Nonprofit Marketing Book List for 2021 and Beyond

Well, 2020 was a year. But we’re looking ahead and thinking about our professional development plans to be ready for 2021 and beyond. We’ve put together a nonprofit marketing book list for those of you looking to advance your organization’s brand and build more meaningful relationships with your donors, stakeholders, and constituents.

Behavioral Economics and Its Applications by Peter Diamond and Hannu Vertiainen

For one of the most thorough books about behavioral economics, Diamond and Vertiainen present a wide-sweeping review of behavioral economic principles and the lessons we might learn from them. They cover fields such as policy, nonprofits, and marketing. If you want to understand and influence behavior, this will show you how.

Brandraising by Sarah Durham

Durham’s book is one of the few actual branding books for nonprofits. Durham details how to shape your brand’s relationship with your donors, from communications to fundraising strategies that will almost guarantee fundraising success.

Sprint by Jake Knapp.

The principles laid out in Sprint are so universally practical. You’ll find yourself turning back to them again and again. For nonprofits looking to keep their organization lean and effective, this book will give you the directions, including a shopping list, for how to run your design sprint in one week. It is essential reading for innovative nonprofits.

The Brand IDEA by Nathalie Laidler-Kylander and Julia Shepard Stenzel.

We’re a fan of any book that promises to up-end traditional branding methods. Where consumer brands focus on manipulation (at their worst) in service of profits, Laidler-Kylander and Stenzel offer a new view of branding built on the organization’s mission.

What’s on your nonprofit marketing book list?

Have you read these? Are you reading a nonprofit marketing book you think should be included on this list? Let us know. We’re also hoping to compile a list of the books recommended by nonprofit marketers like you.