The great fundraiser’s bookshelf
Where do you start, if you want to find the best books on fundraising? Look no further: welcome to the great fundraiser's bookshelf. With help from fundraisers around the world, SOFII has assembled a list of around 150 great fundraising books. About thirty of these have already been reviewed on SOFII, and we encourage readers to submit their own reviews of the others. It’s easy to do, just follow the links below for a handy guide.
You can find an introduction to the great fundraiser's bookshelf here along with ways to get in touch, and the full list is here. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sorry, but you’re just not my type!
by Colin Wheildon
Typestyle and typefaces may seem unlikely fare for readers of SOFII opinion pieces but not so if you want to communicate effectively with your donors. It has been said that communication is the key to building donors’ trust and confidence.
Review by Ken Burnett.
Read moreConversion of a techno-sceptic
by Richard C McPherson
Only a few things in life are worth missing a flight for. I’d like to tell you about two of them. The first is merely amusing but the other, I think, you will find of more value. The first was only the second flight I’d missed, ever. It was going to Oslo, Norway, but I was stuck on London’s Hammersmith roundabout…
Review by Ken Burnett.
Read moreSit in a bath of baked beans, change the world
by Bilaal Rajan
There are too many people who assume children aren’t important and can’t do anything. Twelve year old Bilaal Rajan proves them all wrong. When I first had this book ‘assigned’ to me, I thought it would be some long, boring book on fundraising. This is not the case…
Reviewed for SOFII by Skye MacKenzie.
Read moreMajor contributors to this section
Lisa Sargent
As head of Sargent Communications, Lisa Sargent helps nonprofits raise more money and keep more donors through better donor communications. A creative strategist and copywriter, Lisa works exclusively with nonprofits on direct mail, email fundraising and donor care communications – acquisition appeals, annual reports, proposals, welcome packages, e-appeals, newsletters, thank-you letters and more.
Lisa’s articles have been featured in Mal Warwick’s newsletter, FundRaising Success Magazine and The Agitator. Lisa also publishes The Loyalty Letter, a free e-newsletter for nonprofit and charitable organisations read by subscribers around the world.
Lisa has regularly contributed to SOFII, including the wonderful thank you letter clinic, which you can read here.
Marie Burnett
Marie Burnett (1949-2019) was director of The White Lion Press and a trustee of SOFII.
See allCharlie Hulme
Charlie Hulme is managing director of DonorVoice. He helps charities uncover what, of all the things they do, improves the strength of relationships and what is harmful. Partners see a massive improvement in performance, value and retention.
Voted top speaker at the Institute of Fundraising’s National Convention in 2013, he writes frequently for SOFII, 101fundraising, the Institute of Fundraising and many others.
See all