As the nonprofit sector professionalizes and moves from only a handful of ‘nonprofit masters’ programs to over 300 today, its sub-fields also move forward.  A growing number of researchers and academics exploring topics like volunteer management, program management and program evaluation only add strength to the world’s social causes – and the people behind them.

Fundraising has joined that list.

In the last 50+ years, the Association of Fundraising Professionals has offered structure and training to the field and the CFRE was developed as the ultimate certification. In recent years, from the place that perfected The Fund Raising School, the first Bachelor’s in Philanthropic Studies was made available at Indiana University – training folks younger and younger to professionalize in a field of study that all, until now, had learned on the job or through masters programs. In just the last few months, a new Advanced Diploma in Fundraising is being offered – a new level in fundraising training.

Today, we’ve reached a new milestone.

The Centre for Sustainable Philanthropy at Plymouth University (UK) has launched the world’s first fundraising think tank.  Rogare (latin for ‘to ask’) will ‘critically evaluate what fundraisers know, or think they know, about their profession’. I’m honored to join their team. To be honest, I feel like the roadie on the band’s worldwide tour. I’d welcome the opportunity to carry the guitar case of rockstars Ian MacQuillin, Adrian Sargeant, Marc Pitman, Jen Shang not to mention the incredible board of the Centre itself.

I’d invite you to join as well. Follow RogareFTT on Twitter and follow the Critical Fundraising blog.

Together, let’s think about fundraising differently, challenge what we know, put what we know into practice…and take this field to the next level.