Raising Funds : The Fundraisers Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Maximizing Corporate Giving to Nonprofits

It doesn't matter if you need to raise thousands of dollars or millions, the same basic principles of fundraising apply.

Steve Dorough, who has developed and implemented successful campaigns for numerous clients, shares a blueprint for raising funds in this guide.

Step by step, he describes how to develop a compelling strategic plan for fundraising. He also explains how to test the feasibility of your campaign and implement a successful fundraising initiative. Learn how to:

- anticipate and respond to objections from potential donors;

- share a strategic plan with larger constituencies;

- set reasonable fundraising goals; and

- recruit a highly-qualified team.

This guide is written as a narrative about a fictional chamber of commerce in a fictional community somewhere in the United States. However, the fundraising principles and processes can be successfully applied to any nonprofit.

Filled with examples of agendas, letters, reports, and checklists covering every aspect of the fundraising process, this guide takes you through the critical steps that will help you raise funds.

Steve Dorough learned the craft of professional fundraising at National Community Development Services in Atlanta, where he worked more than five years. He established First Community Development in 1994 and has enhanced the art of fundraising for nonprofits over the last twenty-five years. He has developed and implemented successful campaigns for chambers of commerce, economic development authorities, downtown revitalization groups, cultural and performing arts groups, museums, and other corporate-driven clients in the southeast United States. Dorough currently lives and works in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.