There are thousands of books on fundraising and board governance for nonprofit organizations.  Here are some of the best from Emerson & Church, Publishers.

Whether you belong to the staff or to the board of directors of a nonprofit charitable organization, Emerson & Church offers some of the bestselling and most authoritative fundraising and board development books in America.

Quantity discounts are available for bulk purchases, beginning with 5 copies; titles may be mixed to achieve the highest discount level. Perfect for staff and volunteer meetings, conferences, and retreats.

Service Category: Fundraising

Asking: A 59-Minute Guide to Everything Board Members, Volunteers, and Staff Must Know to Secure the Gift by Jerold Panas, 108 pp., $24.95 Quantity discount available

It ranks right up there with public speaking.  Nearly all of us fear it.  And yet it is critical to our success.

Asking for money. It makes even the stout-hearted cower.

But now comes a new book, Asking: A 59-Minute Guide to Everything Board Members, Staff and Volunteers Must Know to Secure the Gift. And short of a medical prescription, it’s the next best thing for emboldening you, your board members and volunteers to ask with skill, finesse … and powerful results.

JEROLD PANAS is Chief Executive Officer of one of the nation's premier and largest firms in the field of campaign services and financial resource development. A frequent speaker at fundraising conferences and seminars, Dr. Panas is also a regular contributor to professional journals and a noted author. Among his many books, he is author of the all-time best selling book, Mega Gifts, now in its ninth printing. His book, Boardroom Verities is acclaimed a resource that raises board membership and governance to inspirational new heights.

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How to Connect with Donors and Double the Money You Raise by Thomas Wolf, 109 pp., $24.95 + shipping    Quantity discount available

Reality check.

Can you, as the title of this new book by Thomas Wolf says, really double the money you raise?  That depends.

If you’re already raising a sizable sum, then, yes, you might well double your revenue by heeding Wolf’s advice.

But if you’re raising only modest amounts now, then you should be able to triple or even quadruple your charitable income.  One thing is certain. Most fundraisers haven’t been raising nearly the amount they could, argues Wolf.

Dr. Thomas Wolf’s career encompasses the fields of philanthropy, nonprofit management, education, and the arts.

After serving as the founding Director of the New England Foundation for the Arts for seven years, he established a consulting firm in 1983 (now called WolfBrown) to assist nonprofit organizations and the philanthropic sector.

Helping his clients increase fundraising results and improve management practices, he also assisted 10 of the 50 largest U.S. foundations and various government agencies with their grants programs.

At the same time, his workshops and convocations for trustees, administrators, and volunteers have earned him national recognition.

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How to Raise $1 Million (or More!) in 10 Bite-Sized Steps: A Fail-Proof Guide for Board Members, Volunteers and Staff by Andrea Kihlstedt, 104 pp., $24.95.  Quanity discount available

What distinguishes Bite-Sized Steps are three key features:

• The book distills into 10 specific and manageable steps exactly what board members, volunteers and staff need to do to raise significant money. As such, it provides a doable blueprint AND mitigates any lingering fears you might have.
• The book is authentic. Rather than offer theory, Kihlstedt shares real-life stories of what has worked for a range of organizations. In other words, Kihlstedt shows rather than tells.
• The author has an engaging conversational approach, reminiscent of Jerold Panas.

Kihlstedt’s 10 steps will and won’t surprise you. If you have experience, you already know the importance of a campaign’s infrastructure: the need to refine your case, identify the right chair, and adhere to the proven sequence of soliciting.

But what WILL surprise you, and where the strength of the book lies, is the fresh way Kihlstedt, herself a consultant with some 30 years of experience, helps you line up your ducks.

There’s her guaranteed strategy for making sure you have the right chair.

There’s her sure way of determining if you have a strong enough case.

There’s her inviting methodology for getting your insiders to give.

Kihlstedt offers too many of these “outside the box” strategies to discuss here, but each is based in reality, in the ways actual organizations have paved the way for you.

Andrea Kihlstedt is fascinated by what makes people tick. She has spent the last 27 years as a capital campaign consultant, working with organizations large and small, giving her ample opportunities to observe remarkable people who through their courage, commitment, and energies make our world a better place through fundraising.

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Seeing through a Donor's Eyes: How to Make a Persuasive CASE for Everything from your Annual Drive to your Planned Giving Program to your Capital Campaign by Tom Ahern, 167 pp., $24.95  Quantity discount available

"Why should I give you my hard-earned money?"

Effective fundraisers answer this essential question every time they ask for a gift. What's their secret to success? They have a winning case for support.

As Tom Ahern makes clear in his new book, Seeing through a Donor’s Eyes, a case isn’t some fancy argument you only develop for capital campaigns, when you're chasing millions.

Successful donor newsletters, websites, annual reports, donor acquisition programs, email, direct mail, advertising, planned giving programs, and – yes, capital campaigns, too – all have one thing in common: behind each stands a well-reasoned, emotionally satisfying case for support. Donors are sure to have questions. Your case gives you great answers.

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Service Category: Board/Governance

The Ultimate Board Member’s Book: A 1-Hour Guide to Understanding and Fulfilling Your Role and Responsibilities by Kay Sprinkel Grace, 114 pp., $24.95  Quanity discount available

Here is a book for all boards:

• Those wanting to operate with maximum effectiveness
• Those needing to clarify exactly what their job is
• Those wanting to ensure that all members — novice and veteran — are ‘on the same page’ with respect to their role and responsibilities

Kay Sprinkel Grace’s work will take your board members only one hour to read, and yet they’ll come away from The Ultimate Board Member’s Book with a firm command of just what they need to do to help your organization succeed.

It’s all here in 114 tightly organized and jargon-free pages: how boards work, what the job entails, the time commitment involved, the role of staff, serving on committees and task forces, fundraising responsibilities, conflicts of interest, group decision-making, effective recruiting, de-enlisting board members, board self-evaluation, and more.

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