Fundraiser Education

Duke's Nonprofit Management program is ramping up its offerings to those working in and with the nonprofit sector — whether they are paid staff, directors, administrators, board members or philanthropists — to help them navigate successfully in an uncertain economy. Beginning this fall, the Nonprofit Management program is pairing a new curriculum with more demanding requirements to earn a certificate.

As of Sept. 1, successful completion of the Certificate in Nonprofit Management will require that a student attend 72 hours of instruction, divided among five core areas and electives.

Today, dozens of MBA and undergraduate programs teach philanthropy as an academic subject, exposing students to both the art and science of giving. Some schools — including Stanford, Columbia Business School, and the Boston University School of Management — teach entire courses focused solely on the topic, while others weave philanthropy into the curriculum of social-enterprise courses. The topic appeals to business students because many may wish to serve eventually on the boards of nonprofits or become philanthropists themselves, professors at those schools say.

Four fundraisers have earned the highest professional certification, the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE), from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

The newest ACFRE recipients are Sharon Gleason of Washington, D.C., director of development for the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital, R. Scott Fortnum of Newmarket, Ontario, chief development officer for Saint Elizabeth Foundation, James K. Phelps of Vancouver, Wash., development director at the ACLU of Oregon, and Cecilia N. Soriano of Mission Viejo, Calif., who was most recently executive director of gift planning for University of California, Riverside.

Following are reasons (beyond money) why people leave one nonprofit for another or leave the nonprofit space altogether for work in the for-profit sector. Evaluating your organization by these measures may help you make small changes that can increase tenures of valuable team members.

A Cincinnati-area nonprofit organization is assisting high school students throughout the Tri-State in not only giving to charity, but learning more about the spirit of philanthropy and social causes. Magnified Giving, a nonprofit organization based in the Cincinnati suburb of Reading, enters its fourth year of teaching students to become philanthropists through placing the decision of what charities to donate funds to upon the shoulders of students.

The program allows students and teachers in 15 area high schools to form Youth Grantmaking Councils charged with dispersing a grant of at least $1,000 to charities.

As more and more nonprofits are stepping up training of fundraisers, they are finding low-cost yet effective ways to improve the skills of their staff members.

At Berea College, in Kentucky, for example, Bill Laramee, vice president for alumni and college relations, says a monthlong course he teaches about philanthropy helped train and recruit several fundraisers, including two development officers who now work on Berea’s annual fund. The course, consisting of daily classes, covers the philosophical underpinnings of charity and ethical issues related to fundraising.

Here are 15 books recommended by fundraising professionals that could change your life.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance, GuideStar USA and Independent Sector developed a new website, Charting Impact, as a common presentation for nonprofits that allows staff, boards, stakeholders, donors, volunteers, and others to work with and learn from each other.

This framework was developed, tested and refined by nearly 200 nonprofit and philanthropic leaders.

At the heart of Charting Impact are five deceptively simple questions that require reflection and promote communication about what really matters — results

Challenges are many for North Texas nonprofits just as they are for nonprofit organizations across the U.S.

Aging volunteers and board members are ready to hand the reins off to replacements who are proving elusive. Longtime supporters are reluctant to embrace tools like social media. Donors are demanding more than a good cause to give to.

A hope for constructive solutions drew numerous nonprofit leaders to a recent summit sponsored by the Nonprofit Center of Wichita Falls. The morning session included an opportunity to identify problems, then begin a study of new approaches to success.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals has awarded its highest professional certification, the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE), to Angela Seaworth, director of the Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Rice University, which seeks to increase the effectiveness and impact of the nonprofit sector by providing education and nurturing leadership among professionals and those who support nonprofit organizations.

Available only to senior-level fundraisers who've worked in the profession for 10 or more years, the ACFRE is a distinguished achievement earned by only 91 professionals since the inception of the program in 1992.