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Maurice Gilbert Gurin (1911-1990), was nearly 50 years old in 1959 when he made the career change from public relations to fund raising. Gurin incorporated new and innovative fund raising methods with more traditional techniques and in only 12 years rose from free-lancer fund raising to president of a fund raising firm with offices in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. He continued over the next 30 years to seek creative new answers to old questions, using imaginative new approaches to fund raising focused on individual client needs and making the fund raising plan fit the client rather than the client fit the fund raising plan. The papers consist of correspondence, speeches, published materials, client feasibility studies, and client files.

Vivian B. Allen (VBA) Foundation was created in 1938 in New York State by Vivian Beaumont Allen with the stated purpose, "to promote the well-being of mankind in the United States of America and elsewhere in the world, including as a means to that end research, publication, the establishment and maintenance of charitable, benevolent, religious and educational activities, agencies and institutions already established." Upon Mrs. Allen's death in 1962, VBA Foundation began to liquidate itself and was dissolved in 1971. The records consist of correspondence between VBA Foundation and grant applicants, including notification of awards or rejections, and descriptions of projects under consideration for grants; and administrative records and correspondence of the Board of Directors, including Board meeting agenda and minutes, and Memoranda distributed to the Board Members. The collection contains records dating back to 1946.

Larry Allyn Conrad, civic and political leader, was born in Laconia, Indiana in 1935, to Ruby Rooksby Conrad and Marshall Conrad. He graduated from Ball State University and married Mary Lou Hoover in 1957. He received an LL.B from Indiana University- Indianapolis School of Law in 1961. His political career began in 1962, when he successfully managed Birch Bayh's campaign for the United States Senate. Bayh subsequently hired Conrad first as his legislative assistant and later as Chief Counsel of the Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments. Conrad is considered the chief architect of the 25th Amendment. In 1969 Conrad moved back to Indiana, and campaigned successfully for the office of Secretary of State, a position he held from 1970 to 1978. Conrad campaigned twice, unsuccessfully, in Indiana's gubernatorial race. In 1972, he lost the Democratic nomination in the primary to former governor Matt Welsh. In 1976, he won the nomination but lost the race to Republican incumbent Otis "Doc" Bowen. In 1979 Conrad entered private practice with Raymond Hafsten, specializing in governmental affairs. In 1983 he became Vice-President of Corporate Affairs for Melvin Simon and Associates, Indianapolis based shopping center developers. Conrad promoted Indianapolis tirelessly. He planned the opening ceremonies for the National Sports Festival in 1982, and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tenth Pan American Games in 1987. In addition, he was involved in a variety of civic and philanthropic endeavors. Conrad left the Simons in 1989 to form a political consulting firm, The Conrad Group. He died in Lyon, France, the following year. Conrad's papers consist mainly of scrapbooks, political campaign files and memorabilia, business files, files on his civic and philanthropic endeavors, and miscellaneous personal information. Also included are: reel to reel films, audio and video tapes, and limited information from his time spent working for Birch Bayh.

John J. Schwartz, fund raising executive and author, worked hard to assist in the development of standards and ethics for fund-raising professionals and to influence legislation on the national and state level. During his 41 active years in the field, Schwartz was employed by various philanthropic organizations including John Price Jones, Inc., Fund Raising for Traveler Aid Society of New York, Development for the Community Service Society, G.A. Brakeley & Co., the American Cancer Society, and American Association of Fund Raising Counsel, Inc. (AAFRC). Schwartz spent a majority of his career, 1966-1987, at AAFRC, advancing to become the President of the organization in 1973 until his retirement. Throughout his career, he has served on various boards and committees promoting the understanding of philanthropy and was instrumental in the establishment of Coalition of National Voluntary Organizations (CONVO), Independent Sector, and the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy. The papers consist of records documenting his involvement with several philanthropic organizations as an employee and as a member of professional organizations. Included are organizational information, correspondence, meeting minutes, project reports, conferences, articles and papers.

The Commission on Foundations and Private Philanthropy was formed by John D. Rockefeller, III, in 1969, and chaired by Peter Peterson, to objectively investigate foundations and their role in society. The Peterson Commission, as it was known, was designed to be influenced by neither the government nor the foundations they investigated. An objective appraisal of foundation activities was necessary to give the Commission the credibility it needed to influence Congress' decisions on foundation activities. By researching the roles of foundations in society, the members hoped to construct policy recommendations that made foundations more accountable while allowing them to maintain their independence from outside interference. This collection contains meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, speeches, the House of Representatives and Senate Hearings on the Tax Reform Law, and the foundation research collected by the commission that includes annual reports, surveys, articles, and correspondence.

Robert Eddinger Nelson, a pioneer in the field of higher education fund raising and development, was born in Rochester, Indiana on March 2, 1928. In 1969 he founded Robert E. Nelson Associates, Inc. as a consulting firm to advise colleges and universities in development and fund raising. He remained active in the field as a consultant, a speaker, a board member, and as a member of several university development associations until his retirement. Robert Nelson died in 2012. The Robert E. Nelson Papers consist mainly of Robert Nelson's correspondence and speech files. The collection also includes administrative files from Robert E. Nelson Associates and correspondence and administrative files from the Pith Helmet Society and the Have A Heart Foundation.

