A number of book-loving readers of Hilborn Charity eNews have noticed a small raft of new books in the Civil Sector Press Bookroom. … ten new books, in fact, from the UK-based White Lion Press, now an imprint of Civil Sector Press International. Ranging from Ken Burnett’s classics, Campaign Fundraising and Storytelling Can Change the World to the long-famous eight titles in the Tiny series, these sector standards are the latest evolution of The Hilborn Group’s move into international book publishing for the nonprofit sector.
The key to The White Lion Press was, of course, Ken Burnett and his late wife Marie. Back in 1991 Ken was almost finished writing his first major book. At that point, books on how to do fundraising well were few and far between, and his evolving epic was to become Relationship Fundraising, built around a central great big point of view that was destined to change the thinking of an entire industry.
Ken and Marie’s advertising and marketing agency, Burnett Associates — the first company of its kind in Europe to specialise in the nonprofit sector — was doing well. It seemed only natural for them to launch The White Lion Press (WLP), a boutique publisher dedicated to sourcing indispensable texts for passionate fundraisers. Books that otherwise might not see the light of day; books that would be instantly helpful, easy to use, readable and accessible, professionally edited (by Marie) and designed to the highest possible standards.
Relationship Fundraising was a quick international success due to Ken’s stellar reputation and its timely content, easy style and professional production values. In quick succession came the sequel Friends for Life: relationship fundraising in practice and George Smith’s timeless classic Asking Properly: the art of creative fundraising. Then Scottish superstar fundraiser Neil Sloggie, based in Australia, asked Ken and Marie to publish the first in the Tiny Essentials series. His idea was a one-hour easy read on a key topic covering all a keen fundraiser might need and nothing more. Recognised expert writers plus Marie’s careful editing turned all eight titles in the series into fundraising gold dust. With Storytelling can Change the World, Donors for Life and, most recently, The Essence of Campaigning Fundraising, WLP books continued to shape the future of fundraising worldwide until Marie died in 2019 and, for Ken, the heart went out of WLP.
When Jim Hilborn and Ken discovered each other in 2022, the fit was instant and obvious. Civil Sector Press offered a new lease of life for The White Lion Press and its books, for the benefit of fundraisers everywhere. As Ken sees it, “Marie would be thrilled.”
