Certificate in Fundraising Leadership (CFL) Available Online

Subject Matter Experts:

Angela Seaworth, Ph.D., ACFRE

Understanding Fundraising

Angela D. Seaworth holds a Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy where she researched nonprofit governance and leadership, was a Graduate Fellow at the Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence, a doctoral intern at the Lumina Foundation and a doctoral assistant at The Fund Raising School. She earned her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Indiana University’s O’Neil School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), and B.A. from Denison University.

Dr. Seaworth is passionate about nonprofit and philanthropy education. She was the founding director of the Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Rice University where she designed curriculum and managed educational programming for nonprofit executives and board members, eventually growing the program to more than 800 enrollments annually. As a Lecturer for the Texas A&M Bush School of Government and Public Service, she teaches Management and Leadership of Nonprofit Organizations, Foundations of the Nonprofit Sector, Fundraising in Nonprofit Organizations, and Grant and Project Management for the Public and Nonprofit Sectors. Additionally, she has taught a graduate-level Fund Development course at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business and Nonprofit Strategy for the University of California Irvine. She has taught an undergraduate capstone course in Management, Leadership, and Policy, as an adjunct professor at Indiana University’s SPEA. Seaworth champions youth philanthropy education and designed a week-long camp philanthropy curriculum for ages 9-14, and the Council of Michigan Foundations appointed her to the board for Learning to Give, a K-12 philanthropy education curriculum in 2015.

As a practitioner, she has more than 20 years of multifaceted experience in the nonprofit sector as a professional fundraiser and consultant. She has worked as a fundraiser at the University of Chicago, the University of Houston, and as the chief development officer at two independent high schools. She also worked in the Analytical Solutions practice for Marts & Lundy, Inc. where she was responsible for capacity analyses, benchmarking studies and feasibility study design. In her consulting capacity, she has worked with a variety of organizations including foundations, Catholic and Independent schools, public school foundations, chambers of commerce, ministries, and arts and cultural institutions on nonprofit governance, strategic planning, capacity building, and organizational assessments.

Seaworth is an Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE) and held the Certified Fund Raising Designation from 2002-2011. To promote the fundraising profession, she served on the ACFRE Credentialing Board for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International and as a Subject Matter Expert for CFRE International, preparing questions for its fundraising certification exam. Currently, Seaworth is member of AFP’s Research Council and serves on the Fundraising Effectiveness Project. Locally, she served on the Greater Houston AFP Chapter Board as the VP Professional Advancement and was awarded the M. Anne Murphy Award for Professional Advancement.

She has served on various nonprofit boards for 25 years. In addition to her personal community service, Angela is involved in the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) and AFP. Seaworth’s work has been published in Giving USA, The Nonprofit Times, Advancing Philanthropy, and the Continuing Higher Education Review, with media appearances in The Houston Chronicle, Houston Public Media KUHF, Houston PBS, Fox 26 News Houston, Chinese Xinhua News Agency Houston Bureau, and the Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund.

Dr. Seaworth enjoys promoting the nonprofit profession and preparing the next generation of nonprofit leaders, so she is delighted to be a part of the Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Bush School.

Bill Bartolini, Ph.D., ACFRE

Leadership Roles in Fundraising | Making the Ask

Bill Bartolini, Ph.D., ACFRE, is a well-known mentor, coach, educator, and counselor to those who raise philanthropic support. He is an Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive – or ACFRE – AFP’s certification signifying an advanced level of leadership and management expertise. AFP has also certified him as a Master Fundraising Teacher. For several years, he was an adjunct professor at Columbia University, teaching “Major Gifts” as part of their Masters Degree in Fundraising and Non-Profit Management.

Bill was president of the AFP Chapter in Cleveland and served on the AFP Global Board for 6 years, two of them as Vice Chair for Professional Advancement. He has also served on the AFP Foundation and continues to volunteer for them.

Bill recently retired as Senior Philanthropic Advisor, Principal Giving, at Ohio State University (OSU), after 39 years in the profession and 5 years at OSU.

Over those 39 years, Bill worked at The George Washington University, Northeastern University in Boston, Kent State University, the University of Illinois, Ball State University and a smattering of social service agencies.

Bill received his undergraduate degree from Ball State University, his masters degree from Indiana University, and his Ph.D. from Kent State University, where his dissertation was Prospective Donors’ Cognitive and Emotive Processing of Charitable Requests – or “What do People Think and Feel when You Ask them for Money.”

