Two veteran fundraisers who have significantly advanced the fundraising profession nationwide will be honored with the Henry A. Rosso Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Ethical Fund Raising by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Edith Falk, co-founder of consulting firm Campbell + Company, and Lilya Wagner, director of Philanthropic Service for Institutions, are being recognized for lifelong dedication to emphasizing philanthropy's ethics and values, acting as a mentor to perpetuate and invigorate philanthropic traditions and noted leadership in a long, productive career of distinction.
The honor will be presented at a dinner in Indianapolis on October 29, prior to the school’s 2015 symposium, "Philanthropy and Fundraising: What We Know and What We Need to Know," which will be held the following day.
“Edith and Lilya represent the best of what fundraisers ought to be: thoughtful professionals who help both nonprofits and donors fulfill their dreams of making a meaningful difference,” said Amir Pasic, Ph.D., the Eugene R. Tempel Dean of the school. “Through leadership and mentoring, each has contributed substantially to strengthening professional, ethical fundraising. Edith’s dedicated service to the profession nationally through her work with AFP and Giving USA has provided fundraisers with important guidance and resources. Lilya’s first-hand expertise combined with her gift for teaching and her work through The Fund Raising School have equipped a multitude of nonprofits to expand their capacity to achieve their important missions.”
The Rosso Medal was created to honor Henry A. "Hank" Rosso (1917-1999), a founder of the school’s predecessor the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and founding director of The Fund Raising School. Rosso received the inaugural medal for establishing The Fund Raising School, which enables fundraising professionals to learn ethical philanthropic fundraising, and for creating concepts of discipline and dignity in the profession.
The award has been given to exceptional individuals such as University of Notre Dame President Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., former Girl Scouts of America CEO Frances Hesselbein, Indianapolis Urban League Executive Director Sam Jones, AFP President and CEO Paulette Maehara and Association for Healthcare Philanthropy President and CEO Bill McGinly.
Falk’s career in institutional advancement spans nearly 40 years. At Campbell + Company, the consulting firm she co-founded in 1976, she led the firm’s efforts in new business and staff development, and was actively engaged in designing and providing strategic fundraising and marketing counsel to a broad spectrum of organizations in the arts, education, healthcare and conservation across the country.
A former member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) national board, Falk also served as dean of its Executive Leadership Institute and as president of the board of AFP’s Chicago chapter. She received the chapter’s President’s Award for outstanding leadership and service to the chapter and its Benjamin Franklin Award for career achievements.
She is past chair of Giving USA Foundation, the publisher of the annual Giving USA report on philanthropy, and is a former board member of Donors Forum, a Chicago-based organization dedicated to strengthening philanthropy and the nonprofit community in Illinois. Falk is a member of The Chicago Network, an organization of women in the Chicago region who have achieved distinction in business, the arts, the professions, government and academia, and of the International Women’s Forum. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Oberlin College in Ohio and her Master of Business Administration degree at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, both with honors.
Currently, Falk is vice chair of the American Councils for International Education, which promotes education and research through international exchange. A frequent presenter on trends in philanthropy and fundraising practices, Falk continues to provide capacity-building consulting services to nonprofit organizations in the Chicago area and beyond.
Wagner is director of Philanthropic Service for Institutions, a consulting office specializing in services for faith-based organizations, including universities, schools, healthcare organizations and social services. She previously was vice president for Philanthropy at Counterpart International in Washington, D.C., an international development organization.
Prior to joining Counterpart, Wagner was associate director for public service and director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, where she also managed curriculum, taught courses and made presentations nationally and internationally for The Fund Raising School. She continues to serve as a member of The Fund Raising School’s faculty and the Philanthropic Studies faculty of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She also teaches in the graduate program at St. Mary’s University in Minnesota.
Wagner’s extensive career also includes having served as vice president for development at the National Association for Community Leadership and as vice president for institutional advancement at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Among Wagner’s published writings are articles and chapters on philanthropy, fundraising and the nonprofit sector. Her book Careers in Fundraising earned AFP’s Skystone Ryan Research Prize, and she has received various other awards for her publications as well as fundraising and marketing programs. Wagner holds a doctorate in education from the University of Florida in Gainesville and earned master’s degrees in journalism and music.
The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy is dedicated to improving philanthropy to improve the world by training and empowering students and professionals to be innovators and leaders who create positive and lasting change. The school offers a comprehensive approach to philanthropy through its academic, research and international programs and through The Fund Raising School, Lake Institute on Faith + Giving and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute. Follow us on Twitter @IUPhilanthropy or “Like” us on Facebook.