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| Path: Main Street : Resources & Library : Book Reviews : Book Review |
The Pastor's Guide to Fund-Raising Success
Step-by-step details that will improve your church's donor program
By Rev. Dr. Dorsey E. Levell and Wayne E. Groner; 263 pages, US$39.95 + shipping and handling; Bonus BooksThe Pastor's Guide to Fund-Raising Success asserts that churches cannot survive and grow on faith alone. With that premise in mind, Levell and Groner set out a very straightforward set of advice on how churches can grow by adding an effective fundraising component to their operations.
The book is aimed at organizations with limited experience in formal fundraising. Each chapter begins with a short, fictitious conversation between the author and a pastor, setting the stage with common questions that might be asked by someone in a religious organization. The chapters all end with a checklist for success that reviews the key points discussed.
The book walks through the basics of setting up annual funds, capital campaigns, and endowments. It also puts good focus on planning a solid campaign and integrating the fundraising program with broader clerical goals.
In addition to well laid-out explanations of theory, the guide also includes some useful worksheets and examples, including sample prospect profiles, thank you letters, pledge cards, and a 14-month plan for stewardship. In the chapter about making a major gift ask, the authors include three useful phrases that can come in handy for any fundraiser during a conversation with a reluctant prospect.
Levell and Groner also deal with ethical issues and accountability. The guide includes suggestions for how to address various ethical challenges, as well as questions to ask when creating your gift acceptance guidelines. These questions are laid out in a way that will help readers to write their own gift acceptance policies as they go along.
The Pastor's Guide also includes a healthy set of appendices, including a glossary of basic fundraising terms, the AFP Code of Ethics, the Donor Bill or Rights, the AAFRC Guide to Selecting Fundraising Counsel, sample contracts for consultants, web resources, sample foundation bylaws, and a good reading list.
Overall, the guide is an excellent introduction to fundraising by churches. It covers the basics and offers a substantial number of resources that any church fundraiser can use to build a new program.
Buy the book:
Canada: buy through Amazon.ca: CDN$43.02
Buy through Amazon.com: US$39.95
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