Great Fundraising Organizations: Why and How The World's Best Charities Excel at Raising Money

by Alan Clayton

Unlock new growth opportunities by transforming your organization's approach to fundraising

In Great Fundraising Organizations, renowned nonprofit consultant Alan Clayton delivers a proven blueprint for charities and non-profits worldwide to scale their fundraising efforts and their effectiveness. Based on data gathered over twenty years of work with more than 500 organizations including Unicef and WWF, this book explains exactly what works and why, revealing to readers the rigorously researched mindsets, strategies, and practices in use by Great Fundraising Organizations (GFOs)—rare organizations that have the ability to unlock the fundraising revenue they need to meet or exceed performance and mission goals.

Accessible, confident, and infused with Clayton's signature style of observational humor, this book delivers everything readers need to fundraise more effectively with certainty, clarity, and confidence. Some of the ideas explored by Clayton

Evidence to explain why some non-profits dramatically grow their revenues whilst others don't. What makes leadership for a Great Fundraising Organization different. That a precise set of internal behaviours are more important in driving growth than external factors. Why some fundraising communications drive growth and why some don't. Great Fundraising Organizations earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of nonprofit CEOs, directors of fundraising, board chairs and members, and all fundraising professionals seeking to apply tried-and-tested methods for fundraising success and growth to their organizations.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published January 29, 2025

Reviews

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read quite extensively on nonprofit fundraising. This is among the best books on fundraising I have ever read. It resonates strongly with my personal experience in leading fundraising organisations, both those that are highly successful and those less so.
It does this by first identifying the core cultural divide within nonprofits between those focused on averting risk and those whose success depends on taking intelligent risks. It then describes cogently and compellingly the actions needed to build alignment around audacious fundraising goals and the elements of executing towards realising those ambitions. Unlike most texts on fundraising which focus on the nuts and bolts of strategy and technique, this book outlines what it takes to build a great fundraising organisation.
I don’t entirely agree with every recommendation the book makes, believe the section on branding is inadequate, and would have liked to see a wider range of organisations profiled, but still endorse its core premises.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't often choose to read a 'business book'. I read for pleasure and as a way to switch off from work concerns and step into other world. I have quite enough technical reading to do as part of my work, without bringing even more home.

However, 'Great Fundraising Organisations' provided some great insights into the techniques, attributes, outlook and approach adopted by the charities and not-for-profits that are really really good at fundraising. It's a long-term approach and a change of mindset, but the book is packed full of the data supporting the findings and inspirational. The charity I chair is at a 'red dot' pivot point and I was translating the observations into 'things we should/could be doing all the way through.

This was well worth stepping away from work and my usual escape mechanisms to read.

[Prahalathan KK · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is meant for Non-profits wanting to grow their fundraising over the medium or long term.

Don't pick up this book if you don't have a big fundraising team or visionary level 5 leaders or are short of funds now. This book has no short term fixes.