PADM 656 Fund Development for the Nonprofit Sector

The students of the Fall 2016 semester of PADM 656 – Fund Development for Nonprofit Organizations - were required as part of their course fulfillment to write a research paper on the topic of “How to Create a Culture of Philanthropy in Nonprofit Organizations”. This assignment addressed the current conversation in the nonprofit sector about how effective nonprofit organizations must begin to establish a culture of philanthropy. This means that a nonprofit should not just think of themselves as a nonprofit but as a nonprofit and a philanthropic organization with everyone (staff, volunteers, board members, donors, etc.) embracing not only a mission-and-client-centered point of view, but a customer-and-donor-centered attitude. This attitude needs to become the prevailing mantra of nonprofit organizations as funding becomes more competitive and government grants may be reduced or be eliminated entirely. Also, having a culture of philanthropy will help nonprofits differentiate themselves and help them become more effective in all aspects of their mission.