Current Publications

Martin is the lead author and editor of The Fundraising Feasibility Study: It's Not About the Money. This trend-setting work has become a standard text on one of the most misunderstood and, yet, one of the most valuable organizational analysis tools in the nonprofit sector.

what others have to say about this book:

"At last, a book that tells all about a pre-campaign development planning study (aka feasibility study). From the role of the organization and its board to the role of the consultant and development staff, this book documents how readiness is the path to success... If you've always wondered how conclusions are drawn, findings explained, and recommendations developed, read this book. It's all here."

James M. Greenfield, AFCRE, FHP
Author, '‘Fund Raising: Evaluating and Managing the Fund Development Process'‘ and Fundraising Fundamentals and editor, “The Nonprofit Handbook: Fund Raising,” third Edition

"The Fundraising Feasibility Study provides fundamental information on one of the most important, if little understood, elements of successful fundraising. Written by a cadre of the most experienced and knowledgeable professionals in the field, it offers insights and useful information that will be valuable to practitioners and scholars alike."

James P. Gelatt, PhD
Professor, Graduate School of Management & Technology University of Maryland University College

BUILDING STRONG NONPROFITS: New Strategies for Growth and Sustainability, edited by John C. Olberding and Lisa Barnwell Williams. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010.

MARTIN NOVOM, author of Chapter 6 (All Sails Unfurled: Education and Professionalism for Philanthropic Professionals), excerpt, page 93:

"Philanthropic professionals often tell me that one of the reasons for pursuing a career in the nonprofit sector has been the great sense of personal fulfillment it brings them. That has certainly been the case for me. Many of us have had discussions with colleagues about the opportunities to earn more in the for-profit sector. At the same time, one suspects that we might not find the same level of satisfaction that we experience in knowing work makes a difference in the world."

what others have to say about this book:

"When I review a new book on nonprofit management I look for three things: Does it contribute new knowledge? Is it based on solid research? It is practical? This book gets a thumbs-up on all three. Building Strong Nonprofits is full of research stats, case studies, pithy quotes, and practical ideas from experienced and knowledgeable professionals. You need to read this book!"

Cathlene Williams, PhD, CAE
Principal, Cathlene Williams LLC, former Vice President, Education and Research, Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)

"At last, a book that breaks away from the pack and looks at the current state of the art and what the future may hold for the nonprofit sector."

Eugene A. Scalan, PhD.
Author of '‘Fundraising Consultants: A Guide for Nonprofit Organizations,'‘ retired consultant and educator

Martin’s Next Book

Martin Novom's 2020 History Master's Degree thesis is the basis of an entirely new perspective on the nonprofit sector. Long dissatisfied with the "conventional wisdom" of how America's civil society arrived at where it is today, he dug deep in academic inquiry and found an activity in U.S. history that even the most serious students of the Civil War have failed to understand or even connect the dots.

A government-authorized but privately funded entity called the United States Sanitary Commission linked tens of thousands of civilian volunteers, not only changing the course of the Civil War but also forging a new collaborative public-government activity that has become the basis for how the nonprofit sector operates today.