If yours is among the tens of thousands of organizations for whom six- and seven-figure gifts are unattainable, then Andy Robinson’s book, Big Gifts for Small Groups, is just the ticket for you and your board.

The subtitle, A Board Member’s 1-Hour Guide to Securing Gifts of $500 to $5,000 says it all.

Robinson is the straightest of shooters – a sort of John McCain of fundraising. There literally isn’t one piece of advice in this book that’s glib or inauthentic. It has all been earned.

As a result of Robinson’s ‘no bull’ style, board members and volunteers will instantly take to Big Gifts for Small Groups, confident the author isn’t slinging easy bromides.

They’ll learn everything they need to know from this one-hour read : how to get ready for the campaign, who to approach, where to find them, where to conduct the meeting, what to bring with you, how to ask, how to make it easy for the donor to give, what to do once you have the commitment – even how to convey your thanks in a memorable way.

Believing that other books already focus on higher sum gifts, the author wisely targets a range that has been neglected : $500 to $5,000. Why? Here’s what Robinson says :

• These gifts are large enough to justify the time it takes to develop a prospect list, prepare a letter, follow up with a phone call and visit the prospective donor.

• They’re small enough to include a wide range of prospects.

• They’re both modest enough to seem feasible to the novice, but also ambitious enough to make it worth their while.

• Taken in the context of a major gifts campaign, with a team of solicitors working together, gifts of $500 to $5,000 can add up to a lot of money.

Robinson has a penchant for good writing and for using exactly the right example or anecdote to illustrate his point.

By the end of the book, your board members and volunteers just may turn to one another and say, “Hey, we can do this” – and genuinely mean it.

3 Responses to “Big Gifts For Small Groups: A 1-hour Board Member’s Guide To Securing Gifts Of $500 To $5,000”

1. Amy Oconnor says:

   January 30, 2006 at 12:00 am

   Any small to mid-sized nonprofit that requires funding cannot afford to be without Andy Robinson’s book. In a nutshell, he demystifies major donor fundraising and makes it accessible to busy board and staff members. In short, direct chapters he helps remove people’s natural fear of the process and instills the sense that asking for money is not only honorable but also incredibly rewarding.
2. Gayle Gifford says:

   January 12, 2006 at 12:00 am

   What I like most about this book is that it’s so practical and seems so doable. I know that most ordinary citizens would probably choose a root canal over the prospect of having to ask someone for a big ($500 to $5000) donation, even for a cause they really care about. But with the help of this book, you’ll feel confident that you could really do the things that the author, Andy Robinson, is suggesting. Why? Because Andy de-mystifies the process of fundraising by breaking it down into easily conceivable steps. And, you feel like you can trust him because he seems like a regular guy, not a superhero. If he’s done it, then you can too. I like that he shares what’s worked for him. An added benefit — you can read this enjoyable book in less than an hour. (Of course, you’ll want to pick it up again and again for its handy advice.)
3. Morrie Warshawski says:

   February 3, 2005 at 12:00 am

   Robinson has written an excellent and pithy introduction to the art of soliciting gifts – it’s a relief to have the advice written in a clear and concise manner that’s just right for the board member who has any trepidation at all about asking for money but wants a quick primer on how to make a significant difference in their fundraising skills.