Empowerment is one of those catchwords bandied about in the nonprofit sector. Often it means that a skilled "expert" shares his knowledge or experience with those who do not possess the necessary information or skill. In Ask and You Shall Receive, Kim Klein, founder of Grassroots Fundraising Journal and co-owner of Chardon Press, takes a slightly different approach to empowering a religious organization. This "peer-led" training module assumes no prior fundraising experience for either participants or leaders.

The "participant" and "leadership" manuals are focused on small to mid-size faith-based nonprofits not affiliated with a specific religious institution. Further, the training is geared toward organizations whose work is done primarily by volunteers. Divided into fourteen sessions that last from sixty to ninety minutes, study groups can choose to meet on a weekly basis or to complete the course in a two-day intensive retreat. The manuals are free of jargon, and participants and leaders will find useful worksheets and other hands-on instruments for developing and implementing a full-fledged fundraising strategy.

Preparing your organization for fundraising, volunteer management, donor development, and special events organizing are the primary focuses. Short presentations are followed by group exercises, discussions, and role-playing. The leader's manual provides notes on the topic, suggestions for leading a session, goals, and methodology, and offers a nice discussion on what a leader should expect during a session.

Though written for a religious organization, the techniques covered in Ask and You Shall Receive are applicable to most small, grassroots nonprofits. Those familiar with Ms. Klein's publications or workshops will recognize many of the session topics, such as "Who Gives Money and Why" and "What Do You Think About Money?"

For additional citations to materials on this topic, refer to Literature of the Nonprofit Sector Online, using the subject heading "Fundraising-handbooks, manuals, etc." or "Religion-fundraising."