An Executive's Guide to Fundraising Operations. Principles, Tools and Trends

Learn how to power up your fundraising-from Reynold Levy, the master of fundraising Drawing on his experience in raising over one billion dollars in six years as President of Lincoln Center, Reynold Levy has written the ultimate insider's guide to asking for and receiving funds. Rich with insights and invaluable advice from Levy's own lessons learned, this powerful book is for you, whether your organization is concerned with health, education, the arts, or humanitarian causes, a think tank or advocacy group, established or fledgling. Insightful, creative, and humorous, Yours for the Asking draws back the curtain to disclose Levy's secrets of success and reveals how you can: Tap into the resources of donors, large and small, for your institution or cause Reach wealthy people and successfully bring home the bacon Put aside fears, qualms, and hesitancies and confidently ask for funds Locate the intersection between the interests of business and the needs of your nonprofit organization Solve the mystery of fundraising from foundations Explore your organization's future in fundraising and discern its long-term trends Learn the best ways to combat the adverse impact of a wide, deep, and prolonged recession Yours for the Asking will transform your view of fundraising from a dreaded aspect of your job to a high calling, from «pleading» for money to helping donors find pleasure in advancing social causes and strengthening key nonprofit institutions. Affluence and generosity abound. It's all yours-for the asking.

Your organization can save and thrive in the cloud with this first non-technical guide to cloud computing for business leaders In less than a decade Google, Amazon, and Salesforce.com went from unknown ideas to powerhouse fixtures in the economic landscape; in even less time offerings such as Linkedin, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and many others also carved out important roles; in less than five years Apple's iTunes became the largest music retailer in North America. They all share one key strategic decision – each of these organizations chose to harness the power of cloud computing to power their drives to dominance. With roots in supercomputing and many other technical disciplines, cloud computing is ushering in an entirely new economic reality – technology-enabled enterprises built on low cost, flexible, and limitless technical infrastructures. The Executive's Guide to Cloud Computing reveals how you can apply the power of cloud computing throughout your enterprise, giving members of the C-suite a detailed look at: Why cloud computing must be a top priority on your company's IT roadmaps How the drive for scale, lower costs and greater agility is making cloud computing a fiscal and technological imperative The relationship between cloud computing and other relevant IT initiatives The strategic implications of cloud computing for the enterprise Where to begin and how to get started integrating cloud computing into your existing operations Now you can harness cloud computing's potential for your organization. Executive's Guide to Cloud Computing shows you how.

Praise for Executive's Guide to Fair Value: Profiting from the New Valuation Rules «The advent of fair value reporting is not your Momma's (or your Papa's) kind of accounting. If you're a financial professional above the age of twenty-five who is working in industry, read this book. From choosing a fair value specialist to the perils of 'made as instructed' valuations to purchase price allocations to impairment testing to that SEC tripwire, customer relationships, fair value expert Al King gets it right. And he does so with neither jargon nor literary anesthesia. As a former CFO myself, all I can say is WOW!» -Warren D. Miller, CFA, ASA, CMA, CPA, Cofounder, Beckmill Research A hands-on guide for financial executives needing to understand the appraisal process Executive's Guide to Fair Value: Profiting from the New Valuation Rules brings senior level executives up to speed on what fair value really means. This new book addresses a full range of issues facing auditors and executives, including litigation and the «true» determination of value, estimating the value of working capital, and how to estimate the value and life of intangible assets. Complete with advice on the latest FASB rules and regulations, Executive's Guide to Fair Value: Profiting from the New Valuation Rules provides the most up-to-date and reliable information on: The latest fair value rules and how they impact both preparers and users of financial statements The role and responsibility of the appraisal specialist, including best practice tips for choosing and evaluating an appraiser Testing customer relationships for impairment A thorough knowledge of what fair value accounting is and how it can impact your corporation and its profitability Practical applications, including incentive compensation and equity-based compensation In basic, nontechnical language, Executive's Guide to Fair Value: Profiting from the New Valuation Rules will help all financial executives and auditors succeed in understanding the new fair value accounting rules that corporations must now follow. The result is a resource that professionals can rely on to understand the importance of valuation and the concepts that define it.

Much has been written about leaders and leadership. Journal articles, blogs and books try to home in on the essence of an effective leader. While there is common agreement that a executive's performance can make or break company, defining that essence of effective leadership remains the Holy Grail for those who find themselves at the top, for those who are responsible for carrying out the strategies and dictates of their managers, and for the shareholders who want to see commitment, action and positive financial return. Breaking the Leadership Mold is designed to help senior executives and managers respond to the challenges of today and shed the vestiges of days gone by. In so doing they will better lead and enable their staff, and create a work environment that is healthy, engaging, productive and sustainable. Based on the author's extensive research and 35 years' experience in working with local, national and international companies, Breaking the Leadership Mold offers 20 principles-such as Principle #10: Recognize How Executive Team Dynamics Promote Mediocrity and Principle #14: Get Other Executives On Board (or Out of the Way)–that when implemented will ensure that not only is there effective communication throughout the organization, from top to bottom and bottom to top, but also that employees and executives alike contribute to their full potential. The net result – the organization wins on every measure. The 20 principles are built on the pillars of case studies, experience and research. Effective leadership is an absolute in any business environment, but becomes even more critical in times when businesses face unprecedented challenges and need to be nimble and responsive to change. Breaking the Mold has proven strategies to empower, unite and galvanize managers and employees – and their organization – to enable them to prosper and adapt in a swift-changing environment.

