Turning Donors into Partners: Principles for Fundraising You'll Actually Enjoy

by Brad Layland, Tom Lin (Foreword)

Fundraising can be one of the most stressful parts of ministry. Budget needs are daunting, prospects seem limited, and the cycle is unending. How do we get off of the treadmill of crisis-driven fundraising to more sustainable ministry funding? Professional fundraiser Brad Layland revolutionizes fundraising and transforms it into a relational process where donors truly become partners in ministry. With decades of expertise in leading multimillion-dollar capital campaigns and working with major donors, he offers a more strategic and personalized yet less labor-intensive approach. Practical insights include ten essential elements of a case and four key steps that lead up to making an ask. Ultimately, fundraising is best done in community, and this book will help you develop a community of people who enjoy giving and want your organization to succeed. Fundraising can become a life-giving, energizing experience of developing partners who fuel your ministry's vision. Discover how you can become fully funded and accomplish the work that God has given you to do.

Genres: Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 24, 2023

Reviews

[Jacob Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would not have read for pleasure that’s for sure

[Lauren Danforth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a page-turner, but there were some helpful things. The reminder of cultivating relationship was good - especially the idea of not being worried about leaving money "on the table" when we are focused on cultivating relationships. Some things felt impractical, but it helped me get back into a good mindset as I head into this summer :)

[Mamie Sessions · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. A lot of it wasn’t applicable. Some of it felt like marketing schemes designed as friendship… idk maybe I’m just terrified of everyone having an angle. —- sorry I know this isn’t therapy… also had some useful tips but also felt repetitive at times.

( still better than the god ask)

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of the book was useful, but the latter half wasn’t super helpful. Lots of references to God which didn’t make sense nor strengthen the arguement 🤔

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid fundraising book. Doesn’t quite have the encouragement that The God Ask has, but also it definitely makes it feel a lot more doable and practical.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good! I liked it just fine, but it had a lot of the same information at “The God Ask,” felt like I was rereading a lot of the same information. Overall good though!

[Marti Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feeling the pressure to raise funds for your ministry or organization, do you find yourself forgetting that what you need is partners, not donations?

Here’s a new book to re-energize or motivate and equip you for fundraising, whether that’s raising personal support or (especially) funding a non-profit. It covers lots of nuts and bolts about how to build a case statement, recruit a team to help you, and identify and prioritize prospects, as well as how and when to ask—all while keeping relationships central.

The author serves as CEO of The FOCUS Group, which offers an online course and fundraising consultation effort called Taking Donors Seriously. That’s the basis for this helpful and encouraging book.

[Josh Olds · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my experience, fundraising is anything but fun. There are million ways to do it, whether you’re doing a one-time fundraiser for a small event or engaged in a completely nonprofit organization that needs millions of dollars a year. And, of course, the times you need money the most are also the times that most people are struggling with their own finances. Brad Layland has seen the good and bad of fundraising and created a simple and clear blueprint for successful fundraising. Layland is CEO of the FOCUS Group, which provides fundraising consulting to nonprofits and has a long and successful history helping organizations meet their fundraising goals.

Turning Donors into Partners is Layland’s philosophy in book form. Everything is segmented, easy to reference, and easy to understand. There are six key principles of fundraising, a five-point framework for fundraising, ten elements to a case, seven functions of leadership, five steps in finding donors…you get the idea. The result is a book that covers a lot of ground in a very general sense and comes across as pretty formulaic. However, something a formula is exactly what you want.

My primary criticism with Turning Donors into Partners is that a lot of Layland’s practical examples are at fundraising levels way higher than the typical person engaging in fundraising. This book literally includes the line “The most intimate place a donor can invite you to meet, I have learned, is their vacation home.” While the book pays lip service to cultivating small donors, the emphasis is on landing the couple of great white whales.

This leads to a larger criticism about the worldview from which the book derives its fundraising principles, which is a worldview that holds up the charity of the wealthy as something beneficial. Maybe I’m a radical, but I’ve often found that the charity of wealthy is a sign of persistent inequality that necessitates the need for the work of the nonprofit in the first place. Turning Donors into Partners rightfully highlights the need for a close relationship between donors and organizations, but the prioritization of the wealthy makes it seem like we pursue people only for what they can give us. Layland does have an aside about not casting away those committed to the vision who can’t give abundantly, but it’s lost amid the talks about vacation homes and “Priority One” donors.

In the end, Turning Donors into Partners is a slick, tried-and-true presentation. There’s a lot to commend in it. But it still comes off as a presentation on how to schmooze the wealthy rather than the creation of community and the combining of resources with the goal of mutual flourishing.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

pg 10 - The right question for a board or executive director of an organization to ask is, Who are the people we need to engage with to raise the money we need in order to accomplish the mission and vision of our organization.

23 - Givers find incredible joy through giving. Is it possible that the joy that givers find from giving translates into them being happier, which makes them more effective professionally, allowing them to make more money? It's worth thinking about.

23 When you receive a no from a prospective or previous donor to your organization, trust that there is a context for that no.

36 - As you open the case statement, the first page (the title page, or splash page) features the theme. The theme is the central message your organiation is trying to communicate. It distills into a compelling, one-line phrase what your organization is doing in the community. It usually contains an action verb such as changing, bringing or restoring.

97 - In capital campaigns, it is usually true that 10 percent of the people give 90 percent of the gifts. But in the annual fund world, which is what we are focusing on in this book, we want to see a much larger percentage of prospects giving the bulk of the funds. That way, wehn things change, when donors move, when there's been a change in leadership at an organization, the organization is stable. That stability means that the organization will be able to continue orperating and raising the same amount of money.

[Mark Seeley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is helpful book for the newbie entering the fundraising vocation. There is a lot in here I like, but sometimes I felt it was an advertisement for his consulting group. To the book's credit, it does emphasize the importance of building relationships with donors. But it does little on discovering donor passion and the importance of careful listening. I would rather see an approach that aims to discover what would the prospective donor like to do with his money that would be most meaningful to him/her. Fundraising is not about my organization but about what the donor wants to accomplish in the world. My organization is merely a conduit to his end.

[Grace Catherine Beckham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very helpful companion for the beginning of my fundraising journey. Layland combines practical tools, step-by-step breakdowns, and powerful stories all into one guide. This book articulates the relational heart of fundraising in ways that really resonated with my own heart and desire for connection as I endeavor in the ministry work of support-raising. I will definitely be coming back to these truths, resources, and words throughout the process. A great book to start with!

[Ruby Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this awhile ago, but I forgot to mark it (a note for all those RUF interns who might laugh at me for just now finishing it…).

Great resource on fundraising!! Highly recommend for those going into ministry.

[Megan Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, had lots of great practical ideas. Very clearly laid out.
I didn’t like that it was focused more for major organizations and big donors. Yes, I can adapt the principles but that does get old and exhausting.

[Bill Stutzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful paradigm. Accessible, straightforward, practical.

[Andy Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good book for leaders of organizations planning a capital campaign. Has some standard tips about building relationships with donors.

[Karen Wrobbel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good practical tools for advancement & fund-raising work.