Class of 2012 should inspire all non-profit professionals: Part 2 of 3

Yesterday, we started a three-part series about educational opportunities for non-profit professionals. Today, we’re taking a closer look at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

The Center appears to be broken into a few different parts:

  • The Fundraising School
  • Academic programs
  • Research and consulting services
  • An institute focusing on faith and philanthropy
  • An institute on women, wealth and philanthropy

Just like North Park University (see yesterday’s post),  the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University offers certifications in Nonprofit Executive Leadership and Fundraising Management. They also offer Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Ph.D. degrees in Philanthropic Studies. Of course, if you’re like me and not looking for more paper to hang on your walls or letters to place after your name, you can always just sign-up for courses at the School of Fundraising or academic courses through the university. The following is a small sampling of course titles:

  • Giving and Volunteering in America
  • Law of Nonprofit Organizations
  • Developing Annual Sustainability
  • Planned Giving: Getting the Proper Start
  • Fundraising for Small Nonprofits

What I like about the last few examples from the Fundraising School is that they are available online.

The research arm of the school is interesting and impressive. Your non-profit organization can hiring consultants to work with you on a variety of projects. Additionally, you can hire one of their research staff members to speak on a number of different topics pertaining to fundraising trends and donor communities.

The thing I love most about the research branch of the Center on Philanthropy is that there are resources available for consumption for people who are simply “lifelong learners”. For example, there is a link on their website titled “Academic Working Papers“. Using the interface on that page, you can find research papers and philanthropy data. The following are just a few examples of papers I found:

  • Executive Compensation and Gender: A Longitudinal Study of a National Nonprofit Organization
  • The Market for Charitable Giving
  • The Effects of Race, Gender, and Marital Status on Giving and Volunteering in Indiana

Did you graduate from a higher education institution with a non-profit related degree? If so, please share more about your alma mater. If not, please share a non-profit  experience from your past that you can honestly say helped shape who you are today. We can learn from each other.

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
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