When Henry A. “Hank” Rosso edited the first edition of Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, he had achieved a lifelong dream of having fundraising become a serious subject at colleges and universities. He saw a profession more and more dependent on research, education, and training as it developed. In the Foreword to that first edition, Bob Payton predicted that the book would become a classic. This third edition is evidence that this came to pass. It is also a reflection of how farsighted Hank was in his work. Many of the principles that he espoused have been confirmed or modified by research. The longevity of The Fund Raising School, the continuing validity of many of the principles taught there originally, and the modification of others through time by The Fund Raising School are further evidence.

When the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University supported the publication of the second edition of Achieving Excellence in Fundraising a decade ago, it did so out of a commitment to continue the principles and philosophy that Hank Rosso espoused. That edition’s Preface mentioned the number of individuals who considered themselves disciples of Rosso. A decade later, there are still, of course, disciples of Rosso. But increasingly there are disciples of The Fund Raising School and the Center on Philanthropy. There are individuals who consider the enhanced work of The Fund Raising School, the academic curricula of the Center on Philanthropy, and the research produced by the Center on Philanthropy as hallmarks of the way they approach their professional development. At the Center on Philanthropy we say that the first task of a nonprofit organization is to survive its founder. The Fund Raising School has proudly done so. We point out that The Fund Raising School has now existed for a longer period of time (twenty-two years) as an integral part of the Center on Philanthropy than it existed (thirteen years) as a separate independent organization. Hank and his wife Dottie founded the School in 1974. Hank served as director until The Fund Raising School became a founding part of the Center on Philanthropy in 1987. He served as an advisor and mentor to all of us until his death in 1999. The current director, Tim Seiler, has been director of The Fund Raising School since 1994, a tenure longer than the original founder’s.

This third edition reflects a commitment to the original principles and philosophy that are the hallmark of Achieving Excellence in Fundraising. It also reflects the changing environment for philanthropy and fundraising, new developments in the way fundraising work is done, and the increasing understanding and knowledge about philanthropy and fundraising developed by the Center on Philanthropy, other colleges and universities, and research organizations across the United States and around the world.

The authors in this volume have special connections to The Fund Raising School, the Center on Philanthropy, or the Indiana University Foundation where many of the principles and philosophies are put into practice. Some are academics who study the field, some are practitioners who practice the principles espoused in the book, and others are “pracademics” who help bridge the gap between academic work and practice. All are committed to some of the basic philosophies once espoused by Hank and now continued through the work of The Fund Raising School and substantiated, revised, or modified by research at the Center on Philanthropy.

Chiefly, those philosophies hold that the work of philanthropy is about the work of public purposes, and this work rests on the power of the case for support. It reflects the interests and desires of donors to accomplish something beyond themselves. It helps substitute pride for apology in doing fundraising work.

It also focuses on respect for the process of fundraising, respect for the donor, and respect for the individuals being served by the nonprofit organizations we represent. It focuses on the importance of language in conveying that respect. We do not “get” gifts. Hank taught us that fundraising is the work of teaching people the joy of giving. Research substantiates this concept. Never has that been more true than today, with the sophistication of donors, the interests of donors in following their gifts even at smaller levels, and the new generation of philanthropists committed to making things happen. We don’t make “the ask,” which implies a confrontational situation between volunteers and fundraisers and the donors from whom they seek gifts. We solicit gifts by inviting donors to join us in supporting worthy causes. Although demographics become important to us, especially as we try to understand donors and engage them with organizations based on their own interests, we don’t “target” donors, and we don’t “move” them toward our desired ends.

Organization of This Book

In this third edition, the editors have endeavored to make the sections of the book more closely correspond with fundraising knowledge domain areas defined by CFRE International while maintaining some of the familiar structure of the prior editions. We hope that this will make the third edition a user-friendly resource for owners of prior editions, those who are using the current volume as a key resource for preparing for the CFRE exam, and instructors of fundraising using this book as a textbook.

