Ruth Hansen

Assistant Professor, Nonprofit Management, and Director of the Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies

Ruth K. Hansen is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's College of Business and Economics, and director of the Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies. She teaches classes in nonprofit organizations, fundraising, organizational behavior, and research methods. Her research focuses on the theory and practice of fundraising, and equity and inclusion in resource mobilization. Dr. Hansen has more than 20 years' professional experience as a fundraiser, and is a former board member of AFP-Chicago. 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. 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, is the subject of a recent article in Advancing Philanthropy.