Syllabus for FDR-440-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Fundraising for Nonprofits actively engages students in mastering the concepts and tools needed to help nonprofit organizations achieve their mission and objectives through well-established fundraising techniques. Students will learn how to assess an organization’s fundraising capabilities, conduct prospect research, conduct an annual fund drive, solicit grants from corporations and foundations, cultivate and secure major gifts, design planned giving instruments to meet the needs of donors, carry out a capital campaign, and set up information technologies to track fundraising efforts and assist with the stewardship of gifts. The course emphasizes applications, and students will complete a fundraising plan during the semester for a specific organization of their choosing.

Note: Students will need access to Microsoft PowerPoint in order to produce their final project.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

On successfully completing this course, you should be able to:

1. Course Objective 1 Demonstrate familiarity with the principles and techniques of fundraising as well as the current fundraising climate.



2. CO 2 Compose a written case statement and use it to build other documents such as a letter of inquiry, a direct mail letter, and a grant proposal.



3. CO 3 Assess the gift capability, interests, and networks of prospective donors through research.



4. CO4 Explain the various fundraising vehicles and evaluate when to use each.



5. CO 5 Distinguish the roles played by board members, volunteers, and staff in fundraising.



6. CO 6 Identify the necessary steps to prepare for a capital campaign.



7. CO 7 Explain the impact of ethics on resource development.



8. CO 8 Analyze the most effective methods for managing resources and information.



9. CO 9 Apply fundraising planning and strategy tools to a particular nonprofit organization.

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REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

You will need the following textbook to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

The Complete Guide to Fundraising Management, 3d ed., by Stanley Weinstein (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2009).
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-37506-8

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COURSE STRUCTURE

Fundraising for Nonprofits is a 3-credit online course, consisting of four (4) assignment modules and a final project.

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in four (4) module discussions, to complete fourteen (14) assignments about your organization of choice and three (3) other written assignments, and complete a final project.

Assignment modules comprise learning objectives, study assignments, discussion questions, and written assignments.

For the course's five assignment modules, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. (See also the course Calendar.)

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

There are two types of written assignments in this course. In the Organization Assignments, you will be analyzing the nonprofit organization that you selected for study in the first module of the course. You will also be applying course concepts to your chosen organization. Written Assignments are additional assessments of your learning that are not specifically linked to the chosen nonprofit.

Prepare your assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the

>>View/Complete Assignment

link provided at the bottom of the respective assignment page. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and attach your assignment file. Click to turn in the assignment.

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ONLINE PARTICIPATION

Fundraising for Nonprofits requires you to participate in four (4) graded discussion forums. See the course Calendar for scheduling details.

Communication and collaboration among fellow students and with the mentor is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses.

You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, concepts, and practices as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

Meaningful participation in online discussions is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.

For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.

Click link for an evaluation rubric.

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FINAL PROJECT

Your final project is a fundraising plan (10 to 12 pages in length, approximately 2500 to 3000 words) that will allow you to demonstrate your synthesis of fundraising tactics, strategies, and processes. See Module 5 (Final Project) in the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site for further details.

The final project draws on concepts and knowledge gained from the entire course. To allow yourself sufficient time to complete an exemplary report, consider beginning the project soon after you start module 3.

Click link for an evaluation rubric.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and projects are based on the following numerical grades:

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.



2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.



3. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.



4. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments and posting group activities. For details on each assignment module and a complete listing of learning activities, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.



2. Check the Announcements page and class Discussion Board regularly for new course information.

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