Learning from the American Fundraising Model: A European Perspective March 2014 | Page 21

not as strong as it is in the U.S. – nor does Horal
believe Sweden should fully follow the U.S.
model. “We don’t have to chase every dollar
every year – we don’t want the American situation,” he says.
Nevertheless, as he discovered during his time
in New York on the KBFUS study visit, European institutions can learn a great deal from
U.S. fundraising strategies. “I recognized the
professionalism and the extreme competitiveness,” he says.
Horal appreciated the broad insights into U.S.
fundraising he gained on the program. However, certain strategies were of particular interest
to him – including planned giving, the practice
of making gifts that are deferred to a future
date or at the donor’s death.
“That was an eye opener – I had never heard about
it before coming to the U.S.,” he says. “It wouldn’t
work in the same way in Sweden, predominantly
for tax reasons. However, we’ve started taking a
more proactive approach to bequests.”

seen at U.S. institutions would, says Horal, be
challenging, he sees the benefits. “Over time,
that would make you less dependent on politicians and other funding agencies,” he says.
“We’d have to evaluate it – but it could be
something for the future.”

Karolinska Institutet
Located in Solna, in the Stockholm area, Karolinska Institutet is one of Europe’s largest and most
prestigious medical universities. Many of the discoveries made at the institute have had profound
significance for global health, including the pacemaker, the gamma knife and the preparation
of chemically pure insulin. Since 1901 the Nobel
Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has selected the
Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine. The institution receives increasingly strong government
support but has recently been seeking to expand
this with private donations raised through a major
fundraising campaign.

And while building up the kinds of endowments

C ON V ERS A T I ONS

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