In 2020, Bill was named the AFP Central Ohio Fundraising Professional of the Year, an award he also received from the AFP Greater Cleveland Chapter in 2002. Several years ago, AFP Global gave Bill the prestigious Founders Medallion.

Kelly J. Zùñiga, Ed.D., CFRE

Engaging Your Board and Others in Fundraising

Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga serves as the Chief Executive Officer at the Holocaust Museum Houston which is dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims and honoring the survivors’ legacy. She is responsible for all museum operations and reports to a 32 member Board of Trustees and a 75 member Board of Advisors.

Her past work experience includes key fundraising positions with the Houston Community College Foundation, Houston Zoo, Inc.; University of Houston System; Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut; Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California; and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She earned her Doctor of Education from the University of Houston in Administration and Supervision where her dissertation focused on a study of donors who have made online contributions to universities. In addition, she has earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of San Diego and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from San Diego State University.

Dr. Zúñiga is a Lecturer for Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government & Public Service graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management program and serves on the faculty for Art of Fundraising I & II at the Rice University Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership at the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. A frequent presenter at fundraising conferences, Dr. Zúñiga is an emeritus trustee-at-large on the (CASE) Council for Advancement and Support of Education Board of Trustees. She also serves on the Greater Houston Partnership’s Executive Women’s Partnership, Houston Museum District Association, and was named in 2013 by Houston Woman Magazine, “Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women of 2012.” She is an American Leadership Forum Fellow, Class of XXXIV and in 2016 was awarded by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Houston Chapter the M. Anne Murphy Award for Professional Advancement.

Sylvia Acosta, Ph.D.

Building the Culture and Systems for Fundraising Success 

Sylvia Y. Acosta, Ph.D. currently serves as the CEO of one of the largest YWCAs in the nation. At the YWCA El Paso Del Norte she oversees a budget of over 37 million dollars with over 400 employees. Through her leadership she has increased revenues from both the public and private sectors. She has strengthened the social entrepreneurship programing focused on services that empower women, children and families.

Dr. Acosta has over three decades of professional experience serving in executive university leadership positions at universities in California, Texas and New Mexico. She has led numerous fundraising campaigns including a 1-billion-dollar campaign at the University of California, Irvine. Her experience in nonprofits includes serving as one of the first and youngest President/CEO of a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in the United States, serving as COO of a national early childhood education program and leading various nonprofits focused on improving the lives of women, families and children. Dr. Acosta has vast experience in legislative and policy development at the local, state and national level.

Given her work at universities and nonprofit organizations, her expertise includes topics focused on fundraising campaigns, LatinX communities, US/Mexico Border issues, early childhood education, out of school time, teen leadership, domestic violence, women’s empowerment, racial justice, social justice, social entrepreneurship, business development, and 0-16 educational pipelines.

Dr. Acosta holds a Ph.D. from New Mexico State University where she studied higher education administration and leadership. Dr. Acosta holds a Masters of Arts degree from St. Mary’s University in political science with emphasis on national security. Her Bachelor of Arts degree is in political science from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Acosta is an active member of various civic and professional organizations and currently serves on various boards. She is the proud daughter of migrant workers and considers herself an example of the American Dream. Dr. Acosta is a first generation college graduate. She is married to Joe Graham, Ph.D. and has two children.

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Course Format | Course Offerings | Subject Matter Experts  |  Course Features  |  Course Dates | Cost

Course Features:

Securing resources is a critical element of strategic management for nonprofit executives. In order to carry out the organization’s mission, nonprofit leaders must have adequate resources to fund staff and programs. The work of fundraising – sharing your organization’s relevancy, inviting people to join you in your work – is an important leadership function for all nonprofit organizations. Yet, the majority of nonprofit leaders come from service provision or other backgrounds, so professional fundraising is unfamiliar to them. This certificate has been developed by senior fundraising professionals and scholars to help nonprofit leaders understand how to:

• Create and nurture a culture of philanthropy in their organizations,
• Lead the fundraising function internally with the fundraising team, finance, and managing campaigns
• Engage their boards and other constituents in this important function for the organization,
• Become comfortable, and effective, in soliciting funding
• Provide the technology and tools to operate fundraising efficiently and to have accurate reporting

The ideal candidate for this certificate is anyone with fundraising responsibility for their nonprofit organization – President/CEOs, executive directors, Chief Development Officers, Board Members who want to learn the development function.