this book — some learned the easy way, some the hard way.
If you can’t come away with at least a few new things to test for your organization, I don’t know where you will. And you don’t even have to be an environmental organization. You don’t have to raise funds for nature, but if you do, an absolutely must read.
Ah yes, I can hear you say it: “But most of these examples come from Canada, they will probably not work here in the U.S.”
Let me put your mind at ease, donors are very similar, no matter where they are. They’re people. They’re individuals. They are motivated by the same things, no matter where they are.
Yes, organizational structures, sizes, colors, fundraising channels or payment methods may be a bit more or a bit less prevalent in other countries, but the ideas, experiences, fundraising motivators and storytelling David describes are truly universal.
If nothing else, fundraising for nature has historically been very difficult, so if you understand the basic principles and fundraising approaches described in this book, you should be able to raise funds for virtually every mission.
I like how David clearly describes the journey leading from what we call annual fund donors to monthly giving, major gifts and those legacy gifts. After all, it’s all about engaging your donors and upgrading them to higher levels in ways that work for those donors.
After you read this book, "Green Green," I can guarantee you that you’ll come away with at least a few practical ideas you can implement in your organization right away. Congratulations David on raising funds for nature for 51-plus years and congrats on a wonderful book. What a gift to fundraisers everywhere.
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Erica Waasdorp is one of the leading experts on monthly giving. She is the president of A Direct Solution, a company serving nonprofit organizations with fundraising and direct marketing needs, with a focus on monthly giving and appeals. She authored "Monthly Giving: The Sleeping Giant" and "Monthly Giving Made Easy." She regularly blogs and presents on fundraising, appeals and monthly giving — in person and through webinars. She is happy to answer any questions you may have about this great way of improving retention rates for your donors.
Erica has over 30 years of experience in nonprofits and direct response. She helped the nonprofits she works with raise millions of dollars through monthly giving programs. She is also very actively supports organizations with annual fund planning and execution, ranging from copywriting, creative, lists, print and mail execution.
When she’s not working or writing, Erica can be found on the golf course (she’s a straight shooter) or quietly reading a book. And if there’s an event with a live band, she and her husband, Patrick, can be found on the dance floor. She also loves watching British drama on PBS. Erica and Patrick have two step sons and a cat, Mientje.
