Donor-Centered Fundraising

In this fully updated and substantially expanded second edition, author, researcher and fundraising expert Penelope Burk describes her groundbreaking methodology that challenges accepted fundraising practice with strategies that extend donor loyalty and raise much more money.



Supported by dozens of studies over twenty years involving tens of thousands of donors, Donor-Centered Fundraising paints a candid picture of why donors stop giving, and what it will take to preserve their ongoing loyalty in the future. In clear language and backed by statistical evidence, the book explores the pitfalls of the fundraising industry’s traditional approaches to donor communication and recognition, and clarifies what donors want but seldom get from the not-for-profits they support.



Donor-Centered Fundraising features straightforward and accessible forecasts that illustrate how much money charitable organizations are failing to raise by employing an approach to fundraising designed for another time and a different donor sensibility. It then goes on to offer readers a step-by-step guide that transforms any not-for-profit into a Donor-Centered organization.



Filled with eye-opening, humorous and often poignant anecdotes from donors and fundraisers, Donor-Centered Fundraising is the authoritative text for fundraisers, executive directors, board members, donor relations professionals and any staff or volunteers who interact with donors or deal with the financial support of not-for-profits. Donor-Centered Fundraising is today’s essential fundraising methodology for the not-for-profit sector.