How to Raise $500 to $5000 from Almost Anyone

Good suggestions for how to fundraise. Targeted for nonprofits but good advice for all.

This book was concise and provides a good resource to fundraising.

A brief explanation of practical ways to raise funds for your nonprofit. It is a nice way to help reluctant board members start brainstorming ways they can get involved in fundraising.

Many of the topics that Robinson discusses in this books are topics I've learned in other trainings but several of Robinson's insights were incredibly helpful. I will share the book with our Development Team and hope it motivates them like it did me.

This is a great, quick read appropriate for those just starting out in fund raising, especially for board members who feel a bit insecure about asking for money!

What a great, easy to read and process, book for the person who has a belief and wants to raise funds to support the sharing of the belief with the community. The person, who is representing a group, is in a position to ask for money and this book helps define the process that is comfortable and works.

A quick read but incredibly informative. It really takes away the fear and anxiety around fundraising. I can't wait to share this book with my volunteers and fellow board members.

Excellent resource for fundraisers

Concise and informative. Was pleased to add some understanding why we ask the way we ask.

This is a great fundraising book. It is filled with wonderful ideas that will inspire people to donate more money to your cause. Andy is a witty, inspiring and honest writer. Almost every page has practical and instantly usable ideas. This book caused me to declare: Yes! You will learn how to raise $500 to $5,000 from almost anyone. Buy it. Read it. Follow Andy's advice. And reap the rewards.

Short, simple, concise, and eminently useful. Recommend for anyone involved in fundraising.

This truly is a one hour read. Easy to read and understand, I will be implementing some of the suggestions right away for the fundraising campaign I am working on. I highly recommend for anybody, professional or volunteer who is involved in any fundraiser activities.

Quick and easy read with many great ideas on raising money for non-profits. I recommend it for all board members to read.

LOVED IT

Perfect book for new boards to read and review together!

Good book

After this book was suggested to me by a trusted colleague, I can certainly agree that it is a great short and simple guide to some really great principles for fundraising. Very action oriented. A great reference to have on hand!

Basic fundraising strategies, but without nuance. Always a good reminder that fundraising is not a competition.

The book was pretty basic fundraising 101, but was helpful to have it all simplified and broken down into one small book.

Easy read with a few good ideas

If you're a reader, this will be a simple, practical way to learn the basics - and some important innovations - quickly. It's not formatted for the glance-and-go crowd, so if you hate actually doing the reading, other options might be more appealing, but it does bill itself as a 1-hour read! The value here is mostly in changing the way you look at the 'problem' of fundraising - this book does a great job in a short space.

This is a nice little book. It had some good ideas. the format is easy to read and short. It lasys out some clear strategies for asking for money and makes it seem like it's not difficult to do. I haven't used any of the strategies yet, but I can see that they would work.

Enjoyed this read. Hopefully will help in future

I really liked this book. Made me feel a little more comfortable know some statistics regarding basic fund raising. I also really like the sample letter and other info in back pages and helps to have something to reference off of. It was a quick and easy to understand read. Thank you so much for this program. Roseann Voigt

This book was easy to digest. I like that it had very clear tips related to how to communicate with a potential donor, how to set up a meeting, what to say, and how to follow up. Extremely practical and encouraging!

I received this book in the mall yesterday and read it over coffee this morning. No more than one hour and so worth it. I've asked my staff to order this book so we can discuss together. Can't wait to bring the ideas in this book to our board. As an Executive Director and a board member with others orgs this was a great read.

Very informative book. Easy read. Im new at grants and this will be very helpful to our non profit. I have already passed it on to another member to read.

Very informative and good read!

Excellent source of I formation

This book is GREAT! It talks about fundraising in a way that is simple, interesting and engaging. The author discusses fundraising, and shares his own experiences in a way that is interesting and engaging. His stories describe the kind of people many have worked with and the situations we are familiar with. And his clear, straight talk addresses issues that after many years of fundraising return now and again. I think this book should help every person who wants his or her nonprofit to thrive. Using this this book as a guide, you'll leanr/find the courage to ask. And if you ask, you'll raise more money.

