Learn to Improve the Financial Health of Arts Organizations
The environment for arts organizations has been evolving in new ways as shifting demographics, technologies, and political landscapes create new possibilities—and new challenges—for the field.
Several factors, such as reduced government and foundation support, increased competition among nonprofits and the private sector, and general economic uncertainty, have contributed to an environment of financial instability for arts and nonprofit organizations. As the market drives organizations to be self-sustaining and accountable, fundraising has emerged as a strategic institutional need. To help address this need, Boston University’s Metropolitan College is pleased to offer a Graduate Certificate in Fundraising Management.
Designed and delivered by the expert faculty of Boston University’s Arts Administration program, the online Graduate Certificate in Fundraising Management provides administrative, financial, technical, and leadership skills for those seeking careers as professional fundraisers and for nonprofit managers who wish to substantially enhance their skills in fundraising. The certificate is also appropriate for those considering a career change and professionals in the arts, health care, education, and human services fields.
The Graduate Certificate in Fundraising Management is also available on campus in Boston. Learn more.
Curriculum
A total of 16 units is required.
Credits earned from this online certificate may be applied toward the Master of Science in Arts Administration.
Courses
Dates & Deadlines
View BU MET’s academic calendar for online programs, including important dates and deadlines.
Application Requirements
Learn about application requirements for BU MET graduate degree and certificate programs.
How You Benefit from a
Boston University Education
A BU credential can help lay the foundation for career advancement and personal success.
- Benefit from an average 24:1 student-to-instructor ratio.
- Study with seasoned fundraising professionals with deep expertise in development research, grant writing, donor cultivation, and the development and management of major capital campaigns. Our instructors are working professionals with up-to-date knowledge of current trends and strategies.
- Learn alongside peers within the art world; consult and network with a wide range of national and international companies and nonprofit organizations within the art world; and benefit from a global alumni community with strong professional connections. Plus, you have access to the Boston University Arts Administration Student Association (AASA), formed in the spring of 1995 to provide opportunities for social interaction, educational enrichment, and career development.
- Get the attention you need through close interaction with faculty and visiting artists. Benefit from an interdisciplinary curriculum that encourages collaboration between students from both visual and performing arts backgrounds, and provides access to mentor programs, internships, project management activities, and opportunities to work with world-leading art institutions and practitioners in the field.
- Founded in 1993, Boston University’s Metropolitan College Arts Administration program has produced professional leaders at a host of cultural institutions and nonprofits in Boston, throughout the United States, and abroad.
Rankings & Accreditations
CFRE International Qualifications via the Graduate Certificate in Fundraising Management
Completion of the Fundraising Management certificate courses fulfills education point requirements for the CFRE International application for Initial Certification and/or recertification, and serves as excellent preparation for the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) examination. Learn more.
Graduate with Fundraising Expertise
Students who complete the Graduate Certificate in Fundraising Management will be able to demonstrate:
- Knowledge of the most important challenges and opportunities facing nonprofit organizations.
- Knowledge of professional practices with regard to fundraising and financial management.
- Skills to identify funding sources and author professional grant applications.
- Knowledge of best practices in designing and managing fundraising strategies and capital campaigns.
- Knowledge of structural and operational similarities and differences between several categories of nonprofit organizations, including health care, faith-based, cultural, and educational organizations.
- The ability to take a strategic approach to the professional development, networking, and self-marketing necessary to obtain a professional position as a fundraiser.
“Before I started at MET, I worked primarily in patron services and box office but knew I wanted to shift into development. Making that transition can be challenging, but I started taking courses within the Fundraising Management Graduate Certificate program almost immediately upon getting to BU. Because of what I learned in these courses, I got my first role on the Jacob’s Pillow philanthropy team and was promoted to my current position upon completing the program. The start of my entire career in fundraising is thanks to MET.” Read more.
Kristin Reeves (MET’22)
Membership & Individual Support Manager, Jacob’s Pillow
MS, Arts Administration; Graduate Certificate, Fundraising Management
Advance Your Career
BU MET’s Fundraising Management graduate certificate prepares you for a wealth of different roles, such as grants or fundraising coordinator, director of development, major gifts officer, director of individual giving, corporate partnerships manager, advancement coordinator, chief development officer, and many others.
Recent graduates have found job opportunities and career paths at companies such as:
- Boston Center for the Arts
- Harvard Art Museums
- New England Conservatory of Music
- National Center for the Performing Arts (China)
- Boston Ballet School
- Boston Symphony Orchestra
- Galerie d’Orsay
- Galerie d’Orsay
- Museum of Fine Arts Boston
- MassOpera
- Metro Theater Company
- National Museum of China
- Shanghai Ballet Company
- The Art Institute of Chicago
Take Advantage of Career Resources at BU MET
You will find the support you need in reaching your career goals through MET’s Career Development office, which offers a variety of job-hunting resources, including one-on-one career counseling by appointment for online students. You can also take advantage of tools and resources available online through BU’s Center for Career Development.
