Strengthening the Fundraising Component in Social Work Education

Abstract

This paper discusses efforts to introduce fundraising courses into the curriculum of graduate social work schools. It suggests that such courses are inadequate to meet the growing need for social workers capable of coping with the economic facts of agency life. It proposes the concept of resource development as a viable alternative. Continued grounding in basic social work skills, values, and knowledge for personnel engaged in resource development is stressed. Questions are raised about the orientation toward money in social work education. The paper also explores the mutual benefits of cooperation between social work and the fundraising field.