Nonprofit Fundraising - The Importance of Education

Transcription

1 Suggestions on how to work with colleges/universities to help young people learn more about fundraising as a profession Subject #of Comments Marketing initiatives 4 Outreach efforts from philanthropy professionals to universities and colleges 11 Outreach efforts from philanthropy professionals to students 14 Formal (degree and certificate) program development 17 Education (general comments) 13 Courses and training opportunities 5 Mentoring 2 Sponsorship 3 Collaboration with/among groups 9 Quality Commitment/Assurance 6 Other 3 Marketing initiatives Most of the people in my classes are adults doing volunteer work in nonprofits, those in career transistions, or those newly employed in the field. I think the American Humanics program is good and should be looked at closely. They would have some good ideas on marketing to the college crowd. More information about the spread and importance of NPO's within society. Identification and recruitment of potential course participants; identification and recruitment of instructors Professionals in this sector (and AFP) need to be more visible and assertive in communicating the impact and importance of this quickly growing field. Fundraising in itself cannot be the sole focus- the nonprofit sector and the strengths and challenges it brings to the table need to be consistently highlighted and promoted as a viable option in both education and profession. Outreach efforts from philanthropy professionals to universities and colleges Contact them and start building a relationship! How about an annual round table or meeting with college / university program directors/faculty?

2 I have always directly contacted the Dean at the Extension Services or school of business and explained how the certificate process works and why it is important for the school to consider offering the program Develop personal relationship with Directors and Deans with an outline plan for study. ONLY work through the faculty member who teaches the course or fundraising components in their curricula. Do not go from the top down... alienates faculty.also, many are adjuncts. You might request from dept. chairs how best to contact these faculty members directly. Also, contact publishers reps to facilitate requests for publication ideas from faculty. I would be available to author, co-author a publication on org. development for nonprofits with a fundraising career component geared towards upper level undergraduates or graduate students in management and/or human services/social sciences concentrations. I have direct fundraising experience, nonprofit leadership/development experience, governmental exerperience, and presently consult and teach on a college level. (Stephanie Riech) Provide lists of experienced and qualified instructors in categories of ability to the Universities. Example: I am a licensed secondary educator and a PhD candidate in Organizational Evaluation and Measurement with experience in Strategic Planning as well as a variety of fundraising subject matter. Community colleges and smaller universities might be very interested in offering courses in nonprofit management and fundraising if they knew local faculty were available. Working with a graduate program aimed at training nonprofit professionals, I found the State University of New York (the governing institution) very receptive. Since most universities know the necessity of fundraising, it should not be a great stretch to convince them that at least some of their students need this specialized training. Encourage them to offer NPO courses &/or workshops on selected areas; explore the Humanics option Meet with deans & department heads of business schools to encourage including not-for profit concerns in existing courses and to develop specialized courses in fundraising and related subjects; offer to help raise funds to make such programmes possible. Better public awareness of the field and the programs Encourage members of AFP to contact local colleges about offering fund raising and non profit programs -- most often within the MBA program Outreach efforts from philanthropy professionals to students AFP should invite students to functions and meetings. Once each year AFP should have students at an event/meeting as a guest

3 Have students "volunteer" at conferences, etc., providing them with contact to the business world. Career development/internship opportunities for recent graduates; and across-thespectrum increased efforts to recruit, train, and retain a racial/ethnic mixture of fundraising professionals which better reflect the trends in American demographics and increased need to fundraise from international donors/resources. Participation in career fairs Maybe just the simple fact that there are lots of jobs in the field and it is a growing profession would suffice! Invite students for open house-career discussions. Send panels to high schools for discussion of professional career options Career Fairs. In Canada Fund raising is taught at Community Colleges, and instructors are more than willing to share addresses of students with those agencies that scan the market for candidates. Provide informtion forums at high schools, colleges and universities; more creative advertising about the profession to attract young people; offer professional development institutes in large organizations for junior staff to grow Our Nonprofit Professionals Alumni Association created a non-credit certificate program for undergraduates on "Public Service & Nonprofit Leadership," in which they teach a series of to 2-hour workshops that introduce students to nonprofit sector and nonprofit management skills, including fundraising. Students learn abou fundraising through the network of campus clubs and Greek associations, and through student government. AFP members would be valuable mentors to such students as they learn how to raise funds for their projects or clubs. Another idea is to make AFP members available to universities as guest speakers in classrooms (from science to anthropology to history since nonprofits cover so many fields) or on career panels, as well as encouraging nonprofit participation in career fairs. Often nonprofits don't have the staff resources nor the fancy booths to be present at such fairs. Some don't even have recruitment brochures. At AFP Silicon Valley, we have a good relationship with USF's Nonprofit Management program and have had their faculty speak at AFP meetings. Inviting students to attend AFP meetings is another good way to introduce them to nonprofits. Is there an AFP student/university level chapter possibility? Student chapters could be formed for those interested in nonprofits or to interest others. As in Rotary, where we have Rotaract Clubs for young people on college campuses or young professionals, AFP could do something similar with AFP chapters serving as Chapter "host" to the student chapters. Maybe we already do this and I am unaware!

