"Only by making the riches of others our own do we bring anything great into being."

-Goethe

Why not get yourself a special gift this holiday? Something so humble, it doesn't have to cost a dime. Something so great, it can fill a lifetime with ideas and inspiration! Yes, I am talking about books.

The nonprofit blog Getting Attention has collected 129 recommendations from nonprofit leaders who share the books that improved their work and changed their lives. You can get the full list of recommendations here. 

Here is a selection you can get from the Dayton Metro Library...  Please comment to share your own recommendation.

If "fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving" (Henry Rosso), thanking should be the first thing every nonprofit worker learns to do! Because giving and gratitude are like yin and yang.

A genuine act of gratitude reciprocates the generosity of the giver. It shows that you care about their caring. Here's how:

The thank you is personal. “Dear friend” is forbidden! As Dale Carnegie says, “Remember that a person's name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”

The thank you reinforces the bond between the donor and the cause. “Donors don’t give to organizations but through organizations.” This quote comes from a great new report, Growing Philanthropy in the United States.

The thank you is much more than a piece of paper. Achieving Excellence in Fundraising calls stewardship “a sacred trust.” The responsibility of stewardship permeates your nonprofit’s entire operation.

We reap what we sow. For example, a simple phone call saying thanks (even a voice message) could result in a gift that is 40% more generous next year.

Remember that the greatest gifts are not always money. As nonprofit workers ourselves, let’s remember to thank the people who work alongside us. Let's remember to preserve and renew our own bond to the cause. To quote an inspirational post from Katya's Nonprofit Marketing Blog: "Let’s be grateful we are lucky enough to be in jobs that allow us to make tracks."

More tips on expressing gratitude here.

Thank you for image: Harvest Face on Flickr

"He is on the road to perfection in art whose work falls short of his ideal." -Leonardo da Vinci

Some people have said nonprofits put out a lot of lousy writing. They say we talk too much about ourselves and forget the reader. They say we can't get to the bottom line. Too many forgettable clichés, generalizations, jargon...

There is a better way! Dalya Massachi's book Writing to Make a Difference is the most thorough, practical, compellingly readable, downright inspiring guide to nonprofit writing that I have ever seen. If you write or if you edit writing by others—this book will help you do a better job.

Dalya generously shares the highlights of her book in this one-hour recording of a presentation delivered last month at Dayton Metro Library.