Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Ask?

Reynold Levy’s book, “Yours for the Asking: An Indispensable Guide to Fundraising and Management,” is a how-to guide for those who are afraid or hesitant about asking for money and those who are simply trying to improve the effectiveness of their fundraising.

“Giving is not a spontaneous act,” Levy writes. “People, corporations, and foundations donate funds largely because they are asked to do so. It is a puzzle that while giving funds to nonprofit institutions is hardly unusual, the act of asking seems so universally disliked, misunderstood, and disdained.”

Levy uses simple language to explain how to reach wealthy people face to face, in writing, in large groups, at special events and over the Internet — and, once they’re listening, how to get them to give.

The book also shows the many ways to tap the resources of large and small donors, offering not only lessons, but also examples for fundraisers to follow.

“If the veritable army of this country’s fundraisers performed their work more professionally, creatively, insistently, and resourcefully and if tens of thousands more volunteers were recruited to the task, the incremental funds raised could vastly strengthen our nation’s problem-solving capabilities,” Levy writes.

John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2008; $29.95