Jeff Brooks has developed into one of the icons of modern fundraising. His blogs (first Donor Power and currently The Future of Fundraising Now) and his podcast (Fundraising is Beautiful with Steven Screen) are some of the most consumed resources in the nonprofit space.
Brooks now has synthesized his years of experience into a wonderfully written book titled: The Money Raising Nonprofit Brand.
Branding is a dirty word in the nonprofit space and Brooks entertainingly explains why. Techniques that work so powerfully in commercial advertising don’t fit for nonprofits. Brooks gives example after example of nonprofit re-branding gone bad. And why.
The Money Raising Nonprofit Brand should be required reading for anyone who works with nonprofit organizations. That includes leadership, board members, volunteers, fundraisers and their agencies. It’s a concise easy to read book packed with insights and ready to use ideas.
If I had any bone to pick with the book (and I wouldn’t be a good analyst if I didn’t ) is that I think he is too quick to discount the benefit of research. Just like in branding wrongly employed research approaches can yield more harm than benefit. But research methods that understand the nuances of nonprofit fundraising realities can accelerate an organization’s success.
Still, do your organization a favor and pass this book out to your staff. And most importantly, to your Branding Consultants.