Cited and Recommended Books for Fundraisers

This book highlights advice from many of the most knowledgeable fundraisers. To learn more, please consider purchasing their books.

Ahern, T., & Joyaux, S. P. (2011). Keep your donors: The guide to better communications & stronger relationships. John Wiley & Sons.

Alexander, G. D. & Carlson, K. J. (2005). Essential principles for fundraising success: An answer manual for the everyday challenges of raising money. Jossey-Bass.

Baker, B., Bullock, K., Gifford, G. L., Grow, P., Jacobwith, L. L., Pitman, M. A., Truhlar, S., & Rees, S. (2013). The essential fundraising handbook for small nonprofits. The Nonprofit Academy.

Breeze, B. (2017). The new fundraisers. Policy Press.

Bristol, E. & Lysakowski, L. (2013). The leaky bucket: What’s wrong with your fundraising and how you can fix it. CharityChannel Press.

Brovey, A. (2019). Zen and the art of fundraising: The pillars in practice. CharityChannel Press.

Ciconte, B. L. & Jacob, J. G. (2009). Fundraising basics: A complete guide. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Eisenstein, A. (2014). Major gift fundraising for small shops: How to leverage your annual fund in only five hours per week. CharityChannel Press.

Eskin, J. (2019). 10 Simple Fundraising Lessons: A common sense guide to overcoming your fear of asking for gifts. Eskin Fundraising Training, LLC.

Fredricks, L. (2001). Developing major gifts: Turning small donors into big contributors. Aspen Publishers, Inc.

Fredricks, L. (2006). The ask: How to ask anyone for any amount for any purpose. John Wiley & Sons.

Godin, S. (1999). Permission marketing: Turning strangers into friends and friends into customers. Simon and Schuster.

Green, F., Wagg, H. & Field, C. (2019). You can't take it with you: The art and science of legacy fundraising. Independently published.

Greenhoe, J. (2013). Opening the door to major gifts: Mastering the discovery call. CharityChannel Press.

Grover, S. R. (2006). Capital campaigns: A guide for board members and others who aren't professional fundraisers but who will be the heroes who create a better community. iUniverse.

Henson, R. (2016). Planned giving: How to ask for transformational gifts. iUniverse.

Kihlstedt, A. (2009). Capital campaigns: Strategies that work. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Kihlstedt, A. (2013). Asking styles: Harness your personal fundraising power. CharityChannel Press.

Klein, K. (2009). Reliable fundraising in unreliable times: What good causes need to know to survive and thrive. Jossey-Bass.

Levine, J. & Selik, L. A. (2016). Compelling conversations for fundraisers: Talk your way to success with donors and funders. Chimayo Press.

Levine, N. B. (2019). From bankruptcy to billions: Fundraising the Naomi Levine way. Independently published.

Panas, J. (2014). Megagifts: Who gives them, Who gets them? (2nd ed.). Emerson & Church.

Panas, J. (2020). Asking: A 59-minute guide to everything board members, volunteers, and staff must know to secure the gift. Emerson & Church.

Perry, G. (2007). Fired-up fundraising: Turning board passion into action. John Wiley & Sons.

Perry, R. & Schreifels, J. (2014). It’s not just about the money: How to build authentic major donor relationships. Veritus Group.

Pitman, M. A. (2008). Ask without fear! A simple guide to connecting donors with what matters to them most. Tremendous Life Books.

Rackham, N., Kalomeer, R., & Rapkin, D. (1988). SPIN selling. McGraw-Hill.

Ross, B. & Segal, C. (2009). The influential fundraiser: Using the psychology of persuasion to achieve outstanding results. Jossey-Bass.

Sagrestano, B. M. & Wahlers, R. E. (2016). Getting started in charitable gift planning: The resource book. CharityChannel Press.

Sargeant, A. & Shang, J. (2010). Fundraising principles and practice. Jossey-Bass.

Seymour, H. (1999). Designs for fund-raising (2nd ed.). The Gale Group.

Stroman, M. K. (2014). Asking about asking: Mastering the art of conversational fundraising (2nd ed.). CharityChannel Press.

Thompson, E., Hays, J. & Slamar, C. (2019). Message from the masters: Our best donor stories that made a difference. Createspace Independent Publishing.

Tumolo, J. (2016). Simplify: A simple approach to building a sustainable planned giving program. Independently published.

Warner, G. (2018). Engagement fundraising: How to raise more money for less in the 21st century. MarketSmart.

Wilson, T. C. (2008). Winning gifts: Make your donors feel like winners. John Wiley & Sons.

Wise, W. & Littlefield, C. (2017). Ask powerful questions: Create conversations that matter (2nd ed.). We!