The Nonprofit Membership Toolkit (Kim Klein's Chardon Press)

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Summary: Membership Guru Tells All!
Review: Ellis Robinson has helped hundreds of non-profits increase their memberships, both as a trainer and an employee. She's reached almost mythical status for building the membership of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy from 400 to 60,000 in three years. Now she shares her secrets in this easy-to-use guide. Whether you're a new community non-profit or an established national organization, The Nonprofit Membership Toolkit will give you a wealth of information to boost your ranks--especially important in this time of diminishing foundation grants. Ellis doesn't just give you the techniques. She also underscores the importance of developing your organization so that new members will want to renew their support. Her methods are well-rooted in community organizing, with emphasis on one-on-one recruitment, board involvement, and member participation. However, what really sets this book apart from other fundraising books is its use of materials from non-profit groups. Ellis has collected fundraising letters, brochures, surveys, membership plans, etc. from organizations in every corner of the country and presents the cream of the crop as models for your own use. The book is laid out well, with each chapter focusing on one aspect of membership development. As a professional fundraiser, I turn to The Nonprofit Membership Toolkit frequently to answer questions, inspire me to write yet another fundraising letter, or give me new ideas to try. I recommend The Nonprofit Membership Toolkit wholeheartedly to anyone involved with a non-profit organization.

Rating:
Summary: The Bible for Non-Profit Funding Through Membership
Review: In today's tough economic times, just about every non-profit needs help raising money. Members are one of the best sources of long-term funding and support for non-profits and this book tells all. A fantasic how-to-do-it guide to setting up and running a membership program. Lots of examples, worksheets, and - my favorite - practical tips and samples of results-producing membership letters. You can literally give this book to the person in charge of membership and they will know exactly what to do. Just about every non-profit has lots of room for improvment in the membership area. This book is packed with tips and advice from THE leader in membership development and fund raising, Ellis Robinson. You will not find a more passionate person to help your non-profit do a better job and be more successful.

Rating:
Summary: The Bible for Non-Profit Funding Through Membership
Review: In today's tough economic times, just about every non-profit needs help raising money. Members are one of the best sources of long-term funding and support for non-profits and this book tells all. A fantasic how-to-do-it guide to setting up and running a membership program. Lots of examples, worksheets, and - my favorite - practical tips and samples of results-producing membership letters. You can literally give this book to the person in charge of membership and they will know exactly what to do. Just about every non-profit has lots of room for improvment in the membership area. This book is packed with tips and advice from THE leader in membership development and fund raising, Ellis Robinson. You will not find a more passionate person to help your non-profit do a better job and be more successful.

Rating:
Summary: NonProfit Membership Toolkit
Review: This book gets my highest praise for putting a lot of valuable information into one easy to navigate source. My book is marked up with highlighter and sticky notes! Although I don't work for an "environmental" nonprofit, I found that the insight and experience easily translates into my field (long term care for the elderly). Very, very good. I highly recommend to all development/fundraising professionals and volunteers.

Rating:
Summary: NonProfit Membership Toolkit
Review: This book gets my highest praise for putting a lot of valuable information into one easy to navigate source. My book is marked up with highlighter and sticky notes! Although I don't work for an "environmental" nonprofit, I found that the insight and experience easily translates into my field (long term care for the elderly). Very, very good. I highly recommend to all development/fundraising professionals and volunteers.

Rating:
Summary: Packed with Knowledge!
Review: This book offers one-stop shopping for the nonprofit organization in need of money, political influence, credibility, free labor and all of the other benefits that members can bring. Not only does the book provide abundant information on recruiting members, it also offers, free and online, copies of forms and worksheets you can use to help advance your organization's membership campaign. It begins at the beginning, explaining what membership is. This may sound self-evident, but the very definition of membership has some surprising twists. This book will save you from making some very obvious mistakes - such as failing to convert people who contact you into members. It's a straightforward, no-nonsense workbook with excellent samples and examples. If you are an executive, board member, staffer or volunteer at a nonprofit, we offer its congratulations: at last, here's the right book for you.