Genevieve Shaker

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https://hdl.handle.net/1805/28996

Contributing to Fundraising Practice through Multi-Dimensional Research

Professor Genevieve Shaker's research focus has been on developing and disseminating new research about fundraising and about the fundraising profession. She has conducted several studies, including two about fundraiser job tenure and turnover that have generated knowledge about fundraisers themselves. This work is in alignment with growing attention in the nonprofit scholarly community to the role that fundraisers play in the giving process. Most often, scholars and the public alike focus on donors and the amount of money given to particular nonprofits without adequate consideration of the intermediary. Professor Shaker has a special interest in higher education giving and fundraising. She has conducted several studies in this setting, including a large longitudinal study of giving across 30 years and 400+ institutions, as well as an examination of the philanthropic relationships of fundraisers and major donors in university settings.

Professor Shaker's goal is to strategically share what she has learned through her research -- as well as the insights of other scholars. She does this in a variety of ways including presenting at conferences, teaching for The Fund Raising School, and writing books/articles. In 2021 and 2022, she published two books which translate research into practice. The first, Fundraising for Faculty and Academic Leaders (Palgrave), was co-authored with Aaron Conley and provides a research-based approach for leading advancement teams within the university. The second, Achieving Excellence in Fundraising (5th edition, Wiley), features 39 chapters written by Lilly Family School of Philanthropy faculty, alumni, and affiliates and is the most recent edition of the best selling fundraising textbook. Professor Shaker was the lead editor for the volume.

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 34

“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, Chen
The 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.
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 Philanthropy
As 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.
Contributing to Fundraising Practices through Multi-Dimensional Research
(Center for Translating Research Into Practice, IU Indianapolis, 2022-06-24) Shaker, Genevieve
Professor 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.
Introduction to Genevieve Shaker & Her Work
(Center for Translating Research Into Practice, IU Indianapolis, 2022-06) Shaker, Genevieve
In 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.
Despite faculty skepticism: Lessons from a graduate-level seminar in a hybrid course environment
(Taylor & Francis, 2014) Palmer, Megan M.; Shaker, Genevieve; Hoffmann-Longtin, Krista
A 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.
The new coronavirus is hitting colleges and universities hard, but donors can help
(The Conversation US, Inc., 2020-03-11) Plater, William; Tempel, Gene; Shaker, Genevieve; Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
What works in workplace giving
(The Conversation US, Inc., 2017-10-27) Shaker, Genevieve; Christensen, Robert; Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
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
What is unrestricted funding? Two philanthropy experts explain
(The Conversation US, Inc., 2021-06-26) Shaker, Genevieve; Wiepking, Pamala; Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
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 Philanthropy

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