Book excerpt: Here's a seemingly obvious truth: You don't reinvent the wheel around the core activities of fundraising. Instead, what is important is to first understand what the wheel looks like and then to manage the process with vigilance. Through years of experience, George Stanois has identified 12 steps for an effective fundraising program. In The Vigilant Fundraiser, George and a team of highly-skilled contributors share how you can look for opportunities within the 12 steps to set your organization apart from all the others who do what you do. As George notes, "Being vigilant means using all the steps; executing 7 steps out of 12 isn't going to cut it." This excellent resource provides the full picture on fundraising - and will become the go-to tool for fundraisers looking to "up their game" and find new ways of successfully tackling resource development challenges.