Yes! Read these! Wokandapix@pixabay
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Truth be told, I have a short attention span. I know that many of you love to curl up with a good book. I, on occasion, do too. However, give me an audio book and I am walking for hours on end. A podcast? You bet – I’ll get those 10,000 steps and more.
I also like the blog format.
When I became a “fundraiser,” first by writing grants followed by writing direct appeals and learning how to thank people, I read books on the topic of stewardship and fundraising. Some of those were highlighted in last week’s post, 5 Stewardship Books to Read. These books continue to be great inspiration.
However, I also learned a ton (which is a technical term) from various free blogs. Reading them was and continues to be my weekly and sometimes daily infusion of knowledge.
So, friends – if you want to round out your schooling in fundraising, I suggest you subscribe to the following blogs. Most of these come from a secular, non-church, perspective which, IMHO, can be extremely helpful and transferable to a congregational setting. Brownie points go to those posts that make me laugh.
The Grow Report – Written by Pamela Grow, the Grow Report comes out every Thursday. Pamela provides her own tips (often with humor) plus she highlights other blog posts that she recommends. She also hosts a weekly free webinar, “Motivate Monday,” bringing in an expert from the development world to make a 30-mintue presentation.
Non-Profit AF –Vu Le’s weekly post comes out on Mondays. Vu is a true social justice warrior and challenges me about the field of fundraising and development nearly every time I read his work. I may not always agree with Vu but I sure appreciate his perspective. And he’s darn funny.
As an aside…A few years ago, I posted (in this very blog) that I didn’t know what “AF” stood for. I had some worldly – and slightly younger – clergy helpfully expand my horizons. Let’s just say that I can’t print what “AF” stands for in a nice, respectable publication sponsored by the UMC. Sorry!
Future Fundraising Now – This is a Monday through Friday blog written by Jeff Brooks. Short, sweet, and to the point, there’s always a nugget or two that I glean from his decades in the field.
Fundraising Writing Newsletter – Julie Cooper’s posts come out on Wednesday (Wait! So do mine!). Julie’s Fundraising Writing Newsletter is new to the list because it’s fresh and fun with excellent content. And…Brownie points, it almost always makes me laugh.
Horizons Stewardship Blog – This is the only faith-based blog (besides this one, of course), that makes the list. It’s sent from Joe Park and you’ll get lots of communication from Horizons once you're signed up. The blogs, written by a number of people from their team, are always useful, practical and church-related.
The Better Fundraising Co. – You can count on regular Friday posts written by Joe Shapiro and Steve Screen. They distinguish themselves by having a “Free Resource Friday.” And who doesn’t like something for free? Count me in. These two have also been in the field for decades and they share practical and often easily implemented ideas. They occasionally host a podcast too.
There you have it. In a world full of noise, especially in your inbox, these are the ones that you should make room for. If I’ve missed your favorite(s), let me know what blogs you like to read and why they’ve made a difference to you.
And while I’m at it – thank you for reading Inspiring Generosity. You make my heart sing. Good thing you don’t actually make me sing because that would be a sad experience for everyone around. But my heart? You make it sing away. My readers are the best!
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