Yours for the Asking. An Indispensable Guide to Fundraising and Management

Praise for Yours for the Asking: An Indispensable Guide to Fundraising and Management «Reynold Levy is a master at persuading people to give money—lots of money—to worthy causes. Now he shares his wisdom with us all—and at a bargain price!» —Tom Brokaw «Ren Levy is the master of his trade. He can squeeze big dollars out of a stone and he tells here just how to do it. Anyone raising money for a good cause must read this book!» —John C. Whitehead, former Co-Chairman and Senior Partner of Goldman Sachs and former United States Deputy Secretary of State «Ren Levy has written the definitive handbook on fundraising. It should be required reading for boards of directors and senior staff of nonprofit organizations. The lessons learned from Ren's broad experience are equally relevant to corporate executives as they endeavor to establish and strengthen customer relationships.» —Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo «I have raised money for a living for several decades. But I could not articulate better than Reynold Levy has done in Yours for the Asking the many secrets to successfully acquiring investors. If you wish to learn how to politely and effectively ask for contributions to a favorite organization or cause, you really need to purchase this highly readable, enjoyable and useful book.» —David Rubenstein, Co-founder and Managing Director, The Carlyle Group

Grantwriters often have little or no training in the practical task of grantseeking. Many feel intimidated by the act of writing, and some don't enjoy writing. In Storytelling for Grantseekers, Second Edition, Cheryl Clarke presents an organic approach to grantseeking, one that views the process through the lens of the pleasures and rewards of crafting a good story. Grantseekers who approach the process as one in which they are connecting with an audience (grantmakers) and writing a narrative (complete with settings, characters, antagonists and resolutions) find greater success with funders. The writing process becomes a rewarding way to tell the organization's tale, rather than a chore, and their passion and creativity lead to winning proposals. This book walks readers through all the main phases of the proposal, highlighting the creative elements that link components to each other and unify the entire proposal. The book contains resources on crafting an effective synopsis, overcoming grantwriter's block, packaging the story, and the best ways to approach the «short stories» (inquiry and cover letters) that support the larger proposal. Clarke also stresses the need to see proposal-writing as part of a larger grantseeking effort, one that emphasizes preparation, working with the entire development staff, and maintaining good relations with funders. In Storytelling for Grantseekers, new and experienced grantseekers alike will discover how to write and support successful proposals with humor and passion. New edition features: Overall updates as well as both refreshed and new examples Workshop exercises for using the storytelling approach New chapters on the application of the storytelling method to other fundraising communications like appeal letters and case statements, as well as the importance of site visits Example of a full narrative proposal

An authoritative guide to boosting your nonprofit's bottom line through effective telephone fundraising Presenting a detailed structure for writing effective telephone call «scripts», Effective Telephone Fundraising explains the necessary and effective components of an effective call from beginning to end, and provides helpful hints, detailed examples, phrases to employ, phraseology to avoid, and a «road map/chart» for structuring effective call scripts. This how-to manual examines in detail the various stages of an effective telephone call from identifying the prospect and introducing yourself; getting through screens and talking to the decision maker; developing rapport and a creating two-way conversation; explaining the purpose of your call; making a proposal to the prospect;the process of negotiation and effective closing strategies; results of the negotiation;and ending the call. Examines in detail a systematic way of dealing with objections Deflection/decision deferral strategies, along with psychological motivators for giving over the telephone Reveals how to assess the giving potential of prospects Includes sample scripts or call outlines Effective lines that could immediately be incorporated into existing telephone fundraising strategies to improve results A complete, start-to-finish guide for successful telephone fundraising, Effective Telephone Fundraising helps you structure effective call scripts for your nonprofit's best advantage.

Discover how to maximize the effectiveness of your trading techniques by applying the right money management techniques Money management is a central element of trading the financial markets, especially in uncertain times. Yet investors often misinterpret the central concepts of money management. To manage risk and obtain optimal rewards from your trades, you will benefit from a deeper understanding of how the professionals manage money. The Successful Trader’s Guide to Money Management describes the operating methods that seasoned investors use. With this book, you’ll avoid the common mistake of focusing too much on entry levels and stop-losses, and you’ll learn to consider the impact of proper money management on your final portfolio results. Successful traders focus on risk management, avoiding opening positions that are too large with respect to the total capital they have available. Packed with practical examples and with special focus on money management or position-sizing, The Successful Trader's Guide to Money Management offers a comprehensive coverage of widely practiced risk management models, examining their strengths and weaknesses. You will learn how to use the most effective operating models, including the Fixed Fractional, Fixed Ratio, and Percent Volatility models. This book also provides a thorough analysis of portfolio management models. These essential tips will nudge you toward a more winning position as you enter your next trades. Learn how the professionals manage money and avoid common trading mistakes Design a trading system that minimizes risk and maximizes reward through correct position sizing Understand the most important money and portfolio management models, including Fixed Ratio, Percent Volatility, Fixed Fractional, and more Equip yourself to trade smarter, individually or with a broker, on equity, derivatives and Forex markets For individual and institutional investors alike, this book is a ticket to more solid trading strategy, especially in uncertain times.

