Books: 'Nonprofit Management 101'

FS: What trends around nonprofit fundraising emerge from the book?

DRH: It's crucial for fundraisers to learn the ropes of social media and Web 2.0. Facebook has more than 600 million active users now, making it the third largest country in the world, and more and more of the 83 percent of total funding that comes from individual donors is making its way online. Understanding how to leverage Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., as well as integrate photos, videos and blogs into your outreach efforts, is increasingly important.

Another big theme throughout the seven chapters in the fundraising section is the need for fundraisers to map impact to donations. As Kay Sprinkel Grace notes in her chapter full of nuggets, "People don't give to you, they give through you." The idea is that it's not about asking for funds for your organization — it's about helping the donor or prospect understand the potential impact of their gift on the community they care about. We're simply a vehicle for that.

FS: What will fundraisers learn from the book that is surprising?

DRH: The real money is in raising money from individuals like you and me — 83 percent of philanthropic dollars come from people, not foundations or companies. The lion's share of that money comes in increments of $100 or less, from people making less than $100,000 a year.

Fundraising via social media really isn't that complicated — the book does a great job of breaking down the ins and outs of how to leverage new media and new technologies to put numbers on the board.

There's more support out there than you realize. Each chapter in the book contains a resource review of related tools, many of which are free, where readers can go for more information or help. These are posted online at nonprofits101.org/resources.