happens purely because a good nonprofit and a philanthropist collide, the reality is that a fundraiser is usually at the intersection of that exchange,” said Hartsook. “Unfortunately, as I stated when I endowed the Chair at Indiana, I believed the current fundraising educational models were flawed and the evidence of that is that philanthropy has grown very little each year. ” The endowed Chair was the first step in changing the model, and the creation of the Avila Hartsook Institute is the next step. Ultimately, Hartsook’s goal is to change the model of fundraising education in America and the world. “Kansas City is proud to be the initial site for this groundbreaking academic venture into fundraising education,” said Laura McKnight, president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. “While Kansas City is a very philanthropic community, our needs outstrip the community’s resources. I agree that improving the quality of the fundraising professional could have a profound impact on dollars available. We are excited for this partnership with a long-time KC friend, Hartsook Companies, and a long-time KC educational leader, Avila University.” “I have known Bob Hartsook for 30 years, and there is no one more committed to improving the quality of fundraisers in our country,” commented Murray Blackwelder, president of the U.M.K.C. Foundation and former senior vice president of Purdue University. “His obsession about increasing philanthropy has driven him for years. To see him take this step after he endowed the Hartsook Chair at Indiana University is the next natural step for his dream of growing fundraising skills.” “Establishing a research-based graduate program with a fundraising emphasis is a bold step in the quest to increase philanthropy. Avila and Hartsook are to be commended for this investment in the future,” said Lou Gehring, executive director of the Shawnee Mission Medical Center Foundation and the 2009 Association of Fundraising Professionals Fundraiser of the Year. According to Hartsook, Bank of America periodically has surveyed the high net worth donor on a number of issues and reported that the fundraiser is a critical part of the donor’s decision. The Indiana study on giving by the top three percent of donors, funded by Bank of America, has placed the fundraiser at or near the top of important counsel in making a gift. This group represents nearly 70 percent of all philanthropy in America. “We welcome this investment in Kansas City to improve fundraising education in our community,” added Bob Regnier, president and CEO of Bank of Blue Valley and a member of the Hartsook Kansas City Advisory Board. “This is an unprecedented opportunity for the fundraising community to have a champion in the Hartsook Institute to encourage the development of a body of knowledge for the profession.”
Accent SPRING 2010
Honoring Avila’s Legacy
A
vila College was an evolving institution in the midto late 1970s. Men had been admitted as full-time students for just a few years, and the Sisters of St. Joseph were beginning to rely more and more upon lay faculty and staff members to deal with a growing student population. One of those new staff members was an energetic young Minnesotan with a big heart, Tom Lease. Serving as Avila’s director of student life from 19761985 and vice president and dean for student affairs from 1985-2000, Tom’s influence was felt by a generation of faculty, staff and students. He was a mentor to countless students and helped launch the careers of dozens of young student affairs professionals. During the summer and fall of 2009, Tom’s friends and family honored his legacy through a fundraising effort to name the patio outside of the Hodes Center in his honor. As a quiet gathering place, the patio serves as a gentle reminder of Tom’s humble nature. Immediately adjacent to both student housing and the Hodes Center, the patio reminds us that Tom’s focus was always on student well-being and success.
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