It’s one of the most potent and impactful tools in modern business, but the process remains largely underexplored.

At heart, the whole thing can be reduced to a single equation, as seen above.

Success in fundraising requires a combination of a history of success (usually providing solid returns to investors) and a new product, business, or idea that stands out in the marketplace. All that value, though, is undercut by the complexity of the story you tell about those facts. The more you’re explaining, the more you’re losing your audience.

The Tao of Fundraising was written with this formula in mind. It combines John Kim’s track record as a fundraiser—including all the lessons he’s learned over a career raising more than $70 billion. It shares the philosophical and spiritual ideas that make Kim unique: the concepts that have allowed him to stand above the rest of the field.

And it is all told in a book filled with stories, ideas, and charm meant to be accessible to every reader. If you’re looking to understand one of the most significant fields in modern capitalism, this is it.