About the author
Serving as a fundraising consultant since 1983, Schuyler has helped raise more than $6 billion for a wide variety of nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. His unwavering focus on serving the passions, interests, and needs of the donor has helped to redefine institutional fundraising. Schuyler is a frequent speaker at professional conferences and the author of three books that depict this philosophy of fundraising. He has four children and resides in the Dallas, Texas area with his wife, Jennifer.
The Perfect Campaign
The Perfect Campaign equips nonprofit leaders with the tools to achieve transformational results through relationship-based strategies. Schuyler Lehman introduces a fresh approach to creating lasting change by building intentional, donor-centered relationships and implementing major gift strategies that align with organizational values.
The book presents a clear and proven model for capital campaigns, offering straightforward guidance from planning to celebrating success, while reframing traditional fundraising paradigms. It also provides practical insights on engaging boards, empowering volunteer leadership, and avoiding common development pitfalls.
Drawing on over 30 years of experience, Schuyler combines personal stories and professional expertise to demystify fundraising and inspire a people-centered philosophy. The Perfect Campaign empowers organizations to foster trust, deepen relationships, and fund their mission with confidence and clarity.
The Perfect Development Office
The Perfect Development Office offers nonprofit leaders, board members, and development professionals a refreshing take on annual fundraising. Schuyler Lehman challenges traditional approaches like galas, golf tournaments, and auctions as primary fundraising methods, encouraging readers to embrace strategies that directly engage donors in their mission.
With real-life examples and colorful analogies, Schuyler breaks down how any development office—regardless of size or sophistication—can adopt a people-centered philosophy that fosters stronger donor relationships and sustainable funding.
Whether you’re a passionate volunteer or a seasoned fundraiser, this book provides valuable insights into the “second mission” of every nonprofit: cultivating and caring for the donor base that makes the organization’s mission possible. The Perfect Development Office is an essential guide for anyone committed to creating a development strategy that inspires trust, deepens engagement, and ensures lasting impact.
Raising to the Challenge
In Raising to the Challenge, Schuyler Lehman departs from traditional fundraising books to tell the engaging story of two nonprofit leaders navigating vastly different challenges. Alan Morgan, a private school headmaster, faces a looming financial crisis and a reluctant board chair, while Gene Benson, the executive director of a social service nonprofit, has achieved remarkable fundraising success. But what can these two leaders learn from each other?
Through this nonprofit leadership fable, Lehman illustrates the transformative power of a relationship-based fundraising strategy. The book highlights the culture shift and paradigm change necessary to achieve sustainable growth and financial health, showing how these principles can be applied to any nonprofit organization.
Both thought-provoking and practical, Raising to the Challenge inspires nonprofit leaders to embrace strategies that foster meaningful donor relationships, create lasting impact, and build a stronger, more sustainable future for their mission.