4 Career Fairs at the high school level - to inform students that you can earn an income while "making a difference". I think that most students do, and should, pursue a masters in nonprofit management or philanthropy from the working world -- not directly out of college. I see many young people becoming involved in nonprofit causes -- as activists -- which leads them to fundraising. The more we involve college students in nonprofit causes, and young adults in junior boards or equivalent support groups, they more likely they are to find out more about fundraising as a profession. We need to encourage a minimum number of hours for each student to volunteer to develop not only an interest in philanthropy, but also an understanding of the possibility of a career with their chosen nonprofit organization. Communicate opportunities for studies/work in philanthropy Formal (degree and certificate) program development Curriculum development I have a masters in Adult Education and would design a program quite differently from the one I had experience with at BCIT; I was pleased to be part of the team, but I have many ideas for setting up such a programme; I have taught previously at community college in Ontario and language training in Quebec and Ontario; I was involved when there was a different instructor for each section; so students had someone different every week. This had pros and cons. Advertising and marketing the program; offer specialties within the program, such as Planned Giving or Grant writing/administrationnot just 15 overview courses; raise compensation in the profession to make it more attractive! Elevate it from Certificate program to a Major!! Make sure there is a strong "applied" component so that students gain an understanding of the day to day work. We need a nonprofit component in each and every business school and MBA program in USA. There are simply too many misunderstandings about nonprofit management among our best and brightest. These folks end up on Boards and they are very misinformed, even ignorant. This model (fundraising overview course) seems to work very well. Looking to consolidate a program stream within either nonprofit studies or communication studies disciplines. Formalize undergraduate programs. Create a minor in fund development. This will provide education for entry level positions and nurture a new group of professional fundraisers. The undergraduate level might also encourage current practitioners to undertake formal education. There could also be a connection to

5 the CFRE similar to the way other faculties have connections to professional associations tha their designations. American Humanics. Suggest attaching to department, such as Business or Communications, or Social Sciences Internships, assigned mentors, use of case studies By inviting guest speakers from fund development field I suggest educating the instructors in all fields, including business and law, about what is needed for a career in philanthropy so they might weave it into their classroom instruction. When I taught in high school years ago, the hotel industry did much the same for us teachers and I learned a lot about the industry that I never knew before. I did use that information in my classroom to educate the kids about hotel career opportunities. Formal coursework mixed with fundraising speakers and visits/projects with nonprofit orgs. One course in fundraising should be required for any discipline in which fundraising is commonly practiced. i.e.; Social Work, Health Services, Education, Curatorial Studies, Music, Arts, etc. Note to teachers: Remember, most learning takes place outside the classroom. The fundraising topic needs to be introduced at the undergraduate level for certain majors. More in depth study can occur at the graduate level. Make it a part of programs not traditionally tuned in to the nonprofit world such as business schools. I am an associate professor of finance and few of my MBA students have a clue regarding what nonprofits do and their importance in local communities. Strengthen the university's writing and communications programs for starters. Nonprofits should participate in career days and recruitment days on campus. Assisting with curriculum development; AFP presenting as guest speakers in classes; Helping faculty stay current on latest trends, policies, etc. Education (general comments) Need good communication with staff about real needs of fundraising professionals. Work with staff that understand the nature of fundraising. Design classes for the novice to bring them into the field. Make sure the college/university understands the benefit of providing such programs. As an instructor, you need to have a good, solid, background in fundraising and related topics -- the CFRE/ACFRE credential is essential. The university will welcome a new

