O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Fund Development for Nonprofit Organizations, V458 10340

Instructor: Hillary Person; Executive Director, hlheflin@iu.edu

 

Class Meeting: M/W, 3:55pm-5:10pm, PV RM 163

Office Hours: Office Hours are by appointment M-F, and available both in person and/or virtually.

 

Course Description: SPEA-V 458 Fund Development for Nonprofit Organizations. Course builds an understanding of the practice, philosophy, law, and theory of fundraising. Students establish an organization's value base and mission, prepare funding appeals, evaluate readiness for a campaign, assess funding sources, implement fundraising vehicles, evaluate effectiveness, and discuss stewardship of contributions.

 

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, you will have developed specific skills and capacities indicated along with a sound understanding of key concepts and principles for fund development.

Key Concept: 3 Sectors, Giving Today

Applied Concept: Find and understand current data on NPO health and have basic understanding of 3 sectors

 Key Concept: NPO and Development (Principles of fundraising, institutional readiness)

Applied Concepts: Assess Mission; constituent groups and capacity. Develop case statement

 Key Concept: Fundraising programs and vehicles (Campaigns, Annual, Major, Phonathon, Transformational, Planned Giving)

Applied Concepts: Write appeals, develop donor chart, develop planned giving program

 Key Concept: Source of Funding (Foundations, Corporate, Individual, Grant)

Applied Concepts: Major Donor plan, grant and foundation proposals and reporting, donor retention)

 Key Concept: Fund Development Management (Board members, NPO HR, Marketing and Communications, Donor Databases, financial reporting and budgeting)

Applied Concepts: Board development, hiring, and analyzing efficacy of fundraising strategies

 How much time should you be spending on this class:  This is a standard 3-credit semester length class, you are expected to spend an average of 6 or more hours outside of class per week on reading, studying, assignments, etc.  

O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Student Honor Code

 

Introduction

The O’Neill School takes matters of honesty and integrity seriously.  We expect O’Neill students will, at all times, maintain academic integrity and civil and professional standards of conduct.

Scope

O’Neill’s Student Honor Code applies to all courses and programs offered by O’Neill, and to all students who participate in O’Neill classes and programs, regardless of whether students are admitted to O’Neill. Students studying at O’Neill are expected to continue their commitment to ethical behavior in all their endeavors, including, but not limited to, coursework inside and outside of O’Neill, internships, community service, and overseas study.

 

O’Neill’s Student Honor Code incorporates IU’s Code of Student Right, Responsibilities, & Conduct and extends to matters of civility and professional conduct, including, expectations about class attendance, punctuality, participation in class, and decorum in class and at other school functions.

Academic Conduct Requirements  

All students enrolled in O’Neill courses are subject to the academic misconduct provisions found in the IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct.  

Academic misconduct is defined as any activity that tends to undermine the academic integrity of the institution.

The IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct lists and defines many types of academic misconduct, including cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, interference, violation of course rules, and facilitating academic dishonesty.   

Academic misconduct includes the use of any technology or assistance, including AI, that is not permitted by the instructor.

 

Civility and Professional Conduct Requirements

 

O’Neill requires that all students treat others with mutual respect and behave professionally in the classroom and during all academic and non-academic activities.

 

These civility and professional conduct requirements foster an appropriate atmosphere inside and outside the classroom:

• Students must act in accordance with the O’Neill School mission and values.
• Students must regularly attend and be fully prepared for class, including completing readings.
• Students must not behave in a way that interrupts or distracts from teaching or learning. For example, students must be punctual in their arrival to class and be present and attentive for the duration of the class. They must not sleep, do work for another class, or wander in and out of the classroom, pack up, or leave class early (unless an emergency exists).
• Students must abide by the course policy regarding use of electronic devices in the classroom, including a requirement that no electronics are allowed or that students are not permitted to use devices for non-class related purposes.
• Students must responsibly participate in class activities and during team meetings for course assignments.
• Students must attend scheduled meetings with faculty or staff, events for which they have RSVPed, interviews with prospective employers, and student organization meetings.  
• Students must address faculty members, other students, and others appropriately and with respect, whether in person, in writing, or in electronic communications.
• Students must show tolerance and respect for others.
• Students must practice respect and responsible stewardship of the physical resources of the school, refraining from destroying or defacing school property, integrating practices of sustainability, and contributing to a clean and orderly physical environment in all buildings, classrooms, offices, and meeting spaces.   
• Students must comply with the personal misconduct responsibilities within the IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct.

