Recent "Off the Shelf" Book Reviews

Here are quick highlights from Philanthropy News Digest's Off the Shelf book reviews by Foundation Center staff. Click on the links below for the full reviews:

Crucibles of Leadership: How to Learn from Experience to Become a Great Leader. Robert J. Thomas (Harvard Business School Press, 2008)

“…the book reinforces perhaps the most important lesson for any leader, regardless of field or sector: Effective leadership is a process of continuous personal development driven by one's embrace of lifelong learning and a desire to lead...” More...

ROI for Nonprofits: The New Key to Sustainability. Tom Ralser (John Wiley & Sons, 2007)

“…nonprofits that make the effort to follow Ralser's guidelines are likely to find themselves with a development strategy that puts them on the road to sustainability..." More...

Message Matters: Succeeding at the Crossroads of Mission and Market. Rebecca K. Leet (Fieldstone Alliance, 2007)

“...by following Leet's five simple steps, you too can end up with a powerful message that grabs your audiences' attention, drives the conversation about your products and services, and leads to improved fundraising results....” More...

Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan. Linda Lysakowski (John Wiley & Sons, 2007)

"...Lysakowski's book de-mystifies the [planning] process, presenting the challenges one must be prepared to address to achieve fundraising success in a practical, no-nonsense manner..." More...

Click here for a full list of archived Off the Shelf reviews.

Assessing Planned Giving Officers

Evaluating the performance of planned giving officers can be challenging, especially when gifts may not be received until years later. If you need guidance on developing criteria for measuring success, have a look at the latest issue of the Journal of Gift Planning (1st Qtr) from the National Committee on Planned Giving. In the article, “Evaluating Gift Planner Performance” expert Tom Cullinan suggests that some areas for measurement may include:

Existing and deferred gift commitments
Number of donor meetings
Response rates to marketing efforts
Number of new prospects identified

The article also provides guidance on standards for prospect meetings, cold calls, and activity reports.

For additional readings on planned giving, search the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature.

Fundraising Ethics

Be careful. Once your nonprofit loses the trust of your donors you will fight an uphill battle trying to restore their confidence in your organization. Protect the reputation of your nonprofit by promoting ethical standards in your fundraising program.

A new book from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Fund Development Series can help you explore best practices in this area. In Ethical Fundraising: A Guide for Nonprofit Boards and Fundraising, experts contribute chapters that discuss several key areas, including:

privacy issues
donor intent
ethical gift solicitation
handling full disclosure
conflict of interest vs. the appearance of wrongdoing
compensation of fundraisers

The volume also contains brief cases studies that examine various ethical challenges.

For additional readings on this subject, have a look at our topical resource list on fundraising ethics.

2007 Year in Review

Do you sometimes feel that it is difficult to keep pace with the changing face of philanthropy? The Foundation Center has released a publication that will help you focus on the key issues and trends for the previous year. The premier issue of Philanthropy Annual highlights the major news stories, leadership changes, and awards of 2007. In addition to interviews and commentary, the publication also presents statistical data on foundation giving in the U.S.

The Philanthropy Annual also serves has a handy reference tool since appendices list nonprofit academic centers, regional associations of grantmakers, grantmaker affinity groups and philanthropy periodical editors.

Be sure to turn to the last page; there is a crossword puzzle!

Click here to learn more and download the Philanthropy Annual.

National Volunteer Week

It is National Volunteer Week (April 27 – May 3, 2008) and a great time to highlight a couple of resources for volunteers and volunteer managers available on our web site.

Start off with our Frequently Asked Question, “How can I use the Web to find volunteer opportunities?"

Then, if you are interested in books and articles on voluntarism in our collection, have a look at our topical resource list. Here is a sampling of the materials:


Corporation for National and Community Service. Volunteering in America: 2007 State Trends and Rankings in Civic Life. Washington, DC: Corporation for National & Community Service, 2007.

Analyzes information on volunteering in America in general and in individual states. Part one gives a general overview of American voluntarism. Part two compares rates of voluntarism across the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Part three analyzes voluntarism within each state by focusing on the number of volunteer hours and demographics. The last section is a technical note on statistical methods and data sources.

Family Volunteering: A Guide for the Workplace. Washington, DC: Points of Light Foundation, 2007.

Provides advice for managers who are planning employee volunteer programs for families.

Lysakowski, Linda. Nonprofit Essentials: Recruiting and Training Fundraising Volunteers. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2005.

Explains how to find and attract volunteers, and provides sample job descriptions. The book also covers the training of volunteers and management of their work alongside staff members.

Venture Philanthropy: A Quick Look at the PRI and the L3C

While most foundations support organizations by providing grants, some grantmakers also provide program-related investments (PRIs) in the form of loans or loan guarantees to finance charitable projects. While the number of foundations that make PRIs is relatively low, more foundations are using PRIs to support various initiatives, including community development projects.

In the April 2008 issue of Trust & Estates, David T. Leibell and Daniel L. Daniels explain that there may be a new way for foundations to make these social investments and to practice venture philanthropy. It involves a new legal entity, the low-profit limited liability company (L3C), which can seek PRIs and raise funds from private investors as well. The article, “Say Hello to the L3C" indicates that a few states are considering legislation that would authorize the entities, including North Carolina and Vermont.

If you would like to learn more about PRIs or L3Cs, try exploring the links below:

The Foundation Center’s FAQ “What Is a Program-Related Investment?"

PRI Makers Network (for grantmakers)

Americans for Community Development (a coalition that promotes the L3C)

You can also search the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature by using the subjects Program-Related Investments or Venture Philanthropy.

Readings on Diversity in the Philanthropic Sector

How can you learn more about diversity in the nonprofit sector? The Foundation Center has released a new bibliography that explores this topic, with sections that cover philanthropy for specific communities, including the economically disadvantaged, ethnic and racial minorities; women; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community; people with disabilities; and rural communities. The bibliography also notes resources that focus on board and staff diversity, as well as guides and toolkits for promoting diversity.

Click here to download Diversity in Philanthropy: A Comprehensive Bibliography of Resources Related to Diversity Within the Philanthropic and Nonprofit Sectors.