Age at death: 87
Major philanthropy jobs: Founded Philanthropic Service for Institutions, in Silver Spring, Md., where over two decades he helped establish more than 100 fund-raising programs for hospitals, schools, and other institutions associated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Mr. Murray also worked for the Ford Foundation, which commissioned him to establish a fund-raising office at the University of Guadalajara, in Mexico, the first of its kind in Latin America.
Key accomplishments: A commemorative “giving and sharing” postage stamp that Mr. Murray spent 27 years promoting was released by the U.S. Postal Service in 1998. Mr. Murray also inspired the 1992 book, The Makings of a Philanthropic Fund Raiser: The Instructive Example of Milton Murray, by Ronald Alan Knott.
How he will be remembered: Paulette Maehara, president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, says that Mr. Murray’s work in the 1950s and ‘60s helped shape the fund-raising profession. He was one of the first to use tools that are now common, such as surveying donors to determine their willingness to give. —Holly Hall
