April 25, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
Do training programs for entry- and mid-level fund raisers help charities increase contributions in the long run? Or, given the amount of turnover among fund raisers nationwide, do participants learn new skills that disappear from the organization when they move on to the next job in a year or 18 months?
For the last several years, the Lilly Endowment, in Indianapolis, has made a series of grants to help teach fund-raising skills to large numbers of staff members at big charities around the country.
The latest such grant—and the largest—is $6-million recently awarded to United Way of America.
Over three years, the grant will enable United Way to train 1,000 fund raisers each year from among its 1,300 local affiliates. In an arrangement with Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy, which will provide the training, United Way fund raisers will receive instruction on seeking big gifts, raising money for endowment, and other aspects of fund raising.
The grant is similar to other Lilly awards to the American Red Cross, United Negro College Fund, and Habitat for Humanity, which wrapped up its three-year training project for fund raisers last year. More than 1,800 local Habitat staff members took courses, with 145 earning a certificate in fund-raising management after completing four classes.
Habitat has some evidence, though not conclusive, that the training has produced more money for the charity—at least in the short term. An informal survey of 100 fund raisers who took courses found that they had raised more than $21-million for Habitat as a result of receiving the training.
