I read a lot of books – most of them cover to cover, including the foreword, the copyright page and the author’s biography. I’m that kind of book nerd… unless it is a fundraising book. Then I’ve been known to skim and sometimes there is more skimming than actually reading. Let’s face it: fundraising books are not always “edge-of-your-seat” reading.

When Creative Deviations arrived in the mail, I was impressed by the sheer weight of it. This is not a small paperback that can be stuck in the purse for reading-on-the-go. It’s dimensions are big and content, meaty. There’s no mistaking when it’s in the briefcase! It is also filled with colourful pictures and easy-to-read font! That grabbed my attention right away – it looked like a FUN book to read. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Author John Lepp did a wonderful job of putting some FUN back into FUNdraising. While talking about fonts, reply devices and envelopes is not everyone’s cup of tea, John brought new ideas, creativity and excellent anecdotes to the discussion. SO much more engaging than most other fundraising books I’ve read! By the time I was finished reading, my book was filled with sticky notes and highlighting – and my “ideas” notebook had several pages of new things to think about and try.

The truth is that while I think this was a fabulous book, I am reluctant to recommend it. I don’t want to give other fundraisers access to the same great ideas that I am planning to use! However, since John has been kind and generous enough to share all of his wisdom, I guess I can also be generous too.

I highly recommend this book! It is not just for new fundraisers who are learning the ropes of direct mail, but also for those of us who have been doing this for years and need some new inspiration. Your creative juices will most certainly flow, in fact your team might wonder what hit you!

Enjoy bringing some fun back into fundraising!

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Creative Deviations is available now at Civil Sector Press.

Joanne Linka is the Manager of Communication and Fund Development at The Cridge Centre for the Family in Victoria BC. She loves to dig into systemic issues and look for solutions that benefit the wider community. She can rant on any number of issues at the drop of a hat. When not working, Joanne is reading, in the garden or pestering her children. jlinka@cridge.org