ABSTRACT

This is the first scholarly work to place the function of fund raising within the field of public relations, redefining it as a specialization responsible for the management of communication between a charitable organization and its donor publics. Combining her academic interest in communication with her experience as a fund raiser, the author has produced one of the few critical studies on fund raising, challenging current perspectives and employing systems theory and the concept of organizational autonomy to lead to a new and different approach. Until now, fund raising has been an anomaly, without an academic home and with few general theories to guide practitioner behavior. This book theoretically grounds fund raising and develops a theory that provides a fuller understanding of one of the fastest growing occupations in the nonprofit sector.

chapter Chapter 1|36 pages

A Critical Analysis of Fund Raising

An Overview of the Book 1

chapter Chapter 2|40 pages

The Problem Prompting the Book

A New Function Taking on Increased Importance

part I|94 pages

Current Perspectives of Fund Raising: Confusing Definitions, Sporadic Research, and Myths

chapter Chapter 4|24 pages

An Analysis of the Body of Knowledge

A Need for Research

part II|132 pages

Systems Theory and Autonomy

chapter Chapter 6|38 pages

Systems Theory

Charitable Organizations and Their Environments

chapter Chapter 7|24 pages

Institutional Autonomy

chapter Chapter 8|48 pages

Autonomy and the Three Sources of Gifts

chapter Chapter 9|20 pages

Three Cases Studies on Autonomy

part III|76 pages

Shifting the Public Relations Paradigm: Approaching Fund Raising From a Different Perspective

chapter Chapter 10|24 pages

The Fund Raiser in a Boundary Role

chapter Chapter 11|26 pages

Fund Raising as a Specialization of Public Relations

chapter Chapter 12|24 pages

Corporate Public Relations: A Precedent

part IV|108 pages

Using Public Relations Theories as Analytical Tools for Explaining Fund Raising

chapter Chapter 13|44 pages

Four Models of Fund Raising

chapter Chapter 14|32 pages

Measuring the Effectiveness of Fund Raising

chapter Chapter 15|30 pages

Presuppositions About Fund Raising

part V|26 pages

A Theory of Donor Relations: Conclusions and Directions for Future Research

chapter Chapter 16|24 pages

Conclusions and Directions for Future Research