How to Raise a Million Dollars (or More!) in 10 Bite-Sized Steps : A Failproof Guide for Board Members, Volunteers, and Staff

by Kihlstedt, Andrea

• ISBN13: 9781889102412
• ISBN10: 1889102415
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-01-04
• Publisher: Emerson & Church

Summary

"Step by step one goes very far," says the proverb. And that aptly sums up Andrea Kihlstedt's goal in her new book, How to Raise $1 Million (or More!) in 10 Bite-Sized Steps.If you've shied away from a major gifts campaign, feeling unprepared or unsure how to proceed, Kihlstedt's book delivers a shot of confidence to spur you on.And, true to its title, Kihlstedt does make it seem surprisingly easy to raise a $1 million or more if you heed her counsel.What distinguishes Bite-Sizes Steps are three key features: 1) The book distills into 10 specific and manageable steps exactly what board members, volunteers and staff must do to raise significant money. As such, it provides a doable blueprint AND tempers any lingering fears you might have.2) The book is authentic. Rather than instruct you to "do this" then "do that," or to offer theory, Kihlstedt shares real-life stories of what has worked for a range of organizations. In other words, Kihlstedt shows rather than tells. 3) The author has an engaging conversational style, reminiscent of Jerold Panas's style.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 way Kihlstedt, herself a consultant with some 30 years of experience, offers a fresh way to line up your ducks. There's her practically guaranteed way of making sure you have the right chairman. There's her sure way of telling whether you have a strong enough case. There's her unique way of 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.Many would have you believe that raising $1 million or more is complex, requires countless meetings, an outsized pool of prospects, and the costly aid of a consultant. Kihlstedt punctures that notion by showing that intelligent board members, volunteers, and staff have the skills and common sense within them to make it happen.

Author Biography

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.Andrea's book, Capital Campaigns: Strategies that Work, now in its third edition, has become a primary resource for fundraisers and consultants. It discusses in great detail the structures and systems that help move the campaign process ahead and includes a CD with downloadable material and samples you can adapt for your organization. Andrea has recently launched www.AskingMatters.com, a website designed to provide tools that inform, support and motivate people to go out and ask for gifts.Andrea lives in New York City with her husband, Tyko.