Raising Thousands (if Not Tens of Thousands) of Dollars with Email

Madeline Stanionis, author of new book on email fundraising.

My colleague Michael Stein emailed me about a month ago right before the NTC Conference to offer me a FREE review copy of a new book by Madeline Stanionis about how nonprofits can raise money online using email.  I love the title, "Raising Thousands (if Not Tens of Thousands) of Dollars with Email." published by Emerson & Church.  All I had to do was blog about the book after I read it ....  I was gonna read it on the plane, but with last month's sad events - it got lost in the shuffle.  So, I picked it up again this week ...



I was particularly interested in the topic because online fundraising strategy isn't my core area of nonprofit tech knowledge.   And, as a volunteer or board member with small nonprofits, we've never been able to go very far in implementing an online fundraising strategy.    So, this book might prove to be an excellent educationational resource. 

Madeline Stanionis is a guru in online fundraising.  Currently she is president of Donordigital, a well-respected firm that helps nonprofits (larger ones) raise money online and mobilize constituents for progressive causes -- so I was little skeptical as to whether the book would be a long sales pitch for her company's services. IT IS NOT!    The book is like having a private consult with her!  She is sharing extremely useful information in a way that smaller nonprofits can eventually apply it!

There's another thing I like about her book -- her .  I've never met Madeline or heard her speak, but she has a great sense of humor and her writing style made me laugh.  (And I really needed to laugh)   The book is friendly to visual learner types like me -- with lots of bullet points, charts,  and screen captures.  Better yet, you can read it in a few hours -- and it chocked full of stories from the field and strategy tips.   Her calm, authorative style leaves you with the sense that your organization can do that!   There is absolutely no snail oil talk either ...

Even though many of the examples are about larger nonprofits like the Humane Society and Earth Justice, at least she apologizes.  Better yet, she offers "translations" for smaller nonprofits.   I'm on the board of a small nonprofit that has flirted with the idea of email fundraising, but has stayed clear for one reason or another. (Fear of the investment, a sense that only large nonprofits can do this, blah blah blah, etc.)   So, I lent the book to a few board members and asked them to read it.  So far, there is interest in beginning a conversation about email fundraising!

Some other places where you can read more about Madeline and her new book:.

Michael Stein interviewed Madeline Stanionis for the N-TEN Blog
Betsy Harmon (a nonprofit internet strategy consultant) wrote a review here
You can purhcase the book here