Branding for Nonprofits: Developing Identity with Integrity by DK Holland (Allworth Press)
This book explains what branding is not just a logo (a typical misconception) and provides a very practical guide for developing your brand from writing a design brief to getting key stakeholders on board with the concepts and even finding funding to support your branding initiatives.

The Mercifully Brief Real World Guide to Raising Thousands (if not tens of thousands) of Dollars with Email by Madeline Stanionis (Emerson & Church Real World Guides) What I love about this book is that it is packed with examples of successful fundraising e-mail appeals and Madeline’s take on exactly why they worked. It is filled with suggestions that any organization, whether you currently have 50 e-mail addressess or 50,000, can easily use to improve results. I’ve known Madeline for a few years. She is a very creative, high energy, fun person who really cares about the work she does. Her personality comes through in the book. I cracked up when she was discussing testing and decided to out her inner geek. She said that she has spent many a Friday night playing with results to see what she could learn from them. I know I’ve done the same thing! Whether you are just getting started with e-fundraising or you’ve been doing it for while, I’m sure you’ll get some great tips from this book – I did. Just a note – buy it from Amazon, the order form page at the the publisher’s website, Emerson and Church, does not appear to be secure – not a good thing.

A Few Good ENewsletter Tools
I was one of the contributors to an article by Idealware, which provides comsumer report style reviews of nonprofit software. If you are just getting started with sending bulk e-mail, e-newsletters or e-solicitations, this article can help you identify some useful tools.
http://www.idealware.org/articles/fgt_email_newsletter_tools.php

Here is the Amnesty International Canada donation page:
https://www.amnesty.ca/donate/indexdonate.php

You’ll note that the monthly giving option is the default option. You can click to move to a different form for one time giving. You’ll also note that it very clearly associates the monthly giving levels with where the money goes.

Greenpeace also makes the monthly giving option the first option.
https://usa.greenpeace.org/donate/

For the folks in the public broadcasting world who read my blog, take a look at the WGBH pledge page. They do a good job of offering a variety of ways for people to pay and from their pledge page they have a window that opens which explains the benefits of becoming a sustaining member.
https://www.wgbh.org/support/pledge/

Have you seen a website that does a good job of promoting a sustaining membership/ monthly giving option? Let me know about it. What’s working for you?

Check it out at Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471691887/ref%3Dsib%5Frdr%5Fdp/002-6148340-5287250