New certificate program positions UF as leader in fundraising education

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — UF’s innovative Graduate Certificate Program in Fundraising Management will give UF graduate students and fundraisers the opportunity to hone their fundraising knowledge and skills in an academic environment.

The nine-credit program began this spring semester with one course, but program coordinator Kathleen Kelly, a UF public relations professor and leading scholar in fundraising, will launch the entire program in fall 2015. She hopes to recruit 20 to 40 students by then.

The certificate program, housed in the UF College of Journalism and Communications, is unique in the United States.

Most educational fundraising programs are taught in extension schools of universities, and part-time practitioner adjuncts are the instructors. The UF program, in contrast, is part of the journalism college and taught by full-time graduate faculty.

It is also likely the first fundraising program to be co-sponsored by a university-affiliated foundation, the University of Florida Foundation.

The certificate comes at a time when fundraising is one of the highest-paying jobs in the nonprofit sector. According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals, U.S. fundraisers earned an average salary of more than $75,000 in 2013.

“A high demand exists for trained fundraisers, but there’s still a shortage,” Kelly said. “It’s not an occupation talked about by guidance counselors or academic advisers, so most college students don’t realize fundraising is a viable and rewarding career.”

In the program, students will learn the fundamentals and tactics of fundraising from full-time faculty.

And there’s one more perk. Those who complete the certificate will be given an interview with the UF Foundation for available employment opportunities.

This was a news release I developed for the UF College of Journalism’s new certificate program, which resulted in publications in the Independent Florida Alligator, Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce e-Journal and Gainesville chapter of Florida Public Relations Society.