Book Preview: A Nonprofit Dream Weaver

Not all leaders with vision have the ability to fund their own dreams, writes Nick G. Costa, senior vice president of fund development for Stamford Health System and author of the new book, Dream Builders: Everything You Need to Know to Achieve Your Organization’s Most Ambitious Dreams with TOP GIFTS™ Fundraising.

In his book, Costa presents tips, techniques and eight case studies of charities confronting myriad major gifts challenges. He describes how each step of the process is applied in the campaigns and how different types of organizations with goals of various sizes achieved their fundraising dreams. Specifically, these steps include:

Time — devoting time to focus on top-level gifts;

Opportunities — identifying opportunities for peak fundraising;

People — identifying the people who can make these top-level gifts;

Goals — setting goals and creating a table of the gift amounts you will need;

Involvement — involving and engaging people who make large gifts;

Formally Ask — asking for the gift in person;

Thanks — recognizing donors in ways that are meaningful to them; and

Stewardship — keeping donors informed and involved over time.

According to Costa, the process seeks to help pinpoint an organization’s best sources of gifts, develop strategies to involve and engage key donors, and understand what motivates their philanthropy.

(E3 Fundraising, $47.)