An engaging and concise guide for those who are embarking on major gifts. I'll share it with board members and staff. I look forward to seeing it in action in my organization

This book was a quick read with great suggestions. Asking for money is difficult for most people and this helps guide beginners on how to ask for what you need. Building relationships is key and follow through is paramount.

Simple, clear, and concise! This is a great book for anyone new to fundraising or anyone who just looking to brush up on skills.

Excellent Book!

This book was a basic quick read on the topic of fundraising. This was a good review for me after attending a training by Kim Klein a few years ago. It is a good learning tool for stepping into the world of nonprofit leadership.

This book is without any doubt the absolutely BEST I have ever read about raising money. It's short, simple, and comes with relatable examples. Whether you've been raising money for years or just getting started, read this book before you do anything else!

This book is helpful for new board members and those who are new to fundraising or wanting a refresher!

This book wasn't quite what I thought it would be so not as helpful in my case but could be more beneficial for someone else I'm sure. Still very informative

It was an alright book.

This goes into extremely helpful specific examples that will aid my volunteers in much more meaningful ways than just telling us to know what our story is like a lot of guides I've seen. Incredibly helpful!

How to Raise $500 to $5000 from Almost Anyone was a great reference in preparing my requests for funds.

Good book for back to the basics. Has good techniques and reminders that people relate to people and causes.

This is described as a "1-Hour Guide." While I didn't read it with a stop watch running, it seems about the right amount of time for a first read. This is an easy read on several levels. The chapters are short. There is frequent use of bold and italic fonts. The print is large. The take-aways and "rules" are straightforward. There is nothing that's particularly unique about the content. But the streamlined formatting cuts through wordier texts. It's definitely something that a Board member could easily read. It might even make those Board members more willing to participate.

I took longer than an hour to read the book, but it was well worth my time. I planned immediately to start educating the board that I am on. And get some practice for myself. Easy to read, good and straight talk about what needs to be done to get funding. I am President of a very small non-profit, and it seems like Mr. Robinson wrote the book just for us. We who are just regular people doing the best that they can. Simple, step-by-step. Can't get much better than this. HA! I started to rate the book a 4 and then realized that the problem lies inside myself, and not the book. So, I fixed it at 5. I really think every person on a non profit board should read this book. Thank you.

I didn't find this to be as helpful as most Select Books. It has some ideas, easy and quick reading. Worth a peruse especially because the price is right!

Easy to understand and lays out the proper steps for fundraising.

This has a bunch of handy little tips and stats. Works best when you need a confidence boost or you need to explain/persuade the powers that be how fundraising works (comes mostly from individuals, etc).

It's a short and simple book, demonstrating some ways to overcome objections. It's not too meaty.

It is a very quick read and very "introductory/basic". It is a 5"x8" 102 p/250words per page book. So in my opinion, if you are new to fundraising and wanting a book that will greatly improve your success this isn't what you are looking for. But if you are wanting a book that you can offer to your non profit group general members may be useful. The biggest concepts I brought away from this book is: - fundraising is a volume business. You need to ask a lot of people because most will turn you down. - don't take it personally and fundraising is not about (my) feelings - it's about the donor. How I feel is much less important than how the contributors feel. - 80-85% of monies donated come from individuals not foundations, corporations or government entities. Two thirds of those who take the standard deduction on their income taxes donate $1,000 - $2,000 and the very poor $500.

This was a good book... however some of the idea's for making money were for more bigger area's than where I am located. However if modified I believe you can still make most of them work. Thanks again for all the help.

This is a good, basic review of best practices for fund raising. Lots of good reminders and tips. I will pass it on to all my board members.

Lots of interesting tips for fundraisers new and old.

As someone who enjoys Community Development and being a leader in a small non-profit, I appreciated this book as it lined up the steps necessary to obtain funding for non-profits. It also addresses the situation when a board member states, "they are not very good at raising money." It is an easy to read book and one that I will share with my non-profit group. Thank you for including this book as a resource.

