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March 30, 2009

Association of Fundraising Professionals
Making Fund-Raising Research More Useful and Accessible

Russell N. James, a researcher at the University of Georgia Institute for Nonprofit Organizations, in Athens, told participants at the annual meeting of the Association of Fundraising Professionals that he understands why many fund raisers ignore academic research on soliciting gifts.

Too often, he says, such research comes up with conclusions that most fund raisers already know from anecdotal experience, or it’s so specific to a particular institution that other organizations cannot apply it, Mr. James said.

But, he says, some research now under way offer insights fund raisers in many organizations can use.

To expand the amount and quality of research that fund raisers can actually use in their work, Mr. James said that the profession needs a peer-reviewed academic journal that would attract researchers and encourage additional studies.

A publisher who specializes in nonprofit books could team up with the association to create such a journal, he suggested. However, Mr. James admitted, it might be difficult to get such a publication off the ground. “Academic journals are really expensive and normal humans don’t subscribe to them,” he said.

To learn more about the growing number of scholars who are producing research on charities, see this new article from The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

— Holly Hall

Monday March 30, 2009 | Permalink

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