Within the profession of fundraising, Humber College has built a solid reputation over the past 25 years with more than 1,000 people completing their Postgraduate Certificate in Fundraising Management. Humber has been the leading educator in Canada, running the longest standing full-time, robust program designed exclusively for the profession. This year, the program has been suspended due to low enrollment. Many people are asking why? And, what comes next?
I entered fundraising around the same time that the postgraduate program at Humber was established in the nineties. I watched many enter the workforce from Humber, trained with a deep understanding of the charitable landscape. They knew the best practices of individual giving, could manage a donor record, knew the tools of prospect research, understood planned giving, spoke the language (RFM, CRM, LYBNT, BRE, LIA), knew Revenue Canada rules and regulations and seemed to be dialed into the AFP community before having a job.
Graduates of Humber worked tirelessly in an intensive year, immersed in all things fundraising. Earning battle scars running “live” special events, doing projects for charities (who often didn’t understand some of the basics the students were learning about) led to immense pride in building a portfolio of assignments before they entered the workforce. Humber’s keen graduates learned about leveraging digital when some of us were still using a fax machine. Many of these professionally trained fundraisers have gone on to lead successful fundraising teams and have furthered their careers through speaking, teaching (in the Humber program and others), and consulting.
A program with an interesting history
While many recognize the inimitable Ken Wyman as the long-standing champion, coordinator and award-winning professor, it started with Tom Browne. Tom recognized the need for a program focused on charity and fundraising while teaching in Public Relations. Until this point, fundraising education was being provided in the 1980’s, by the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy (now Imagine Canada) through the national course in fundraising. Through several collaborations the fundraising program at Humber emerged. Over the years some programs came and went at other colleges, but Humber’s remained constant.
Recently, Ken and I discussed the program's social impact. When asked about how much money Humber fundraisers have raised, Ken replied, without hesitation, “literally billions.” He reminded me that the program alumni have not only worked across all subsectors of the charitable landscape in Canada, they have also taken their education across the world working in the US, Australia, UK, South Africa, China and likely more countries. Add to that, the many who are consultants working for KCI, ST, HJC, Blakely and leading some emerging agencies including Broccoli and Balanced Good. Humber reaches far and wide in the fundraising world.
The program has also played a role in building the professional toolkit. It has been run through a network of leaders (some self-taught) who had to build the curriculum and keep on improving it as the sector evolved. There is a cohort of faculty who have developed and continued to lead research and analysis in the field but also continue to write textbooks on the subject of fundraising! (Excellence in Fundraising in Canada features Ken and recent faculty member Tanya Rumble for example.) By all accounts, the Humber program has acted as a learning hub for the profession. Now we are seeing past Humber advisors, teachers and alum involved in Carleton’s well-known master’s program, continuing to speak at conferences, take on AFP and CAGP leadership roles and more. Just last year, the program was formally recognized by Carleton University’s Master in NonProfit Leadership, receiving pathway credits toward this impressive higher learning program.
Deepa Mattoo B.A, LL.B, MBA, PGD, LSM, Executive Director of Schlifer Clinic, completed the Humber program in 2007 said “ the course has been instrumental in complementing my legal and management education. It provided me with specialized knowledge and skills in fundraising strategies, donor relations, and nonprofit financial management, enhancing my ability to lead and manage effectively. Most importantly it provided understanding of the nonprofit landscape in Canada while I was transitioning my skills and knowledge to a new country.”
The program continues to hold an excellent reputation with all people affiliated with it.
So, what comes next?
We seem to have more need than ever for talent in the profession.
In speaking to former program coordinator, professor and current consultant, Denny Young, I was reminded that people can get hired into the nonprofit sector without formal education. Considering this, and the shrinking pool of young people, it’s not surprising that Humber has faced a sharp decline in program enrollment. When there are jobs available, people typically don’t go back to school for a costly full-time program.
The burden of training will land with the employer. In an impromptu brainstorm Denny shared an exciting vision of a program that would be more like a co-op—with placement opportunities throughout the experience and lots of hands-on learning, (think Waterloo engineering). Though it’s an exciting notion, I am not convinced that in the current market we could get a critical mass of students and organizations to make the kind of investment needed.
As Ken has been saying since the nineties, "fundraising is the best job you've never heard of." I wonder, is this still accurate? And, if so, are we going to try to change that? We also hear that young people want to change the world and desire jobs with meaning. Is fundraising part of this mentality?
Ken suggests that the fundraising community needs more “just in time” material, that is easily accessible for people.
Brock Warner, Co-Founder of Broccoli, author, Humber professor and alumni, points out that more programming specifically designed for volunteer board members, small shop Executive Directors, and passionate volunteers is needed. He explains, “this content does exist, but there's potential for so much growth. If key stakeholder groups are aligned in the value, role and requirements of fundraising, then it will do wonders for helping your organization meet financial targets without triggering burnout and turnover on their fundraising teams.”
The world has changed since the program started. Attempts to make the program more digital were made, but young learners demand flexibility and the College still has ways to catch up. Lots is happening out there. Every time I’m on LinkedIn I see offers for fundraising seminars, courses and various conferences. But most of this is uncoordinated and confusing for new learners. Perhaps what we need is a convening body in Canada to help coordinate these efforts in the absence of a dedicated Humber program.
Another major consideration is the need to engage newcomers to Canada in the sector. How can the charitable sector better engage international learners in the fundraising profession? From my perspective, fundraising has not been a program of choice with international students when you compare it to similar postgraduate programs. The talent gap is not unique to fundraising, and other professions have built outreach programs and activities to engage newcomers. This, I think, is a tremendous opportunity for future talent in fundraising.
Finally, critical and perhaps long overdue discussion about fundraising and philanthropy particularly as it relates to social justice means that the way we teach fundraising needs to change. Where is this discussion and learning happening if not at Humber? Lee Burton, MPNL (Humber grad of 2010) and the Director of Philanthropic Services with MakeWay, a public foundation advancing social, environmental, and economic justice says, “I have seen important change emerging. Specifically, a courageous shift from donor-centric, white saviourism philanthropy to community-led systems change philanthropy. What this means is that the traditional models of philanthropy are being challenged and interrogated for their utility in addressing issues of equity. There are many ways that the fundraising profession can advance equity and justice through trust-based approaches, and we are at the starting line of this important journey.”
I think we've lost something with the Humber program ending, and I’m not sure how to fill the gap. From a management prospective, I also recognize the reasons why Humber had to make the decision to suspend this beloved program. Speaking to alumni like Lee, Brock and Deepa makes me excited about the possibilities for future education in the profession. It makes me think that maybe this isn’t simply the end of something wonderful, perhaps it could also be the beginning of something great!
Samantha Jones is a Professor at Humber College in the Longo Faculty of Business. With over 25 years of experience in the social impact sector, she has worked to achieve the revenue and marketing goals of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, York University Foundation, Pathways to Education, Kids Help Phone and more. Prior to joining Humber, she was a part-time instructor at Toronto Metropolitan University and University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies in nonprofit management, leadership and fundraising. She continues to consult to the sector through solrev.ca.