Reporting 

Students must abide by the O’Neill Student Honor Code themselves and hold their peers to the same standards. Students should report suspected instances of academic, civility, or professional misconduct to the instructor of the course. Students should report suspected instances of personal misconduct to the IU Office of Student Conduct.

 

Course Requirements:

Week 1 (August 24, 26) Introduction to the Course and Chapter 1-3

• M: Introduction to course, Chapter 1, video assigned
• W: Chapter 1 -3: Developing a Personal Philosophy of Fundraising (Homework due, video), Ethics, AFP Homework Case Study Homework Assigned

Week 2 (August 31, September 2) Chapter 2 – 4, 6 & 7

• M: Chapters 3 & 4, AFP Homework Due (100pts)
• W: Chapters, 6 & 7

Week 3 (Labor Day, Sept. 9) Chapters 6-7, & Economic Theories of NPO

• M: Holiday, Read Chapters 6-7
• W: Economic Theories of NPO- Current Day Examples

Week 4 (Sept. 14, 16) Course Final Project Overview and Chapter 6-8

• M: NPO Project Overview, Chapter 6-8

• Select a local nonprofit to use as your client organization for the semester. Submit by 9/16.

• W: Chapter 8-9. Giving USA Key Findings 2025 article assigned reading for September 21 (via Canvas). NPO information Due (50 pts, project)

 Week 5 (Sept, 21, 23) Discussion Giving USA Key Findings 2025 (provided in assignment on Canvas), Chapters 9-10

• M: Chapters 9-10, Giving USA Findings
• W: Chapters 9-10, Giving USA Findings, Chapter 11

Week 6 (Sept. 28, 30) Reading: Part 3, Chapters 11-13, First Day)

• M:  Chapter 11 & 12
  • Group assignment (Chapter 12- 4-Legged Stool of Fundraising)
• W: Chapter 12-13

• Case for Support Assignment Due in Class (100)

Week 7 (Oct. 5, 7) Reading: Chapter 14-16, 22 TedX,

• M:  Chapter 14-15

• In-class Exercise

• W: Chapter  22 

Week 8 (Oct.12,14) Reading: Chapters 22-24

• M- Chapter 17 (Possible Guest Speaker)

• In Class Assignment

• W: Chapters 22-24

Week 9: (Oct. 19, 21) Chapter 

• M- Chapter 
  • In Class Assignment
• W- Chapter 

Week 10: (Oct. 26, 28) Part 5: Chapter 

• Chapter 
  • In Class exercise
  • Marketing Homework Assigned (Digital Annual Fund Campaign Plan)
• Chapter 26
  • In Class Exercise

Week 11: (November 2, 4) Chapter , 

• M: Chapter 

• Digital Annual Fund Marketing Homework Due (100pts)

• W: Chapter ,

Week 11: (Nov. 9, 11) Chapters 32-34

• M: Chapter 32-33
• W: Chapter 33-34
  • In class exercise

Week 13 (Nov.16, 18) Chapter 35, 38-39

• M:  Chapter 35, 38

• Capital Campaign Gift Range Chart Due (project 50pts)

• W: Chapter 38, 39

Weeks 14 (Nov. 23, 25) Thanksgiving Break 

• M & W: Holidays

Week 15 (Nov. 30, December 2) Presentations- ATTENDANCE Taken During Presentations

Week 16 (December 7, 9) Presentations- ATTENDANCE TAKEN during presentations

Week 17 (December 14, 16 Finals Week)

Portfolio Due- 12/16, 200pts

1. List all assignments (exams, quizzes, papers, presentations, etc.) See above. Pop quizzes not included! Subject to change.

 

2. List percentage values for each assignment, as well as attendance . More than 5 absences will drop your letter grade (beginning classes 9/9/26).

 

3. Grading scale. See above syllabus

 

4. Academic integrity https://studentcode.iu.edu/

 

5.AI. Sample AI statements you may wish to use:

 

Use of generative AI (such as ChatGPT) in this class.  Using AI to assist in completing assignments in this class is prohibited.  If you do use AI, you will be committing plagiarism* and will be subject to penalties in this class and sanctions by Indiana University.  You are permitted to use the free version of Grammarly and Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar tool. 

 

WARNING: Submitting any questions, assignments, notes, slides,  or other instructor-produced course materials into Generative AI without permission is a violation of the faculty member’s exclusive rights and will be reported to the Dean of Students as academic misconduct.