I found this book easy to read. The author guides the reader through a step-by-step approach to asking for donations from almost anyone. I still feel it would be an overwhelming task for me, but there are some definite helpful take-away's from his approach. If I had the courage to attempt it, his book would be a great source to return to for a path to follow. A good read.

This is a very informative book with great fund raising ideas.

This book provides simple, but effective methods of fundraising. It really walks you through the different stages of asking and I feel more confident in my role as a member of the development team after reading it. I also love the fact that it was so short!

Very useful information. I especially liked the comment that fundraising is a volume business. The book also shared instructions on how to conduct various types of asks.

This book took me a little over an hour to read. There are many helpful ideas and suggestions here. I need to take this to the rest of my Board to follow through. Thank you for providing this

This book was a quick and easy read. The concepts were broken down into short chapters that were centered on one idea, this helped to process the information presented. Many of the ideas seemed logical, but the author provided reasoning for their mentioning in the text. After reading this book, fundraising does not seem daunting. It was not focused on the fundraising that I was hoping to learn about--the bake sale, exchange of goods kind--but it has inspired me to do the ask/membership type fundraising that was described in the text. I recommend this for any organizations that are looking for a steady, reliable, stream of donations.

a lot of great information in a small book. There are many easy fundraisers that do not take a lot of resources and is easy for anyone to understand them. Thank you

Just read How to Raise $500 to $5000 from Almost Anyone, this morning (1.5 hours). I must say I am much more comfortable with my role as fundraiser as a board member. I believed everyone of the myths the author describes - but no longer. There are example letters and conversations that help remove my dread of fundraising. I will still be apprehensive making my first call and visit. Though I now feel prepared. A very positive perspective on fundraising.

This work of writing was helpful to me as I am creating opportunities for others to give. I really liked the honest sharing of information to help raise money for organizations. I shared the book with another friend raising money for his non-profit. Thank you

Excellent reading. The insights and particularly helpful way the author leads you down the path of understanding that its ok to ask and its normal to feel the way you do when doing so. I enjoyed this book, the Directors are passing it around now.

good

Great book. Although I did not use it for fundraising purposes, at the moment, I used some of the strategies to help me approach the media to get the word out to our families about meal benefits.

Andy Robinson is someone I would consider as a mentor in fundraising. In this easy-to-read book he provides clear directions on how to effectively solicit gifts. I have utilized this as a tool to help our staff and Board feel more comfortable in asking for money, particularly in respect to face-to-face fundraising.

This short book is an easy to read effective tutorial on fundraising. It helps one get over fear of The Ask, and has great tips on developing strong donor contact lists. I highly recommend it for anyone needing a positive jumpstart in thinking about asking for money for your good cause.

Thanks for the book! This is a easy quick read and I recommend for any new board member seeking to learn more about approaching potential donors. It is difficult to ask people for money but when done in the name of a good cause and you are behind the organization's mission this book gives you some really great ideas for how to raise some money!

This book was very helpful in identifying ways to fundraise for the non-profit organization where I volunteer.

Exactly what my board needs. Quick, step by step, to the point. Excellent for a growing nonprofit.

Great Read. As someone who is looking to go into fundraising it was very insightful.

A quick read full of easy to apply tips on fundraising. It's definitely psychological how we approach money and we need to change our relationship with money. Asking for money even for a cause I'm passionate about is still difficult for me. This would be a good book to have to go back to. I love this quote in the book: I can't do everything but I can do something to help somebody. And what I can do, I will do. I wish I can do more.- Oseola McCarty

I found that this book was very informative and gave me some ideas that will help me and my organization moving forward in the future.

A clear, quick and consider guide to fundraising.

It was good for our Grange when we had a raffle. We set goals and surpassed them. The book helped us reach our goals.

Good book for beginners for raising funds.

