21778 Fundraising and Revenue Streams for Sports, Events and Not-for-Profits

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Business: Management
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level:

Postgraduate

Result type: Grade and marks

There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

Description

This subject seeks to provide an understanding of the strategic development of fundraising and revenue streams for events and not-for-profit organisations. One of the defining features of a not-for-profit organisation is that its core purpose is not necessarily related to its income generation. For events, revenue streams outside of ticket/registration fee-based revenue are integral to their success. The subject examines a variety of potential revenue streams including sponsorship, grants, merchandising, media rights, as well as other sources such as competitions, auctions and donations. The alignment of fundraising strategies with an organisation's mission and values are explored, as are the legal and ethical issues for revenue generation. Within an increasingly competitive environment for not-for-profit organisations and events, maximising revenue streams is a major challenge, and this subject will add to the skills and knowledge set of future event and not-for-profit managers.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1.	Assess a range of potential revenue streams and fundraising techniques associated with events and not-for-profit organisations
2.	Critically analyse and develop strategic responses to issues in fundraising and revenue generation
3.	Evaluate ethical, legal, and other considerations for fundraising and revenue streams
4.	Produce a professional fundraising plan for an event or not-for-profit organisation

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

This subject develops the graduate attributes of intellectual rigour and innovative problem solving, professional and technical competence, and communication and collaboration. Teaching and learning activities will introduce students to the range of potential revenue streams and fundraising techniques associated with events and not-for-profit organisations. The subject assessments are based on applying learnings to real-world contexts and ask students to work collaboratively on a fundraising plan. The evaluation and development of new fundraising solutions are always connected to the social mission of not-for-profit organisations, therefore putting public good at the heart of everything they do.

This subject also contributes specifically to develop the following Program Learning Objectives for the Masters of Not-for-Profit and Social Enterprise Management courses:

Apply critical thinking and analytical skills to develop creative solutions that respond to community, Indigenous and business needs, and have a social impact (1.1)
Interact with colleagues and stakeholders to work effectively in teams and deliver agreed project outcomes that contribute to the public good (2.2)

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject is presented in a weekly lecture and tutorial format where essential principles are presented and analysed. Lectures are structured around a short introduction to the topic of the day. There are readings assigned as pre-class activities and they will be accessible via the learning management system. The remaining lecture time is built around a reflexive and interactive class discussion of exemplars of the strategic fundraising mix focused on the topic of the day. The lectures allow students to discuss interpretations of learning tasks, theoretical issues, and responses to various readings. Learning will, therefore, involve a mix of case study discussions, video analysis, and simulation exercises. Such approaches will improve student’s ability to work independently and as part of a team and students will also be encouraged to employ these skills outside of the classroom through assessment and industry engagement.

Within the tutorials, students are led through practical application exercises. An important element of the tutorials format is group work, stimulated through case study discussions and other interactive exercises, where learning partnerships are formed. At the conclusion of the task, students are asked to reflect on the application of the tutorial exercises for their assessments and professional practice. Through collaborative in-class discussions, students will thus have the opportunity to receive weekly feedback on the progression of their assessment work. Furthermore, this subject includes a group assignment designed to encourage students to work collectively and critically, furnishing them with the skills to conduct their own academic research through engagement with key research on fundraising and revenue streams. In-class feedback on group activities and prescribed pre-work will be provided, including opportunities for feedback on the skills needed for assessments before submission. Students will receive written feedback on each of their assessments.

Content (topics)

The strategic revenue mix for events and not-for-profits
Fundraising – the context and trends for fundraising in Australia and Internationally; fundraising in the digital world; managing a fundraising campaign
Sponsorship – types of sponsorship (packages, value in kind, naming rights, etc.); challenges in sponsorship ambush marketing, incompatibility between sponsors.
Other revenue streams including grants, tendering, donations, competitions and auctions
Development and maintenance of ongoing relationships/partnerships for fundraising and revenue generation
Evaluating various revenue streams and fundraising techniques
Legal and ethical issues in fundraising and revenue generation

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Revenue stream evaluation report (Individual)

Objective(s):	This addresses subject learning objective(s): 1 and 2
Weight:	30%
Length:	1,500 words +/- 10% (excluding references, footnotes, endnotes and appendices)
Criteria:	Extent, depth, and relevance of research undertaken Critical analysis of the relevance and value of the current strategic revenue mix Convincing justification of the proposed recommendations