6 instructor with open arms if they have created a dynamic course that challenges the adult student. The instructor must do their homework and approach the university as a professional with something worthwhile to teach. University had the topic in their College of Life-Long Learning. The curriculum was discontinued because the University felt the income did not meet their standards. San Jose State U has at least one class on its main campus for full-time students. The Professional Development division is for adults interested in career advancement/career changing. Guest lectures where appropriate The Seattle U MPA program includes a fundraising course. I don't think the instructor is active in AFP. There is also a Masters in Nonprofit Management program there, which (of course) includes fundraising. My classes are a part of the Public Adm. program and are open to the community. We promote them to the AFP chapter. Teaching classes like this is critical. It was the first time this was offered at UofA and was very successful. We brought together academic and real world viewpoints. The Hornstein Program is a 35 year old program. The AFP can work to recruit studnets either for the degree program or as "special students" taking specific course. The reality is that no one goes to undergraduate school to study to work in the non profits. I think short of a Bachelors in the area schools could start to offer electives and job counseling as the non profits are an enormous source of employment. More undergraduate programs as well as an emphasis on the nonprofit sector and the opportunies for careers are needed. The Goucher program was developed in conjunction with AFP-MD in response to local needs. It is a highly successful program. Courses and training opportunities Develop a course I am currently designing, with Carla, an introductory half day course to introduce fundraising as a career, including networking and how to advance one's career We really need an understandable text and case studies for learning. Having an AFP student membership/luncheon cost is also important.

7 Mentoring Mentoring; Phonathon experiences; inclusion of students in projects Encourage instructors to do mentoring and guest presentations for AFP. Sponsorship Contest format for "free" bursary (scholarship) to attend sessions. The local Nova Scotia AFP Chapter partners in this program with the college and provides annual bursaries to AFP members who enroll. Underwriting of specific programs by foundations. Collaboration with/among groups Need good support for instructors & coordination of curriculum between courses. Need good coordination with AFP & other teaching outlets in communities. I recently resigned teaching this course because of lacks in these areas - and very low pay for a very long course. Collaboration between AFP and colleges/universities on program development and curriculum development. Please link the NPFE with AFP offerings so that students know that the program is professionally recognized. Work through existing programs in nonprofit management, business, public policy, urban studies and social work Best to work with whatever dept offers nonprofit courses (public admin or business) and provide materials, resources, and speakers for a course. AFP chapter partnerships with civic engagement/service learning staff, as well as with career services office One of the best vehicles to promote fundraising as a profession is to link with American Humanics campus programs nationwide. URL link at: - Another is to link to the network of nonprofit academic center councils - URL at: of the NACC affiliated universities have nonprofit management education programs that reach young people who might consider fundraising as a profession. Also, NACC member universities are the leading places that engage in research on philanthropy and fundraising. Develop programs in conjunction with organizations that are or will be hiring after graduation. Focus on REAL world experence and skills.

8 Involve the advancement office. Search out fundraising professionals as course speakers. Link with AFP chapters Quality Commitment/Assurance Keep it as affordable as posssible. Provide good value for money and time invested by students. Make topics relevant and current. Cater to students with no experience in the field as many are taking courses as a way of getting into the fundraising profession. Instructors who are professional fundraiser with positive and successful experiences Colleges/universities have to be committed to offering fundraising as an integral part of their educational program. High quality graduate programs and introduction programs for under-graduates. People in the field have to start caring that students have course work in this area. You can't just hire by past experience, you need to respect and value academic credit in this field of study. Demonstrate passion via your teaching methods and offer real non profit world; examples/experiences Other The university I work with is most interested in attracting more students so that it makes money. Assuming the instruction is good (they have a formalized evaluation setup) and students take more courses, they are solely interested in marketing opportunities to increase the enrollment. This summer will be my teaching debut. No advice for you at this point. I will certainly explore fund raising in the day we spend on resource development and make my students aware of AFP, The Fund Raising school, other options.