Students with an interest in the nonprofit sector can soon receive a graduate certificate in fundraising management.
The certificate program is available through UF’s College of Journalism and Communications but is open to graduate students from any field as well as to post-baccalaureate practitioners, said program coordinator Kathleen Kelly. The program will go into full effect Fall 2015.
The UF public relations professor and leading scholar in fundraising said it’s one more credential that could benefit students.
“College students often don’t think of fundraising as a viable career,” she said, “but it’s not only a viable career — it’s an in-demand career.”
The nine-credit-hour program is likely to become the first graduate certificate in fundraising to acquire a partnership with the university’s affiliated foundation, Kelly said.
“There has been a shortage of fundraisers for well over 10 years now,” she said.
The program is one of a select few that is taught by a full-time graduate faculty, Kelly said. Most universities that offer the certificate program use practitioner adjuncts who come in and teach a course.
Bridget Robinson, a second-year graduate student in mass communication with a specialization in public relations, is combining her degree with the program.
“Fundraising is a lucrative career a lot of people don’t know about,” the 26-year-old said. “This program gives me the boost I need.”
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 3/11/2015 under the headline “New certificate program available in fundraising”]
