The Fundraising Survival Guide

The first of its kind, The Fundraising Survival Guide is at an unserious look at the role of fundraising in the modern nonprofit, covering the shortcomings of philanthropy and the Third Sector.

Why is it impossible to raise enough money?
What can I do about my board before it’s too late?
Why are fundraisers like me always on the verge of a nervous breakdown?
What in the world is wrong with nonprofits, and how do we fix it?

In THE FUNDRAISING SURVIVAL GUIDE, Will Caverly takes you on a satirical journey through the most difficult and degrading job in the modern nonprofit: development, also known as fundraising, also known as the most dismal profession. This cynical manual for the development professional skewers the industry, taking you on a humorous ride through the failings of charitable organizations and the people that fund them.

In this book, you will learn:

Why penitence is an inefficient way to do good;

Why charitable organizations are always on the verge of failure;

How to deal with the board, your staff, and everyone else getting in your way;

Why you should fire all your volunteers, effective immediately;

What kind of damage you can do with a pen via grant writing;

How to hunt down donors who don’t want to be found;

And what we can do to end development as a profession, once and for all.

In the tradition of Dave Barry (Big Trouble), Tom Kelly (Tenth Legion), C. Northcote Parkison (Parkinson’s Law), and Laurence J. Peter (The Peter Principle), this unserious book will have you seeking out new employment in no time.

Will Caverly has never worked in a nonprofit, but he hears good things about them. He is the author of HERE, the BEES STING, a beekeeping thriller, and a breakdown of his work can be found on his website, www.willcaverly.com.