The Commercial Charity: How Business Thinking Can Help Non-Profits Grow Impact and Income

by Martyn Drake

Contrary to popular perception, charities and non-profits now generate over half their total income by selling goods and professional services.Charities of all shapes and sizes are increasingly targeting commercial growth to help fulfil their aims, and commercial income within the sector has doubled since the year 2000. Big opportunities exist, and The Commercial Charity will help any professional in the sector to take advantage of them and increase the social and financial impact of their organization.Using a wealth of examples, The Commercial Charity demonstrates the wider societal benefits of taking a professional approach to commercial income and harnessing business to bring about change. It provides a process for creating a clear, integrated strategy, outlining a methodology for developing ideas and scaling innovations, while providing an ethical model for marketing and selling them. With interviews from leaders of many of the most successful charities including the National Autistic Society, NSPCC and British Asian Trust, this book will show readers how to evolve their organization into a professional, commercially-adept non-profit. Ultimately, readers will learn how to successfully use business principles and techniques not just to raise money, but to create long lasting and self-sustaining social impact.

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2020

Reviews

[Rukhsar (rukhsandbooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

In terms of format, not the best read as an Ebook ARC. Nonetheless, thank you netgalley, the concept of this book was otherwise worthwhile.

Lots of information. I kept thinking there would be a conclusion or so what to the facts but it just moved on to more information sharing. This broke the potential for flow and often for understanding and emphasis/support of theories.

This book was a textbook trying to be a book. At the same time it was a poorly written textbook. One with lots of interesting content with lots of potential but unfortunately that potential is never met. It also refers back and forth between chapters (this will be discussed in chapter 5, as I discussed in chapter 2) but the content never really comes full circle.

I was looking forward to reading this book but it ended up feeling like a chore.

[Daz Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book. It easily sets out many concepts that charity leaders need to consider in building a commercial proposition and strategic approach.