External Relations: Fundraising & Individual Giving

93-826

Units: 6

Description

This course introduces the distinctive qualities of American philanthropy, and explores the roles and responsibilities you will have as a professional fundraiser, leader, or as a staff member in a non-profit arts organization. In this fundamentals course the focus is on individual donors - their motivations, sources of contributed funds, and new and emerging fundraising techniques, although we will also explore the broad philanthropic landscape as a whole. Additional topics include legal requirements and ethical considerations that are important to fundraising, effective data management and its effects on the success of your fundraising efforts, solicitation strategies and effective communication with donors, and the principles of donor centered fundraising. We will explore the idea of a non-profit environment in transition, an environment where the fields of arts and culture compete with social services, education, and global philanthropic needs for a limited pool of dollars; where we are under increasing pressure to make the case for relevance and civic stature; where our funders - whether individual philanthropists, foundations, corporations, or government - have changing and higher expectations around both involvement and accountability.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course you will understand the basic principles of a number of specific topics in fundraising. Specific learning objectives include:

Describe the history of philanthropy in the United States, the legal framework for nonprofit organizations, and current issues affecting the nonprofit sector.
Summarize the reasons and motivations why an individual might choose to make a charitable gift to a nonprofit organization.
Define the basic models of fundraising and giving including the donor pyramid and donor cycle.
Comprehend the way that the annual fund is the basis for donor acquisition, organizational financial stability, and further fundraising across the life of the donor.
Formulate a compelling donor solicitation letter and acknowledgement for a donor after a gift is made.
Understand the nuances of ethical dilemmas that arise in a fundraising context and how professionals can make appropriate decisions.
Compare different models for creating a development office as well as the back-end operations needed to run such an office successfully.
Reflect on the value of fundraising for your own career plans in the arts or elsewhere and how you might utilize the principles discussed in this course.

Prerequisites Description

None