Assessment task 2: Sponsorship Pitch (Group)

Objective(s):	This addresses subject learning objective(s): 2 and 3
Weight:	30%
Length:	Live pitch, maximum of 10 minutes, with a supporting two-page document. Q&A session of 5 minutes maximum.
Criteria:	Quality of the sponsorship pitch as a strategic response to revenue generation Evidence of evaluation of ethical, legal and other considerations in pursuing a particular sponsor Convincing justification of the sponsorship proposal’s relevance and value to both the potential sponsor and the not-for-profit organisation or event Clarity of the pitch, expressed in both written and visual forms

Assessment task 3: Fundraising Plan (Individual)

Objective(s):	This addresses subject learning objective(s): 2, 3 and 4
Weight:	40%
Length:	2,000 words +/- 10% (excludes title page, table of contents, executive summary, footnotes, endnotes, references and appendices)
Criteria:	Quality of analysis and appropriateness of the fundraising plan proposed Evaluation of ethical, legal and other considerations in developing a fundraising plan Professional written presentation of the fundraising plan

Minimum requirements

Students must achieve at least 50% of the subject’s total marks.

Recommended texts

Klein, K., & Yogi, S. (2022). Fundraising for Social Change. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons

Lindahl, W.E. (2010) Principles of Fundraising: Theory and Practice. Sudding, MA: Jossey & Bartlett Publishers

Sargeant, A. and Shang, J. (2010) Fundraising Principles and Practice, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons

Worth, M.J. (2016) Fundraising: Principles and Practice, London: SAGE Publications

References

Ashley, S. (2014). The impact of government funding on competition in the non-profit sector. Nonprofit Policy Forum, 5(2): 289-305.

Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS) (2022) https://research.qut.edu.au/australian-centre-for-philanthropy-and-nonprofit-studies/

Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) (2022) https://www.acnc.gov.au/

Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) (2021) Australian Community Sector Survey Reports https://www.acoss.org.au/australian-community-sector-survey/

Australian Tax Office (2022) Gifts and Fundraising https://www.ato.gov.au/Non-profit/Gifts-and-fundraising/

Bhati, A., & McDonnell, D. (2020). Success in an online giving day: the role of social media in fundraising. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 49 (1): 74-92

Centre for Social Impact (2022) https://www.csi.edu.au

Charities Aid Foundation (2019) World Giving Index https://www.cafonline.org/about-us/publications/2019-publications/caf-world-giving-index-10th-edition

dela Rama, M.J., Lester, M.E. and Staples, W. (2022) The Challenges of Political Corruption in Australia, the Proposed Commonwealth Integrity Commission Bill (2020) and the Application of the APUNCAC, Laws, 11 (7): 1-27

Fundraising Institute of Australia (2022) https://fia.org.au

Flack, T., McGregor-Lowndes, M., Marsden, S. & Poole, G. (2014) Go your own way: Reporting of fundraising in Australian charity financial statements, Third Sector Review, 20 (2): 9-25

Hager, M., Rooney, P., & Pollak, T. (2002). How fundraising is carried out in US nonprofit organisations. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 7(4): 311-324.

Lester, M., dela Rama, M., and Crews. J. (2021) COVID-19 governance, legitimacy and sustainability: lessons from the Australian experience, Corporate Governance and Sustainability Review, 5(1): 143-153

Philanthropy Australia (2021) Philanthropy and COVID-19 https://www.philanthropy.org.au/tools-resources/philanthropy-and-covid-19/

Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (2022) https://pacscenter.stanford.edu

Shang, J., & Croson, R. (2009). A field experiment in charitable contribution: The impact of social information on the voluntary provision of public goods. The Economic Journal, 119 (540): 1422-1439.

Shelley, L., & Jay Polonsky, M. (2002). Do charitable causes need to segment their current donor base on demographic factors?: An Australian examination. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 7(1): 19-29.

Steinberg, R., & Morris, D. (2010). Ratio discrimination in charity fundraising: The inappropriate use of cost ratios has harmful side-effects. Voluntary Sector Review, 1(1): 77-95.

Thornton, J. (2006). Nonprofit fund-raising in competitive donor markets. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 35(2): 204-224

Young, D.R. & Kim, C. (2015) Can social enterprises remain sustainable and mission-focused? Applying resiliency theory, Social Enterprise Journal, 11(3): 233-259

Other resources

See our Canvas for resources.