OPFR200 - Online Certificate in Fund Raising

Course description

The twelve-week, online Certificate in Professional Fund Raising Program is delivered by experienced, successful development professionals and consists of the following modules:

Foundations of Fund Raising
Students will explore the history, philosophy, and ethics of development and its relationship to other organization units, such as financial, external relations, legal, and administrative departments. Students will learn the value of goal setting, priorities, timelines, leadership, and the creation of strategic and operational plans based on organizational vision.

Annual Giving
This component of the program covers the role of annual giving, direct mail, and telemarketing campaigns, as well as Internet campaigns, gift clubs, matching gifts, membership campaigns, passive appeals, corporate affiliate programs, reporting, and evaluation.

Capital Campaign
Topics covered in this component include: setting goals and priorities, creating timelines, leading volunteers, staffing, marketing, creating a case statement, donor constituencies, gift pyramids, capital gift vehicles, and restricted and unrestricted gifts.

Individual Major and Leadership Gifts
Topics covered in this component include: the continuum of giving, determining the prospect pools, prospect rating, prospect strategy development, cultivation and marketing, making the ask, closing, acknowledgement, recognition, continuing stewardship, managing a major gifts staff, reporting, and evaluation.

Planned and Estate Gifts
In this component, students will investigate: structuring a planned giving program; planned giving timelines; identifying planned giving prospects; gift vehicles such as annuities, trust, and bequests; assets used in planned gifts; and marketing strategies and materials. Students will also be given hands-on training in aspects of PG Calc’s powerful planned giving tool, Planned Giving Manager, the field standard in calculation and proposal management software.

Corporate and Foundation Fund Raising
Topics covered in this component of the program include: structuring an institutional support program, grant writing, staffing, networking, research, sponsorships, corporate affiliate programs, gifts-in-kind/intellectual, and property.

Internet Fund Raising
Social networking, micro-targeting (the customizing of websites for a targeted population), and new online engagement tools with solicitation functions have all changed the face of fund raising. In this component, students will explore how to harness the web to enhance and boost current development efforts. Various web-based strategies for fund raising are investigated: what they are, how they can help your organization, and how these strategies are best implemented.

Support Services and Volunteer Leadership
Prospect research, gift processing, and stewardship all play a key role in fund raising. Information management and communications also contribute to an effective development organization. These topics are explored in this component, along with effective volunteer leadership, the lifeblood of non-profit organizations. Internal and external leadership, boards of directors, special events, and volunteer leadership challenges are explored.

To inquire about Boston University's Online Professional Fund Raising Program, including upcoming course schedules, or to register please contact the Center for Professional Education.