I’ve seen a lot of books over the years and have been proud to publish many great ones. I am particularly drawn to books that are honest, unafraid to take chances, and thought-provoking.
If you snuck into my house, here are the books you would find on my desk. While I didn’t publish all of them, I certainly recommend each heartily.
Distilled. A Memoir of Family, Seagram, Baseball, and Philanthropy by Charles Bronfman, Howard Green
While much has been written about his father, Sam, a titan of industry, there is no public record of Charles Bronfman’s thoughts on his own life, family, career and his significant accomplishments in sport and philanthropy. Distilled does just that, chronicling key events in the life of the heir to one of Canada’s great fortunes. Born in 1931 to the fabulously wealthy Bronfmans, Charles grew up in a 20-room mansion with many staff. Via their control of the distilling giant Seagram, the Bronfman family dominated the liquor business with brands such as Crown Royal, V.O. and Chivas Regal. By the 1980s, Seagram was also the biggest shareholder of DuPont and by the 1990s, the family’s wealth was in the billions, culminating in the $35-billion sale of Seagram to France’s Vivendi, which turned into a financial and family disaster. In Distilled, Charles reflects on all of it--his relationship with his parents, his brother Edgar, working in the family business, landing Canada’s first big league baseball franchise (the Montreal Expos), leading a philanthropic life by promoting Canadian identity through Heritage Minutes and supporting Israel through countless innovative initiatives including the globally respected Birthright Israel--and to how the Bronfman family splintered over the sale of Seagram.
Why legacies are brilliant for charities and how to get them By Richard Radcliffe
Why legacies are brilliant for charities and how to get them is a practical and entertaining consider the facts and strategies of legacy fundraising. Through his down-to-earth and results-focused view, Richard Radcliffe guides the reader around the pitfalls of poor fundraising, using his 30 years of experience to help form a waterproof strategy that is sure to get prospects eager to leave a gift in their will.
Cap In Hand: How Charities Are Failing the People of Canada and the World by Gail Picco
Rarely has a book in our sector created such a stir! For Cap in Hand, Gail interviewed cancer researchers, hospital foundation chieftains, humanitarian aid veterans and sector observers, and used data from tax filings, charity audits, international reports and policy analysis to give us a full view of charity in Canada.
The results are startling.
Emotionraising by Francesco Ambrogetti
Have you ever wondered what makes you cry when you watch a video, what makes you willing to donate to a cause? Based on recent discoveries in neurosciences applied to marketing and fundraising, this book explains how our brain decides. It explores the specific emotions that are activated in the mesmo-limbic system in the brain, the same part that controls our heartbeat, our memories and reacts to stimuli and rewards.
The Philanthropic Mind: Surprising Discoveries from Canada's Top Philanthropists by Chuck English and Mo Lidsky
The Philanthropic Mind is based on dozens of candid interviews with Canada’s top philanthropists. Through revealing quotes and rich anecdotes, it uncovers their philanthropic motivations, joys, challenges, and defining experiences. If you want inside the minds of your prime major gift and bequest targets, start here!
The Vigilant Fundraiser by George Stanois, Editor
Here’s a seemingly obvious truth: You don’t reinvent the wheel around the core activities of fundraising. Instead, what is important is to first understand what the wheel looks like and then to manage the process with vigilance. Through years of experience, George Stanois has identified 12 steps for an effective fundraising program. In The Vigilant Fundraiser, George and a team of highly-skilled contributors share how you can look for opportunities within the 12 steps to set your organization apart from all the other competing voices. As George notes, “Being vigilant means taking all the steps; executing 7 steps out of 12 isn’t going to cut it.”
Unfamiliar History: Canada @ 150 by Earle Gray
Finally over the years, I have learned that life is about more than today’s workday focus. You ought to read more than just business books. As someone once said “you owe it to your donors to be interesting.” Capping off my list is a book that I enjoyed very much as an informative, recreational read. Unfamiliar History is an indispensable resource for Canada's sesquicentennial celebrations and messages with big, but little known facets, of Canadian history.
Founder Jim Hilborn produced his first newsletter, a weekly report on the Canadian chemical industry, in 1969, and just can't seem to get newslettering out of his system. He launched Canadian FundRaiser, the predecessor to today's Hilborn Charity eNEWS, in1990, and swears that he's going to keep at this one until it's perfect.
