Public Affairs 5590: Fundraising & Philanthropy

By the end of the course, students will:

1. Understand the role of fundraising within an organization as a key component of an overall revenue generation strategy;
2. Identify different components of a comprehensive development program, including annual fundraising, planned giving, capital campaigns, special events and major gifts; 
3. Develop skills to engage in donor relations and donor strategy development, from initial prospecting to gift closure;
4. Be familiar with and appreciate the ethical responsibilities associated with fundraising, as well as legal and tax implications for both organizations and donors; and
5. Apply what they have learned by working with a local nonprofit organization to develop a comprehensive development plan that uses a variety of tools and techniques.

Goal #1: Understand strategic development planning for nonprofit organizations.

Goal #2: Execute a professional-level and detailed annual development based on research, data analysis, and metrics.

Reading Materials
This course may require materials. Consult your instructor's syllabus for details.

Length and format of papers, homework, and assignments, and examinations
While there are no required length for papers, homework and assignments, students are expected to demonstrate a thorough understanding of assignment materials and reference information shared in class lessons and hand in work of a length that meets those expectations.  The use of correct spelling and terminology, grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, and pagination are also expected. Students will receive instructor’s edits with the return of each assignment; these edits should be incorporated into students’ final work.  Because class work depends on effective group work, it is highly recommended that students share their work and edits with their group members to ensure the quality of the final development plan.  The final plan serves, in effect, as the class final exam; groups will provide a copy of the plan to the instructor; which will then be shared with their nonprofit partner.

Due Dates for Assignments
Assignments will be made at the conclusion of each class and will be due at the beginning of the following week’s class. Students will be expected to send the instructor an electronic copy of all assignments by 5 p.m. the day before class, and to provide a printed copy to hand in the day of class.  All assignments must include student name, group name, date, and component.  Any assignment that does not include that identifying information will not be reviewed or graded. In the unlikely event of a late submission, students must provide sufficient notice to the instructor prior to class and also notify his/her group.  

Development Plan 60%

• First Draft Component (Individual) 20%
• Draft Funding Analysis Matrix & Executive Summary (Group) 15%
• Final (Revised) Development Plan- All Parts (Group) 10%
• Presentation of Development Plan (Group) 15%

In-Class Activities & Participation: 40%

• Fundraising  Effectiveness Project Activity (Individual) 10%
• Participation and Discussion (Individual) 20%
• Self and Group Evaluation 5%
• Attendance at AFP or other education activity 5%

Students will work in teams (of four to five) on a “consulting” project to create a Development Plan for an area nonprofit organization (selected by the instructor prior to the start of the semester).  The projects are to be fully integrated into the course; we will use these projects as dynamic case studies to link theory with practice during course discussions and workshops.  Students will be required to meet with clients (participating organizations) as needed during the semester but are not expected to spend regular hours at the client’s office (this is not an internship or practicum).  As “professional consultants,” students should spend a significant amount of time gathering information to complete the project. Students will be expected to research nonprofit trends and client-related issues to extrapolate findings and recommendations.

Description of each deliverable here, including individual components, funding analysis matrix, executive summary, final plan, and presentation of plan:

First Draft Component:
General course work will introduce the students to the elements of a development plan, and a model format.  Each student will be assigned to a nonprofit organization.  Based on in-class discussions and ancillary research, each student will be assigned to draft a specific segment of the development plan for their assigned agency.  For their component, students will provide a written synopsis of their organization’s current funding efforts and offer fundraising objectives, strategies, methodologies, and measurements for their specific segment of the development plan.  Competency in understanding and evaluating current and future funding needs, and establishing benchmarks of measurement, is a fundamental development skill and will be counted as 20 percent of the grade.

Draft Analysis Matrix & Executive Summary:
A solid development plan must have as its base a matrix that looks at historical giving data and projects what future income might be, based on trend lines.  Using actual data from their assigned agencies, students will look at actual funding components, recommend additional revenue streams, and develop a comparative matrix for 2020, 2021, and 2022  revenues and offer an opinion regarding the feasibility of attaining 2023 funding goals.  An Executive Summary that briefly outlines the rationale for each revenue stream and an overview of agency strengths and weaknesses will serve as the narrative for the matrix.  This portion of course work will serve as the linkage for other segments of the development plan and will account for 20 percent of students’ grade.

Final Development Plan:
The final plan will incorporate instructor edits and group input and serve as a cohesive document that speaks with one “voice.”  The final plan will be worth 10 percent of each student’s grade.  

Group Presentations of Development Plans:
The ability to logically and dynamically outline a plan of campaign is a critical skill.  Well-articulated passion for a mission is as important as sound statistical analysis.  Both contribute equally to audience buy-in.  Each student will be given an opportunity to present their component(s) of the development plan in a “dry run” session and a final presentation, but the presentation overall should be seamless.  This portion of the course work will account for 15 percent of the overall grade.

Developed by a national task force led in part by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the FEP provides nonprofit development directors and CEOs with a frame work for developing and using metrics to analyze the overall year-to-year performance of the development office.  Looking at the bottom line may not tell the whole story.  Building a sustainable development program involves acquiring AND retaining donors.  This requires a knowledge of gains and losses in giving and numbers of donors. Students will be receive a “mock” financial profile for a fictitious nonprofit organization and expected to asked to provide analysis of fundraising strengths, weaknesses, and opportunitites, and extrapolate trends inferred utilizing national giving data.  They will then be asked to conduct a similar analysis of their respective agencies. The ability to accurately interpret data and develop strategies are critical skills; 10 percent of the students’ grade wil be evaluated according to their performance in this area.

Because of the importance of active class discussion and participation, 20 percent of the final grade is based on participation and discussion. In-class attendance in class sessions is required to receive full credit for participation. For most weeks, at least half of the class session will be “hands on” activities, guest speakers, or case studies to expand upon the lecture material.  Participation is essential to the success of these activities. Participation during the lecture portion of the class is also important to illuminate the material.  Your participation grade will be determined by the instructor at the end of the semester, as well as through peer evaluations of your participation in the group consulting project.  In general, active participation during each class session is expected to receive an “A” for participation at the end of the semester.  In addition, each team member will be required to evaluate their performance as part of the group, and the performance of their team members.