A solid introduction to materials management and the tools needed to create a world-class materials management program This nuts-and-bolts guide presents an overview of the inner workings of the materials process, as well as the best practices to achieve a world-class operating system that will help to eliminate ineffective materials management. Coverage includes discussion of material requirements planning, planning parameters, electronic data interchange, and material control graphs and reports, among many other topics. Thorough and practical, Materials Management explains the impact that inadequate inventory control has on a company and how these poor controls can reduce production, cause inefficiencies in labor, create excessive inventory, and increase freight expenses. Stan McDonald (Northville, MI) is an independent consultant on materials management. Throughout his 30-year career, he has held various positions in the supply chain/materials management arena.

Proven strategy for reducing production and operating costs while increasing profits As the growth of the Internet shifts power to consumers, the pressure on companies to keep prices low will continue to mount. Increasingly corporations are relying on «margin management» and supply chain management as a means of keeping prices low while raising profits. Activity-based costing and management (ABC/M) data is key to succeeding in both these critical management strategies. This book explains how executives can effectively use the information furnished by cutting-edge ABC/M systems. The author, an acknowledged expert in the field, clearly defines the ABC/M system and explains how to use the information it provides for best results. He provides a rational framework for understanding the fifteen key defining characteristics of ABC/M and arms readers with an ABC/M Readiness Assessment test along with extremely user-friendly exhibits.

This book is a novel treatment of Operations Management. It takes a fresh insight to this increasingly important topic, exploring fundamental principles equally applicable to service and manufacturing situations. The book adapts a strategic stance by providing a framework for effective decision making and is aimed at practising managers who need to design working processes, manage change and make decisions within a strategic framework. The framework and supporting case vignettes allow the practitioner to grasp essential concepts quickly in a range of different operational contexts. «Bamford and Forrester have done an excellent job in creating a concise, salient, and appealing approach – they have captured the essential elements of designing processes, products and work organizations; exploring approaches to operations planning and control; managing change through effective project management and technology transfer; and then managing quality and improvement strategies». —Professor Rob Handfield, Professor of Supply Chain Management, North Carolina State University, USA «This is an excellent concise text that introduces students to all of the key areas – it's an invaluable aid for students in understanding all of the major aspects of operations and their importance to the success of businesses». —Professor Steve Brown, Professor of Management, University of Exeter Business School, University of Exeter, UK «For today's or tomorrow's business leaders this text has well structured invaluable content ready for immediate adoption. Follow the guide, put it into practice, and the rewards will follow». —Mr Vernon Barker, Managing Director, First TransPennine Express, First Group Plc, UK «This book combines technical theory 'book smarts' with real life experience 'street smarts' in a flowing read». —Mr Stephen Oliver, Vice President Marketing & Sales, Vicor Corporation, Boston, USA

How-to guidance for defining and implementing a complex project performance environment Sharing his forty-five years of project management experience, best-selling author and industry guru Robert Wysocki presents a straightforward, enlightening, and pragmatic guide to help senior managers make the transition to an organization that profits and thrives on complexity. The first book to discuss practical project management mitigation strategies, Executive's Guide to Project Management presents easy-to-implement infrastructures and processes that will ensure the continued success of your organization and maximize your investment of every project. Collects in one resource all the relevant information for understanding and creating an environment for improved complex project performance A must-read for every member of your senior management team Shows you how to regain responsibility, take action, and skillfully handle complexity to mitigate risk and increase return on project investments It's time for your senior management team to take back control of your investments in projects and programs. Executive's Guide to Project Management shows you how to cultivate your part of the organization so that it can respond to a changing project environment with the infrastructure to support the project and program investment decisions.

Create strong IT governance processes In the current business climate where a tremendous amount of importance is being given to governance, risk, and compliance (GRC), the concept of IT governance is becoming an increasingly strong component. Executive's Guide to IT Governance explains IT governance, why it is important to general, financial, and IT managers, along with tips for creating a strong governance, risk, and compliance IT systems process. Written by Robert Moeller, an authority in auditing and IT governance Practical, no-nonsense framework for identifying, planning, delivering, and supporting IT services to your business Helps you identify current strengths and weaknesses of your enterprise IT governance processes Explores how to introduce effective IT governance principles with other enterprise GRC initiatives Other titles by Robert Moeller: IT Audit, Control, and Security and Brink's Modern Internal Auditing: A Common Body of Knowledge There is strong pressure on corporations to have a good understanding of their IT systems and the controls that need to be in place to avoid such things as fraud and security violations. Executive's Guide to IT Governance gives you the tools you need to improve systems processes through IT service management, COBIT, and ITIL.

Raise more money for your cause! Based on expert advice and insights from a variety of respected industry experts, Nonprofit Fundraising 101 is an essential text for nonprofit professionals, volunteers, activists, and social entrepreneurs who want to leverage best practices to promote their cause. Built upon the success of the best-selling Nonprofit Management 101, this easy to digest book provides practical, comprehensive guidance for nonprofit fundraising around the globe. With tips and tools, expert advice, and real-world insights from almost fifty industry leaders, this robust resource addresses the entire spectrum of fundraising for nonprofits, including: Planning, hiring, and tracking progress Individual donors, major gifts, events, and direct mail Board and volunteer engagement Foundation and government grants Corporate partnerships Online and email fundraising Social media and mobile crowdfunding Earned income and social enterprise Written by and for front line practitioners and geared towards a global audience of emerging and established leaders, this field guide offers step-by-step formulas for success. Nonprofit Fundraising 101 features a foreword by fundraising guru and Soul of Money author Lynne Twist, insights from notable non-profit professionals such as CNN's Van Jones, and an afterword by Kiva.org Co-Founder & President Premal Shah. This book also provides indispensible ideas and diverse case studies ranging from grassroots efforts to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and advice for organizations of all sizes and focus. Chapters are brief and easily digestible, featuring extensive resources for additional learning, concrete best practices, and pitfalls to avoid. Enjoy this must-read manual to learn tried and true ways to raise more money for your cause, nonprofit, or charity.