Introducing The Fundraising Standard - Proper Professional Fundraising Training For Every New Fundraiser in North America

Over the last 37 years, I have witnessed thousands of small and medium-sized nonprofits struggle with growing or even sustaining support for absolutely wonderful missions due to lack of any true professional fundraising training.

Even worse, the tidbits of knowledge they picked up were often wives tales or really bad advice from sincere but utterly-clueless board members.

The growing body of knowledge coming from proven scientific research in the philanthropy world is often ignored or not available.

As my friendship with Dr. Adrian Sargeant grew over the years, we began talking about how we can correct this. In fact, it literally became a focus of ours and it is one of the key ways we plan to “give back” to this sector that we have grown to cherish and owe our careers to.

Last August my family hosted Adrian, his wife and their two children at our home in Indianapolis for a delightful four-day weekend. During that weekend, we had long discussions on how this lack of proper fundraising training could be addressed. Fate stepped in with Adrian creating the Philanthropy Centre in the UK, allowing him to pool together hundreds of hours of online professional fundraising training content based upon his research and the content he had created for associations of nonprofits in various countries.

We decided that weekend to create a new 501(c)(3) – The Fundraising Standard – where I would serve as the first chairman of the board and Adrian would be the dean of the training courses.

He immediately went to work to create the very best and most modern curriculum of online training that would constitute 40 hours of coursework based upon proven best practices that would position each graduate with all of the basic knowledge to undertake and successfully perform professional fundraising!

We purchased the very best online coursework software license with Canvas to properly administer the course, thanks to a generous major gift made by Bloomerang. Part of that gift is the purchase of hundreds of classroom seats that will be offered free to each new Bloomerang customer in 2019.

Comprehensive Online Fundraising Training Program

Proper Professional Fundraising Training For Every New Fundraiser in North America isn’t just a tagline, it’s the mission statement. 

On the website you see this complete outline for an amazing eight weeks / 40 hours of professional fundraising training administered online at your pace and convenience with full tutor assistance throughout the course!

Here are the eight key benefits of the Fundraising Standard program:

1. Priced from $249 to $499 depending on the number of students, a fraction of what a full 40 hours of training can be obtained in any other manner
2. Created by Professor Adrian Sargeant one of the world’s leading authorities on Fundraising Best Practices based upon proper scientific research
3. Administered by the Philanthropy Centre utilizing Canvas Software the overwhelming standard used by nearly every major University for their online coursework
4. Class size limited to 20-25 students to allow for lively discussion forums with 10-12.5 to 1 ratio of students to tutors
5. Every Student completing the course earns 40 points of CFRE Credit toward your Fundraising CFRE Certification!
6. No travel costs or parking fees ever involved
7. Can use what time slots you have available literally anytime day or night or even on weekends if needed
8. Enables the proper foundation of knowledge for future fundraising success

This is just the beginning. We are now reaching to all 2,000 plus community foundations in the United States and Canada to enlist their help in offering the already reasonable priced class seat, which are just $499.00 for all 40 hours of training, at a reduced price or free for nonprofits in their area. The response has been outstanding so far!

The Fundraising Standard will be guided by a board that is strong in philanthropic knowledge and carrying a deep passion to improve the sector and the sometimes deplorable state of fundraising knowledge.

The Future Built Upon Proper Fundraising Knowledge Has Begun

Since the inception of the Fundraising Standard we have literally been oversubscribed for each of the three courses that began in March and early April. The survey evaluations and comments have been outstanding with many individuals stating it is literally the best fundraising training they have ever participated in and is in a class of its own compared to webinars, conferences and even on-site classroom training.

Our next few classes begin on the following dates:

May 6, June 3, and August 5

Should you desire to sign up, we are offering a limited number of seats for the balance of the month of April 2019 for half price ($249) – sign up here >> 

This is the perfect opportunity to move your knowledge and therefore your career to the next level in achieving true fundraising success and properly funding your mission. We look forward to being a key part of your journey!