1st Edition

Fund Raising and Public Relations A Critical Analysis

By Kathleen S. Kelly Copyright 1991
    552 Pages
    by Routledge

    552 Pages
    by Routledge

    This is the first scholarly work to place the function of fund raising within the field of public relations, redefining it as a specialization responsible for the management of communication between a charitable organization and its donor publics. Combining her academic interest in communication with her experience as a fund raiser, the author has produced one of the few critical studies on fund raising, challenging current perspectives and employing systems theory and the concept of organizational autonomy to lead to a new and different approach. Until now, fund raising has been an anomaly, without an academic home and with few general theories to guide practitioner behavior. This book theoretically grounds fund raising and develops a theory that provides a fuller understanding of one of the fastest growing occupations in the nonprofit sector.

    Contents: Preface. A Critical Analysis of Fund Raising: An Overview of the Book. The Problem Prompting the Book: A New Function Taking on Increased Importance. Part I: Current Perspectives of Fund Raising: Confusing Definitions, Sporadic Research, and Myths. A Critical Analysis of Definitions Related to Fund Raising. An Analysis of the Body of Knowledge: A Need for Research. Myths and Misinterpretation of the Fund Raising Function. Part II: Systems Theory and Autonomy: Approaching Fund Raising From a Macroperspective. Systems Theory: Charitable Organizations and Their Environments. Institutional Autonomy. Autonomy and the Three Sources of Gifts. Three Case Studies on Autonomy. Part III: Shifting the Public Relations Paradigm: Approaching Fund Raising From a Different Perspective. The Fund Raiser in a Boundary Role. Fund Raising as a Specialization of Public Relations. Corporate Public Relations: A Precedent. Part IV: Using Public Relations Theories as Analytical Tools for Explaining Fund Raising. Four Models of Fund Raising. Measuring the Effectiveness of Fund Raising. Presuppositions About Fund Raising. Part V: A Theory of Donor Relations: Conclusions and Directions for Future Research. Conclusions and Directions for Future Research.

    Biography

    Kathleen S. Kelly