Dr. Ruth K. Hansen Appointed New Director of the Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies

Editor’s note: The following was provided by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics.

The Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies welcomes new Director Dr. Ruth K. Hansen, Assistant Professor of Management in the College of Business and Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Dr. Hansen assumed the responsibilities of director in July 2022. Dr. Hansen earned her Ph.D. from Indiana University in 2018; her research focuses on the theory and practice of fundraising, stigma, and equity and inclusion in resource mobilization. She joined UW-Whitewater in 2016, teaching courses on nonprofit organizations, fundraising, organizational behavior, and research methods.

Dr. Hansen has more than 20 years’ professional experience as a fundraiser, and is a former board member of the Chicago chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Recent publications include “Applying a stakeholder management approach to ethics in charitable fundraising,” published in the Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing and “Gary Neighborhood House: Managing mission and uncertainty in the Civil Rights era,” in the edited volume Hoosier Philanthropy, due out this fall. She contributed the chapter, “Theory in Fundraising,” to the new edition of Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, which was featured on Bill Stanczykiewicz’s First Day Podcast from The Fundraising School. Her research with Dr. Lauren Dula on fundraising appeal letters, supported by the AFP Foundation, was the subject of a recent article in Successful Fundraising.

The Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies thanks Dr. Carol Brunt for her service as the inaugural Director of the Institute from 2018-2022. During her tenure, UW-Whitewater developed new academic programs for the study of nonprofit management. A scholar of international development and nonprofit management education programs, Dr. Brunt’s knowledge and efforts have been instrumental in the development of the Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies. In addition to establishing new academic programs, other key accomplishments of the Institute have included visiting faculty speakers; cross-campus collaboration on Wisconsin-focused nonprofit sector research; annual Careers in Nonprofits events; and an internship program that supports student experiences in local nonprofit organizations. Dr. Brunt convened the core staff of the Institute, which also includes Megan Matthews and Kristen Burton. Many thanks to Dr. Brunt for her dedicated service.

Located within UW-W CoBE’s Department of Management, the Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies promotes the study and practice of nonprofit management at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and within the larger community. The Institute focuses on relevant research, energized education, and community co-production to strengthen Wisconsin communities.

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