UTILIZING PUBLIC-RELATIONS THEORY TO CONCEPTUALIZE AND TEST MODELS OFFUND RAISING

Four models of fund raising, conceptualized from public relations theo ry, were tested in a national survey of 296 fund-raising practitioners . Results show that the models do describe the typical ways fund raisi ng is practiced, and supportive evidence is provided as to their relia bility, validity, and accuracy. press agentry, the oldest and least et hical model, is predominantly practiced today, although fund raisers t end to move toward the two-way symmetrical model when conducting major gifts programs as compared to annual giving programs. Little differen ce was found in the models as practiced by the six major types of U.S. charitable organizations.