Genevieve Shaker
Permanent URI for this collection
Genevieve G. Shaker, Ph.D., is a professor of philanthropic studies and the Donald A. Campbell Chair in Fundraising Leadership at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. In her two decades as university fundraising and communications professional, she helped Indiana University connect with supporters and achieve significant goals. Dr. Shaker’s research explores fundraising, the fundraising profession, donor-fundraiser relationships, donor advised funds, philanthropy education, and the philanthropic dimensions of higher education. Her books include Faculty Work and the Public Good, Fundraising Principles for Faculty and Academic Leaders, and the widely used textbook Achieving Excellence in Fundraising (5th edition). Her work often bridges scholarship and practice, seeking to bring actionable insights to the nonprofit sector in general and fundraising profession in particular.
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item The annual DAF report 2025(Donor Advised Fund Research Collective, 2025) Heist, H. Daniel; Vance-McMullen, Danielle; Williams, Jeff; Shaker, Genevieve; Sumsion, Rachel M.We’re pleased to publish the inaugural edition of the Annual DAF Report produced by the Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC). For nearly two decades, the National Philanthropic Trust compiled and published data on donor advised funds (DAFs), creating a foundational source of data for the nonprofit sector. Starting with this 2025 edition, the Annual DAF Report will be independently produced by the DAFRC. This report draws on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990, Schedule D data for fiscal year (FY) 2024 to provide aggregate data on the number of DAF accounts, contributions to DAFs, grants from DAFs, DAF assets, payout rate, and average account size.Item Reinventing the Cycle: Adopting Relationship Fundraising for Donors Who Use DAFs(DAF Research Collaborative, 2025) Shaker, Genevieve G.; Sumsion, Rachel M.; Heist, H. DanielItem “The interview inspired, shocked, and moved me”: Philanthropic informational interviews as a pandemic alternative to service learning(Sagamore-Venture Publishing, 2024) Shaker, Genevieve G.; Ho, Meng-Han; Ji, ChenThe Covid-19 pandemic upended college classrooms, challenging instructors to deliver classes differently while still seeking to achieve pre-planned goals. Service-learning instructors faced a quandary: discontinuing activities could compromise course integrity, but requiring service was impossible, impractical, or inappropriate. Creative solutions were needed. This study explored the learning outcomes from a replacement activity, the philanthropic informational interview, in a philanthropy general education class and asked whether it could generate outcomes similar to service-learning. Data were drawn from student reflections (n=145) from 9 online course sections between spring 2020 and summer 2021. Thematic analysis identified 8 learning outcomes: engaging with social issues, nonprofit solutions to social issues, insights into nonprofits’ innerworkings, philanthropy as everyone’s responsibility, enhanced empathetic understanding, value-driven career inspiration, developing interview skills, and building career capacities. These outcomes align with research about service-learning and suggest that the philanthropic informational interview can be a meaningful alternative to service-learning in some situations.Item A thematic analysis of fundraiser characteristics in high-quality major donor fundraising relationships in US higher education(Wiley, 2023) Shaker, Genevieve G.; Lilly Family School of PhilanthropyAs nonprofits increasingly rely on large contributions, skillful major gift fundraisers are more important than ever. In contrast to the vast research on donor motivations, there are few examinations of fundraisers or fundraising relationships. This study responds to nonprofits' interest in understanding beneficial fundraising strategies and to the lack of empirical literature with the question: From the donor perspective, what characteristics do fundraisers demonstrate within high-quality major giving relationships? This exploratory, interview-based project used a codebook thematic analysis approach based on HEXACO personality theory to review participants' reflections about fundraisers. The 20 participating donors had given between USD\10,000 and USD\40 million to select colleges and universities in the US Midwest region. This study confirms much of what fundraisers believe to be important to major gift donors, with added nuance about the complex form of professionalism donors appreciate. The fundraiser characteristics show several dual emphases, including on field expertise and interpersonal acumen, attention to donor concerns and institutional interests, patience with the gift-making process and ability to facilitate its progression, and attention to ethical practice and empathetic interactions. The study shows the inner workings of the major giving relationship fundraising paradigm, reveals how societal perceptions of fundraisers are relevant for understanding donor preferences, and provides a framework for fundraisers to assess and enhance their interactions with major donors.Item Introduction to Genevieve Shaker & Her Work(Center for Translating Research Into Practice, IU Indianapolis, 2022-06) Shaker, GenevieveIn the U.S., over $470 billion was donated to nonprofits in 2021. These nonprofits provide essential support and opportunities through programs in the social services, arts and culture, education, religion, and environmental and international causes, among others. Fundraising generates the majority of these contributions to the nation’s approximately 1 million public charities. Professor Genevieve Shaker briefly discusses how she and others in the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy are building the knowledge-base about how and why people donate to charitable causes and the professionalization of fundraising.Item Contributing to Fundraising Practices through Multi-Dimensional Research(Center for Translating Research Into Practice, IU Indianapolis, 2022-06-24) Shaker, GenevieveProfessor Genevieve Shaker shares how she and others in the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy are building the knowledge-base about how and why people donate to charitable causes. She also discusses the professionalization of fundraising and how new knowledge about fundraisers can aid in their important work.Item Despite faculty skepticism: Lessons from a graduate-level seminar in a hybrid course environment(Taylor & Francis, 2014) Palmer, Megan M.; Shaker, Genevieve; Hoffmann-Longtin, KristaA recent survey of 2,251 university faculty members revealed that only one in five agreed that online courses can achieve learning outcomes equivalent to those of in-person courses (Lederman and Jaschik 2013). In an effort to determine if online graduate courses can be effective, in this study we explore the extent to which qualities commonly found in graduate level seminars can be replicated in hybrid graduate-level courses. A course for students in a higher education graduate program titled “The American Community College” serves as the study case. The course was developed as a hybrid with synchronous, asynchronous, and in-person elements intended to foster highly interactive exchanges of information, deep analysis of subject matter, and advanced means of communicating one’s ideas: all elements of a successful graduate-level course. Web technologies including wikis, blogs, and podcasting provided creative and varied pedagogical tools, which could be fully realized only when students were immersed in the online learning environment. Data collected from students across two semesters and assessment of learning outcomes indicate the value and success of the approach and several advantages to in-person courses, generating a set of implications.Item What is unrestricted funding? Two philanthropy experts explain(The Conversation US, Inc., 2021-06-26) Shaker, Genevieve; Wiepking, Pamala; Lilly Family School of PhilanthropyItem How higher ed can earn the public’s trust after the admissions scandal(The Conversation US, Inc., 2019-03-27) Shaker, Genevieve; Plater, William; Lilly Family School of PhilanthropyItem At-risk colleges should do what’s best for students, alumni, donors, employees – and local communities(The Conversation US, Inc., 2020-02-04) Shaker, Genevieve; Plater, William; Lilly Family School of Philanthropy