 

*Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as one’s own. Any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged, unless the information is common knowledge. https://studentcode.iu.edu/responsibilities/academic-misconduct.html. (emphasis added)

Course Materials—Instructor’s Exclusive Rights.

 

The faculty member teaching this course holds the exclusive right to distribute, modify, post, and reproduce course materials, including all written materials, study guides, lectures, assignments, exercises, and exams. While you are permitted to take notes on the online materials and lectures posted for this course for your personal use, you are not permitted to re-post in another forum, upload to AI, distribute, reproduce content from this course, or sell the instructor’s course materials (including notes and study guides) without the express written permission of the faculty member.

 

Violations of this policy will be reported to the Dean of Students as academic misconduct (violation of course rules). Sanctions for academic misconduct may include a failing grade on the assignment for which the notes/study guides are being sold, a reduction in your final course grade, or a failing grade in the course, among other possibilities.

 

Additionally, you should know that selling a faculty member’s course using IU email, or via Canvas may also constitute a violation of IU information technology and IU intellectual property policies; additional consequences may result.

 

Texts:

Required: Tempel, E. R., Shaker, G. G., Nathan, S. K., & Stanczykiewicz, B. (2022).  Achieving excellence in fundraising (5th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc

We will be reading selected articles from this book available via IU Libraries ebook: https://research-ebsco-com.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/c/4sjmhz/search/details/mylpotrma5?db=nlebkLinks to an external site.

Additionally, supplemental articles will be provided via Canvas as needed.

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Course Policies:  

 

1. Attendance

 

2. Make-up Exams

 

3. Late Assignments

 

 

4. Technology Use

 

5. Late Withdrawal. See https://calendars.registrar.indiana.edu/official-calendar/ for

 

After the auto-W deadline, withdrawal will be significantly limited, and you will need permission to withdraw and must meet requirements established by O’Neill.

 

 

 

Schedule of Assignments:  TBA

 

List here the course meeting dates, the readings for each day, and days on which assignments are due and tests are given. If particular readings are dependent on, for example, a current event, the instructor may note that.  This list of course dates and readings, assignments, and tests may be posted on Canvas instead and if so, state that here.

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The following sentence is recommended so that instructors have the freedom to change the schedule of assignments as the semester progresses: “The above schedule is subject to limited change in the event of extenuating circumstances.”

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Please read this additional information and include it in your syllabus:

 

Counseling and Psychological Services

For information about services offered to students by CAPS:  http://healthcenter.indiana.edu/counseling/index.shtml

 

TimelyCare

Indiana students have free, 24/7 access to virtual mental health care services with TimelyCare. Students do not need insurance to access TimelyCare services. https://www.iu.edu/mental-health/find-resources/timely-care.html#0

 

Religious Accommodation Requests

The "Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances" form must be submitted by the student to the professor no later than two weeks prior to the anticipated absence.  A separate form must be submitted for each absence and for each course. Faculty do not have to consider accommodations for the purpose of allowing students to travel away from Bloomington for religious observance.  Information about the policy is found here: https://vpfaa.indiana.edu/resources/religious-observances-information.html.

 

Accessible Educational Services (formerly Disability Services for Students) 

Securing accommodations for a student with disabilities is a responsibility shared by the student, the instructor, and the AES Office. For information about support services or accommodations available to students with disabilities, and for the procedures to be followed by students and instructors: https://studentlife.indiana.edu/care-advocacy/iub-aes/index.html  

 

Sexual Harassment 

As your instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. Title IX and our own Sexual Misconduct policy prohibit sexual misconduct.  If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help.

 

If you are seeking help and would like to talk to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with:

1. The Sexual Assault Crisis Service (SACS) at 812-855-8900
2. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 812-855-5711
3. Confidential Victim Advocates (CVA) at 812-856-2469
4. IU Health Center at 812-855-4011

 

For more information about available resources:  http://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu/help/index.html. It is also important to know that federal regulations and University policy require me to promptly convey any information about potential sexual misconduct known to me to our campus’ Deputy Title IX Coordinator or IU’s Title IX Coordinator.  In that event, they will work with a small number of others on campus to ensure that appropriate measures are taken and resources are made available to the student who may have been harmed.  Protecting a student’s privacy is of utmost concern, and all involved will only share information with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist.  I encourage you to visit http://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu/help/index.html to learn more.

 

IU Culture Centers: https://studentlife.indiana.edu/communities/culture-centers/index.html