The Near Eastside Multi-Service Center (NEMSC) was founded in 1971 as a nonprofit, community-based agency designed to coordinate and provide social services and programs for the diverse population of the near eastside of Indianapolis. In 1994, NEMSC officially changed its name to the John H. Boner Community Center (JHBCC) in order to honor John H. Boner, a long-time active member and director of the organization. Historically, the JHBCC's services have shifted based on funding and community needs, but they largely focus on cooperating with other neighborhood and Indianapolis organizations to provide social services, housing, and community programming to inhabitants of the near eastside community.

The 1987 Pan American Games were held in Indianapolis between August 7 and August 23, involving 38 countries and 31 different sports. It was planned and hosted by an offshoot of the Indiana Sports Corporation, PAX/Indianapolis (PAX-I). While preparing for the upcoming games, PAX-I researched how previous organizations had handled similar events. They arranged for corporate licensing and in-kind donations and worked with Disney to design the opening and closing ceremonies. PAX-I security staff cooperated with the Indianapolis Police Department and the U.S. Department of Defense to provide security for residents and visitors. The Language and Meeting Services Division organized bilingual interpreters and translation services, and the Games and Venues Division determined sites and schedules for sporting events and practices. Human Resources coordinated a large team of volunteers, and the Communications Division arranged publicity, speeches, tours, and the "look" of the games. Support staff established an athlete's village at Fort Benjamin Harrison with the permission of the U. S. Army and handled the many logistical details necessary for the influx of athletes, dignitaries, and spectators for the 1987 games. Some political problems accompanied the games because of tensions between the United States and Communist Cuba.

Previously called the Personnel Division or Office of Personnel Services, Human Resources Administration reports to the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance. Records include correspondence, reports, personnel policies, publications, and other materials.

Independent Sector (IS) was founded in 1980 as a coalition of corporate, foundation and voluntary organizations for the purpose of encouraging charitable giving, volunteering and nonprofit activities in the United States. Its mission is to promote, strengthen, and advance the nonprofit and philanthropic community to foster private initiative for the public good. By 2004, the organization maintained a membership of approximately 500 of the nation's leading nonprofit agencies and funders of nonprofit work. The collection consists of board minutes, committee reports, correspondence, publications, lobbying efforts, and conference materials.

The Beldon Fund was created in 1978 by environmental philanthropist John R. Hunting as a national foundation focused on advocating for environmental policy. From 1982 to 1998, the Beldon Fund provided grants to organizations like American Environment Inc., the Clean Water Fund, the Ohio Environmental Council, and the Idaho Conservation League. In 1998, John Hunting sold his stock in Steelcase Inc. and endowed Beldon with $100 million, prompting him to rethink the direction of the foundation. Hunting believed that increasing global warming and environmental destruction required immediate attention, and so he planned a ten-year spend-out of the Beldon Fund. Initially, Beldon made grants in five program areas, but in 2001, feedback indicated their scope was too broad for their spend-out timeframe. Beldon refocused into two program areas—the Key States program and the Human Health and the Environment program. The Beldon Fund made its last grants in June 2008 and closed its doors in 2009, after the completion of the spend-out. Over the last ten years of the fund, Beldon spent $120 million in grants and projects. The Beldon Fund Records consist of grant proposals, grant reports, notification of grants, board minutes, executive director records, financial and administrative records, and correspondence.

Anna Margaret Ross Alexander (1913-1995) was an Indianapolis civic leader, and member and president of the Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners from 1966-1970 during the period when desegregation, integration of the teaching staff, and busing was initiated. Mrs. Alexander was an active member in diverse civic organizations, but the records collected mainly reflect her tenure on the School Board.

Junior Achievement of Central Indiana (JA Central Indiana) was founded in 1957 as an area franchise of Junior Achievement. JA Central Indiana has implemented the major educational programs of Junior Achievement from 1958 through today, teaching Central Indiana students from the grade school to high school level about economics and business in a hands-on format.

The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University (COP) was established at IUPUI in 1987.The Center began offering academic courses in 1988. The Center also conducted research in various aspects of philanthropy and worked with other academic centers around the country involved in Philanthropic Studies on projects designed to educate the public about philanthropy and to increase philanthropic activity. In 2012 the IU Board of Trustees voted to establish the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and the school was formally inaugurated in 2013. The records in this collection detail the academic, research, and service activities of the school and document its relationship to other academic institutions and organizations involved in philanthropy and philanthropic studies. The records include correspondence, minutes, reports, and publications.

The National Society of Fund Raisers was organized in New York City in 1960 to serve as the professional association for fund raisers in America. The organization changed its name to the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (NSFRE) in the mid-1970s, and at about the same time hired its first executive director. In 1993 NSFRE had 15,903 individual members in 131 chapters, and maintained a national office in Alexandria, Virginia. Its name was again changed January 1, 2001, to the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Since its beginnings, the NSFRE has worked to promote professional and ethical standards through annual conferences, seminars, and publications. In the late 1970s, it instituted a program of certification for fund raising executives, and it has been active in supporting research and publicity on the role of philanthropy in American life.