The forty-one chapters of this new edition are grouped into eight parts. Part One focuses on fundraising as the art of relationship building and includes some classic chapters—on planning, constituency identification, and case development—that continue to withstand the test of time.

Part Two is about the elements of a total institutional development plan, including the annual fund, major gifts, capital campaigns, and planned giving.

Part Three focuses on contemporary donor dynamics. Chapters in this section not only examine the current context for philanthropy but also focus on understanding donors and their motivations. The role of prospect research is highlighted as one way of learning to understand better the diverse motivations of donor segments such as high-net-worth individuals, women, communities of color, and the different generations.

Part Four concentrates on the art of solicitation and stewardship, examining tactical considerations for effectiveness in utilizing fundraising vehicles such as direct mail, e-mail and social media, special events, telephone solicitation, and personal solicitation. A chapter is also devoted to providing appropriate stewardship to maintain and grow the donor relationship.

Part Five discusses the volunteer role in fundraising, from trustees who provide philanthropic leadership to the volunteers who are there and willing to help, whatever the task. A special feature in this section is a chapter on using social media to engage and inspire volunteers.

Part Six focuses on leadership and management in fundraising and includes such vital topics as the mechanics of building a well-run fundraising program and reflections on the role of the fundraiser as an institutional leader.

Part Seven focuses on ethics and accountability in fundraising, with chapters reflecting fundraisers’ needs to honor both the spirit of the law, through adherence to ethical principles, and the letter of the law, through understanding and abiding by legal and regulatory imperatives.

Part Eight concludes the volume with a focus on fundraising as a profession, including a discussion of the importance of credentialing, international perspectives on fundraising, and resources available to fundraisers for learning more about fundraising practice and the profession.

Reflections on the Third Edition

This third edition of Achieving Excellence in Fundraising has integrity as a holistic work. Like the two volumes before it, it flows systematically from beginning to end. It is structured to introduce the aspects of a total development program, the internal and external environment for operating the program, and the professional management of the program integrated with a nonprofit organization’s other management functions. But each chapter also stands on its own. Those interested in particular areas of fundraising can find access to information related to those areas through the Contents.

This book provides a foundation for practitioners, volunteers, and others involved in the fundraising process. It offers a broad understanding of the process to all who take part in fundraising, as well as a rationale for various initiatives for chief financial officers, program officers, chief executives, and other officers who make organizational decisions related to fundraising.

The first and second editions of Achieving Excellence in Fundraising have been used by a range of individuals from college professors teaching courses on development and fundraising to novices in the field looking for a solid foundation, to senior professionals wanting to review a particular aspect of the fundraising programs they manage. Portions of the text, especially Part Six, will be useful to senior professionals who are interested in effective management of the entire development program and planning organizational renewal activities. Volunteers and board members will find Part Five of particular interest. Institutional colleagues will find Chapter Thirty-One on budgeting particularly helpful in understanding how the fundraising process works. Part Four on the art of solicitation will be especially useful for rising development officers.

When we edited the second edition, we recognized the work of our colleague Kent Dove who is recently retired from the Indiana University Foundation. He has published a series of books on fundraising with Jossey-Bass, known as the Dove Series. Tim Seiler had also just initiated a series of workbooks for Jossey-Bass to help practitioners apply principles of The Fund Raising School to their organizations. More recently, our colleague on the philanthropic studies faculty at the Center on Philanthropy, Andrea Walton, along with Marybeth Gasman of the University of Pennsylvania, published a book on fundraising entitled Philanthropy, Volunteerism, and Fundraising in Higher Education, which won the 2009 John Grenzebach Award for Outstanding Published Scholarship from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). All these works and others can be woven together with Achieving Excellence in Fundraising to help round out the professional knowledge needed in today’s sophisticated fundraising environment.

We have great hope that the next decade will see continued interest in fundraising and better understanding of practice and donor behavior, and will help contribute to more effective and more efficient fundraising organizations in support of continued development of philanthropy in the United States and around the world.