Although brief, this book is packed with great strategies for fundraising and is ideal for someone working to get a start in fundraising. Although I would love to hear more of the author's strategies on effective stewardship, the strategies that are included build nicely through the entire fundraising process. Someone can use this as a template to get going in fundraising, and perhaps support a group of volunteers to do the same on behalf of an organization.

I really enjoyed reading this. It is an excellent, accessible introduction to fundraising delivered with humor.

An excellent guide for fundraising for small non profits and community organizations.

Great book! Loved how it was easy to read and helpful. Helped walk through the difficult parts of fundraising easily. Any fundraiser should definitely read this book.

Andy Robinson outlines a useful strategy for raising large gifts, including specific guidance and tips. These specifics include letter and conversation templates, and tips like methods for increasing the pool of donor prospects. We will use this book as an ongoing guide for fundraising. And it's an easy read.

A very quick read and a good reminder of the basics of fundraising. I'll be passing along to those who will benefit from this book.

This book had some gems for fundraising. Our cohort was able to put some strategies into practice when fundraising for our project.

This is an incredibly helpful book for those just starting out in fundraising. As a new development director for a small non-profit this book has given me confidence that I can achieve success applying the well-laid-out simple steps provided in this book. A few key principles -- fundraising is a volume game, and if you don't ask, you won't receive.

I loved this book! I quickly read through it feeling so inspired, I took it to work the next day to share with the board members. I highly recommend this motivational and informational read.

Very helpful in making a real shift in thinking about fundraising and it contains very practical tips. I have had a few of our board members read this.

Wonderful resource for approaching funders for large or smaller amounts. A must-have for non-profits who rely on every penny!

Andy doesn’t break much new ground in this easy to read book. However his folksy, easy-going style offers up a good bit of information on the basics of major gift fundraising in a nonthreatening and believable way. Its a great tool to use for anyone who is trying to figure out how to engage board members or other volunteers into helping participate in a development program at a nonprofit of any size. In this brief book, he covers they ‘whys’ of development, and reminds us over and over that people give because they are asked, and because it makes them feel good. This is backed up with statistics and lots of stories and anecdotes. The downside is this is an expensive little book. Few orgs can probably afford a copy for every person who needs to be engaged in the work. Investing in a few copies, passing them around (yes, it really does take only about an hour to digest this), and sharing some of his suggested exercises might work well, and affordably. Its a great confidence builder, and a good reference tool for the tips amateurs need to help connect the mission with the money.

Nice simple overview and introduction, great for new board members and staff, and volunteers. Very quick read and easy to comprehend. Introductory/beginner level - the basics.

Good practical information. I appreciated the realistic ideas that even small groups can use.

It was a great read to brush up on some fundraising techniques. Quickly cover the essentials of fundraising and give yourself a mental boost of confidence in your ability to get your community involved financially in your cause. Couldn't agree more that the best fundraising happens through those who really believe in the cause they are advocating. This book is painless, a rather entertaining read.

This book is a good overview of the basics of asking for funds for your organization. It's a quick read and lays out a basic fundraising plan. It is a useful book to have in your fundraising library.

Very helpful, with real, easy to use ideas.

This book is not at all what I expected. One of the reasons I ordered it is because a few years ago I read another book by the same author that I found it helpful (Great Board for Small Groups). Unfortunately, this one does not equal the other. It offers some very elementary suggestions on how to raise money; it fails to explore the fast-growing online strategies; and it makes numerous generalizations without providing sources or annotations to validate its claims (e.g. "dead people through their estates give away more money year after year than all U.S. corporations combined." p.18). There are many other similar statements that it'd be useful to know the source. Regardless, this book suggests nothing there is not common sense, and therefore fell short of my expectations.

This book is very helpful for small nonprofits like ours here in Alsea, Oregon. We especially like the chapter on how important it is to meet with possible funders face to face and follow up with face time also. Each member of our nonprofit board is reading this book and we will follow the guidelines with planning for our annual fundraiser this year.

Short and sweet. Gave a different perspective on fundraising for me that was helpful.