Course cart for the Winter Quarter is officially open with a multitude of courses for WRD students to take, both inside and out of the department. For those pursuing the SWAN Certificate, now would be a good time to take MPS 519 Resource Development, a core requirement for the certificate.
Taught by Dr. Lisa Deitlin, this course delves into the history of fundraising for nonprofit services and the deeper critical theories under the surface of it. Students will identify a nonprofit entity they wish to examine and analyze, providing written reports and ideas for funding opportunities, including drafting a general case for support, a solicitation plan, letters of inquiry, and more.
Those with experience in grant writing will find familiarity here, especially since WRD 526 Grant & Proposal Writing parallels MPS 519 as a core requirement for SWAN. However, the frame for this course is not centered on grant seeking but rather the inner workings of resource management in nonprofit organizations. By the end of this course, students should have more insight into these affairs, both in theory and praxis.
Dr. Dietlin was kind enough to answer questions and give us a preview into the Winter course, along with student testimonies praising it. In this interview, she clarifies what MPS 519 is for WRD students and offers advice in advance to joining the course.
Tell us a little about Resource Development. What exactly is this subject?
Resource Development is a phrase, some might say a euphemism, to describe fundraising and developing (i.e., increasing) the resources of the organization. These resources could include donors, financial contributions, volunteers, board member engagement as well as awareness of the nonprofit organization.
Would you say the course is interdisciplinary? To what extent?
Yes, the course is interdisciplinary as students take the course to learn the importance of resource development for the nonprofit organizations with which they might work. Not all students in my class want to be fundraisers; in fact, most don’t when they enter and some have changed their minds after completing the course desiring to explore a fundraising career. My past classes have included students pursuing a degree in social work, theater, finance as well as leadership roles. All, however, see the importance in knowing this aspect of a nonprofit organization.
You say fundraising is a craft and skill learned through experience but that there is also scientific knowledge to help with it. Could you elaborate?
Fundraising as an academic discipline in where the PR/marketing field was about 100 years ago. It is now becoming a full-fledged academic course of study through the research being conducted, literature being published and case studies being done as well as ”in the field” experts contributing to curriculums. There is also a growing number of academic programs at the masters degree level with emerging programs being launched at the undergraduate and PhD levels. All of this is contributing to the “scientific” knowledge side of learning but fundraising is still a people business. It is the art of being able to be social with strangers, sharing a story about the mission of the nonprofit organization for which they work or advocate, and asking them to provide support. Often, I tell my students, as well as volunteers who go with me to donor meetings, to put on their “human hat,” meaning show the person with whom you are meeting how important this cause, this mission, this organization is to you and ask them to become part of it.
MPS 519 is a core requirement for the SWAN Certificate. What can SWAN students hope to gain from this course?
Students will gain a perspective of the key documents and materials needed by a nonprofit organization. They learn how to create a case for support statements, write an appeal email or letter, draft a grant letter of inquiry, and create a fundraising plan as well as what the key components each entail. Students learn how to meet deadlines and gain the audiences’ attention through storytelling, which in today’s world can be challenging. Finally, they observe how large the nonprofit sector is by realizing it is the third largest employment sector in the United States after retail and manufacturing, and can be found everywhere.
Do you have advice for WRD students considering this course before coming in?
My advice for WRD students is to come in ready to work while having their thoughts and presumptions about fundraising and the nonprofit sector challenged. It is a rigorous yet fun course with every assignment being real world. In other words, they will experience creating assignments and participating in discussions that are based in the nonprofit reality – not assumptions and possibilities. They will learn the skills needed to hit the ground running – if they choose to work in the nonprofit sector.
Student Testimonies
Students in the past have had a variety of comments about the course, giving insight into just what they’re walking away with. Some comments include calling it a “real world application of the classwork” and stating it has a “practical nature” to it.
“There were multiple assignments every week which made me weary of the course at the start,” said one student. “But I learned so much through each of these assignments so that, even though there was more work involved in this class than any other I have taken so far, it has been the most informative class I have participated in.”
“The guest speakers, without a doubt,” said another student, answering about the best part of the course. “Having professionals, especially from all over the United States, reiterating the necessity for this higher education, it gave us insight to different positions, and these real–world experiences will only progress our professional success.”
MPS 519 will run remotely on Tuesday evenings 5:45 – 9:00. If you have ambitions of working in the nonprofit sector, now is the time to set you yourself on the path to getting the skills and knowledge you need.