If yours is among the tens of thousands of organizations for whom six- and seven-figure gifts are unattainable, then Andy Robinson's' new 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. But, then again, what would you expect from a fellow who first won his stripes as door to door canvasser, making 10,000 pitches on 10,000 doorsteps.As a result of Robinson's 'no bull' style, board members will take immediately to Big Gifts for Small Groups, confident the author isn't slinging unrealistic 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 smartly targets a range that has been neglected: $500 to $5,000. Why? Here's what Robinson says:o They're 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.o They're small enough to include a wide range of prospects. o They're both modest enough to seem feasible to the novice, but also ambitious enough to make it worth their while.o 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. But more importantly he lets his no-nonsense personality shine through. The result being that by the end of the book, your board members just may turn to one another and say, "Hey, we can do this" ? and mean it.

Yours is a good board, but you want it to be better.-You want clearly defined objectives ?-Meetings with more focus ? -Broader participation in fundraising ?-And more follow-through between meetings.You want these and a dozen other tangibles and intangibles that will propel your board from good to great.Say hello to your guide, Andy Robinson, who has a real knack for offering ?forehead-slapping? solutions ? ?Of course! Why haven?t we been doing this??Take what he says about written agreements among board members. ?Any meaningful job description must be reciprocal: it defines what is expected of you, but also what you can expect in return.? Example: ?I accept fiduciary responsibility for the organization and will oversee its financial health and integrity. By the same token, I expect timely, accurate, and complete financial statements to be distributed at least quarterly, one week in advance of the relevant board meeting.?In other words, the board knows what to expect; the staff knows what to do. Each is accountable.Simple, right? So why does the 10-item sample agreement Robinson provides seem so revolutionary? Perhaps because so few people have tried an agreement like this.Then there?s what the author calls the ?Fundraising Menu.? Here, board members are asked to generate a list of all the ways (direct and indirect) they could assist in fundraising. The list is prioritized and then used to help each trustee prepare a personalized fundraising agreement that meets his or her specific needs, interests, and limitations.Again, simple, but it?s the closest thing you?ll find to guaranteeing a board?s commitment to raising money.Toward the end of his book, in a number of ?How to Fix It? chapters, Robinson homes in on specific problems, such as poorly attended meetings, spotty follow-through on commitments, inactive board members, narrow consensus, conflicts of interest, weak agendas, and much more. And Robinson doesn?t offer up easy nostrums. Quite the opposite. Over the past 20 years, as a board member, a volunteer, and a consultant, he?s put into practice what he preaches and stands unshakably behind his fog-burning advice. Great Boards for Small Groups contains 31 brief chapters. In fact the whole book can be read in an hour. Funny thing, though, its impact on those who heed its advice will last for years.

In this revised edition of his small group guidebook, Jeffrey Arnold discusses the basic components and dynamics of small groups and offers training and resources to help you get started in effective small group ministry.

Why do some small groups thrive and grow while others struggle and falter? The authors have surveyed over 3000 group leaders in more than 200 churches. Their findings will place practical, applicable principles into the hands of small group leaders and pastors. This book also includes access to additional resources from the author's website.

To attract attention to your cause, you could:o Paint your building Day-Glo orangeo Blare hip hop music from the rooftopo Have staff members sport Mohawk haircutsBut if you're a bit less bombastic, and searching for innovative (and more palatable) ways to attract ongoing attention, you'll fare much better with Joseph Barbato's Attracting the Attention Your Cause Deserves.First, let's make clear what this book is NOT.It is not a guide for writing press releases.It is not a manual for creating a speaker's bureau.It is not a treatise offering PR palaver.All of those hairs have been split many times over.Attracting the Attention Your Cause Deserves is something far more useful and invigorating to those wanting to advance the good work of their organization.Think of it as a "Trade Secrets Revealed" book, one allowing you to accomplish three critical objectives for your cause:1) Greater visibility2) A broader constituency3) More money raisedWith more than a million nonprofit organizations in existence, there's a lot of noise out there. Shouting won't get you noticed everybody's doing that. And everybody's tuning it out. What will attract attention is following Joseph Barbato's field-tested advice. Take his insider wisdom to heart. It spills over every single page of this book.Then, even if you whisper, rest assured you'll still be heard.