"As Stevenson points out, fundraising can give both the donor and the fundraiser a sense of achievement, significance, legacy and happiness. Howard’s joy in fundraising is infectious, and his book is engaging and actionable."

-Ray Gilmartin, former Chairman, President, & CEO, Merck & Company, Inc.

"Getting to Giving is a personal and intimate account that will profoundly affect how fundraisers think about what they do, why they do it, and how to do it."

-Herman (“Dutch”) Leonard, Harvard University Professor of Public Sector Management and Business and co-chair of the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative

Getting To Giving

Fundraising The Entrepreneurial Way

GETTING to GIVING offers volunteer fundraisers, nonprofit executives, and donors a new way of thinking about how to play a leadership role, along with valuable techniques and real-life stories based on Howard. The goal is to strengthen your abilities and confidence, and convince you that fundraising is fun!

The book stresses the importance of taking an entrepreneurial approach, and understanding donor motivations. It also prepares you to make your case by addressing critical donor questions about your organization and the giving opportunity.

About Howard Stevenson

HOWARD STEVENSON has been a donor and a fundraiser for most of his life. He has served as a board member and trustee of such organizations as National Public Radio, the Massachusetts Nature Conservancy, the Boston Ballet, and Mount Auburn Hospital; and has led significant fundraising efforts at Harvard Business School (HBS) and Harvard University. Read more

In The News

How to Raise a Billion Dollars – 90.9 WBUR Here and Now
Inside the Mind of a Donor – The Wealth Channel
HBS’s Howard Stevenson: What Big Companies Can Learn from Start-ups – Forbes.com
Howard Stevenson Radio Interview – Your Money Matters!
The House That Howard Built – Harvard Business School Alumni Bulletin
Teaching Lessons from a 43-Year HBS Veteran – Forbes.com
Read more news

Recent Blog Posts

Fundraising leadership – a pulse check

Some months ago, we were asked to lead a day-long seminar for a group of philanthropic leaders. We decided to ask them to complete a Fundraising and You survey beforehand, as a “pulse check” on their experience, attitudes and issues. The results were quite illuminating. Read More

Women and Philanthropy

What has your experience been with women’s philanthropy? One thing that I can say for sure is that women have always been generous with their time but have become increasingly involved in the money aspects of philanthropy, as their economic clout and financial sophistication have grown. Read More

The Big Picture

For quite some time, a main Getting to Giving theme was that fundraising has to be viewed – and done – with a “whole system perspective.” We constructed a whole “how to” section of processes, to illustrate and expand on that notion. While we ultimately decided to spotlight the four questions, we remain adamant about the importance of taking a whole system approach. Read More

fundraising the entrepreneurial way

LEARN FROM A BILLION DOLLAR FUNDRAISER

change your mind about FUNDRAISING

A "MUST READ" FOR NONPROFITS