The subtitle of the book is What Makes A Great Fundraiser Great. When I wrote the book, there was absolutely nothing that had been written about what makes a great fundraiser.  What talents, skills, and characteristics go into making one truly great.

Of all these important characteristics, how many are inherent and how many can be learned. And of those that can be learned, why aren’t we teaching them.

That’s something I’ve never really understood. If you’re a professional fundraiser, wouldn’t you really want to know what you need to bring to the party in order to be supremely successful? What skills and talents make you an Olympian?

What makes this book so special is that I interviewed fifty men and women. I considered them the most effective in the industry. I spent a full day with each.

At the end of the book, I write about 63 verities of what makes a great fundraiser. It’s difficult to describe the perfect fundraiser. I say in my book, “If you were designing a perfect flycatcher, you probably wouldn’t design it to look like a frog.”  Many have told us that these verities alone are worth the price of the book.

Thirty years ago, I was driven to write this book. It grabbed me by the lapels and wouldn’t let go.  I felt it was that important. Today, I feel it’s just as important. It’s like burning in my bones.