A radical new management model for twenty-first century leaders Organizations today face a crisis. The crisis is of long standing and its signs are widespread. Most proposals for improving management address one element of the crisis at the expense of the others. The principles described by award-winning author Stephen Denning simultaneously inspire high productivity, continuous innovation, deep job satisfaction and client delight. Denning puts forward a fundamentally different approach to management, with seven inter-locking principles of continuous innovation: focusing the entire organization on delighting clients; working in self-organizing teams; operating in client-driven iterations; delivering value to clients with each iteration; fostering radical transparency; nurturing continuous self-improvement and communicating interactively. In sum, the principles comprise a new mental model of management. Author outlines the basic seven principles of continuous innovation The book describes more than seventy supporting practices Denning offers a rethinking of management from first principles This book is written by the author of The Secret Language of Leadership—a Financial Times Selection in Best Books of 2007.

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.

20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION The Courage to Teach Guide for Reflection & Renewal is a helpful companion to Parker J. Palmer's classic work on restoring identity and integrity to professional life. A superb resource for those who wish to extend their exploration of the ideas in The Courage to Teach, as individuals or part of a study group, the Guide provides practical ways to create «safe space» for honest reflection and probing conversations and offers chapter-by-chapter questions and exercises to further explore the many insights in The Courage to Teach. The bonus online content includes a 70-minute interview with Parker Palmer, in which Palmer reflects on a wide range of subjects including the heart of the teacher, the crisis in education, diverse ways of knowing, relationships in teaching and learning, approaches to institutional transformation, and teachers as «culture heroes.» Discussion questions related to the topics explored in the interview have been integrated into the Guide, giving individuals and study groups a chance to have «a conversation with the author» as well as an engagement with the text.

An essential guide to bringing lean to your business and your life The Lean Book of Leanprovides a succinct overview of the concepts of Lean, explains them in everyday terms, and shows how the general principles can be applied in any business or personal situation. Disengaging the concept of Lean from any particular industry or sector, this book brings Lean out of the factory to help you apply it anywhere, anytime. You'll learn the major points and ideas along with practical tips and hints, and find additional insight in the illustrative examples. Lean is all about achieving the desired outcome with the minimum amount of fuss and effort, and this book practises what it preaches – concise enough to be read in a couple of sittings, it nonetheless delivers a wealth of information distilled into the essential bits you need to know. The Lean Book of Lean discards unnecessary specialisation and minute detail, and gets to the point quickly, so you can get started right away. Understand the basic principles of lean Recognise lean behaviours that come naturally Study examples of lean practices, policies, behaviours, and operations Apply lean concepts to both your business and personal life Lean is about being agile, efficient, responsive, productive, and smart. It applies to any and every aspect of life, from the factory floor to your morning routine. The Lean Book of Lean is the quick, smart guide to employing lean principles every day, so you can start doing more with less.

Achieve greater success by increasing the agility of analytics lifecycle management Agile by Design offers the insight you need to improve analytic lifecycle management while integrating the right analytics projects into different frameworks within your business. You will explore, in-depth, what analytics projects are and why they are set apart from traditional development initiatives. Beyond merely defining analytics projects, Agile by Design equips you with the information you need to apply agile methodologies in a way that tailors your approach to individual initiatives—and the needs of your projects and team. Lifecycle management is a complex subject area, and with the increasingly important integration of analytics into multiple facets of business models, understanding how to use agile tools while managing a product lifecycle is essential to maintaining a competitive edge in today's professional world. Gain an understanding of the principles, processes, and practices associated with effective analytic lifecycle management Discover techniques that will enable you to successfully initiate, plan, and execute analytic development projects with an eye for the opportunity to engage agile methodologies Understand agile development frameworks Identify which agile methodologies are best for different frameworks—and how to apply them throughout the analytic development lifecycle With analytics becoming increasingly important in today's business world, you need to understand and apply agile methodologies in order to meet rising standards of efficiency and effectiveness. Agile by Design is the perfect reference for project managers, CFOs, IT managers, and marketing managers who want to cultivate a relevant, forward-thinking lifecycle management style.

Praise for Development for Academic Leaders «Penny Hunt has opened the door on what many academics consider the mystery of fundraising success. In a straightforward and direct way, the book explains what is most important for academic leaders to do and understand. It articulates roles and responsibilities and offers practical counsel for long-term success. Penelepe's own highly successful and collaborative approach to fundraising shines through on each page. This should be given to every new dean and department head who hopes to make a positive contribution to philanthropy for their academic program.» ?Lynette L. Marshall, CFRE, president and CEO, University of Iowa Foundation «Development for Academic Leaders is a significant addition for deans and academics of every rank who know a great deal about academic research but who know nothing about raising money. This book will get boundary spanners outside of their campus silos and serve as a bridging instrument to the outside world. With its conceptual framework, its illustrations, its metrics, its model conversations/ discussions, and its breadth, it will help any campus official who works with the public to raise the right kind of awareness and to help potential donors find the right fit for their giving.» ?Don Chu, dean, College of Education, Health, and Human Services at California State University, San Marcos; author, The Department Chair Primer, Second Edition «Everything I know about development work I learned from Penny Hunt! I have been privileged both to be her colleague and to attend her seminars on development, and am thrilled now that other academic leaders will be able to benefit from her sage but practical advice in this indispensable guide.» ?Dwight A. McBride, associate provost and dean, The Graduate School, Northwestern University; former dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago «Any academic leader who wants to master the development process will benefit from reading Development for Academic Leaders. Penny Hunt's thorough experience, her empathy and her sheer intellect position the work of fundraising in a way that is manageable, friendly, even fun, for the scholar who has made the transition to chair, dean, provost, or president and is daunted by new responsibilities and bottom lines. Development officers will gain insight on working with academic leadership to navigate the internal political landscape and bring greater results in the short term and stronger institutions in the long term.» ?Thomas J. Minar, vice president, Development and Alumni Relations, American University