With your end of the year push to reach your funding goals and the mountains of thank-you notes waiting to be signed, sealed, and delivered, a chance to escape from the stress might feel impossible. Still, there’s no reason you can’t steal away from the hectic office on occasion with a good book—especially when it’ll help you improve your school’s development efforts. We’ve coupled each book with a webinar from our e-Learning archive, so when you make it back to your desk, you can spend an hour or two learning something new.
Donor-Centered Fundraising
by Penelope Burk
This is a staple of any Development Director’s library, and we’d be remiss if we failed to include it at the start of our list. Burk takes you through the entire fundraising lifecycle—from planning a capital campaign to attracting the right donors to maintaining relationships—from a donor-centric perspective. Backed by research and real-world examples and applications of core concepts, Donor-Centered Fundraising puts your school’s student-centered mission at the core of your development program.
Recommended Webinar: 21st Century Schools: ISM’s Advancement Model with Dr. Paula A. Schwartz, IAP-L
Innovations in Annual Giving: Ten Departures That Worked CASE
by Robert Burdenski
While Burdenski mostly draws from higher education for his 10 case studies, the parallels between their annual giving programs and those of private-independent schools are obvious. From revamping phonathons (Kansas State University) and encouraging first-time donors (Reed College) to managing volunteers (Phillips Exeter Academy) and donor-retention strategies (University of Michigan), Innovations in Annual Giving has practical examples to support new fundraising ideas and plans.
Recommended Webinar: How to Create Great Annual Fund Appeals with Dr. Paula A. Schwartz, IAP-L
Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
by Simon Sinek
Turns out that people who get things done—leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers—have a commonality that enables them to push through barriers preventing others from accomplishing the same thing. It’s how a leader answers the question, “Why?” While the book itself can get a bit repetitive in its use of examples, the fundamental idea behind the text can be revolutionary to someone like yourself, whose job it is to convince people to do something life-changing and wonderful on a daily basis.
Recommended Webinar: Who Champions Your Annual Fund? with Dr. Paula A. Schwartz, IAP-L
Additional ISM resources:
ISM Monthly Updates for Development Directors Vol. 12 No. 5 Must-Reads for Development Directors in 2014
ISM Monthly Updates for Development Directors Vol. 8 No. 9 Helpful Hints for New or Novice Development Directors
ISM Monthly Updates for Human Resources Vol. 11 No. 3 Lighthouse Leadership
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 29 No. 8 Mission and Leadership: A Primer in Mission-Oriented 'Change' Programs
I&P Vol. 27 No. 8 Ethical Issues for the Development Office
