These two books from the Chardon Press Series examine fundraising from alternate perspectives—one covers grant writing for activists, the other offers guidance on earned income strategies. Together they should answer most questions on how to get money to energize your nonprofit.
In Selling Social Change (Without Selling Out), author Andy Robinson makes it clear that commerce and capitalism (in small doses) can be instruments for social change, and that nonprofits can embrace the idea of earned income as a way to support their missions. He's a proponent of the "enterprising nonprofit" strategy whereby traditional nonprofits offer retail goods and services like "regular" businesses. This is not a new idea, but Robinson offers concrete examples and strategies for those nonprofits that haven't crossed over into this mode of support.
The more traditional approach—funding through grants—is addressed in Robinson and Klien's Grassroots Grants: An Activist's Guide to Proposal Writing. This resource provides step-by-step instructions on finding your way around the grant writing maze, with examples to show how it's done, and insights and tips from successful grant writers from varied fields.
Selling Social Change (Without Selling Out)Andy Robinson Jossey-Bass, 2002 - [ Buy this book ]
Grassroots Grants: An Activist's Guide to Proposal Writing
Andy Robinson and Kim Klein, Jossey-Bass, 1996 -