Contact: Sharon Bond

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For Immediate Release

Ruotolo Elected Chair of Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits

To lead group that began as American Association of Fundraising Counsel

Glenview, Ill. (Jan. 12, 2007) – George C. Ruotolo Jr., CFRE, chair and CEO of Ruotolo Associates Inc., Cresskill, N.J., has been elected chair of Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits. His two-year term continues through November 2008. The Institute is the former American Association of Fundraising Counsel.

Ruotolo, a fundraising consultant and expert in the field of philanthropic giving, also previously served as chair of the Institute’s research arm, Giving USA Foundation^TM. Ruotolo follows Ray C. Clements of The Clements Group in the role of chair. Richard T. Jolly, vice president of Marts & Lundy, Lyndhurst, N.J., was elected to another one-year term as chair of the Foundation.

Also elected to the Giving Institute board, for one-year terms, were:

Nancy L. Raybin, First Vice Chairman

Thomas W. Mesaros, CFRE, Second Vice Chairman

David H. King, CFRE, Treasurer

Aggie Sweeney, CFRE, Secretary

Raybin is managing partner of Raybin Associates in New York City, and also is a past chair of the Foundation. Mesaros, based in Seattle, is president and CEO of The Alford Group. King, of Atlanta, is managing partner and president of Alexander Haas Martin & Partners. Sweeney, also of Seattle, is CEO of The Collins Group.

Officers were elected at a recent Board meeting in New York.

“I am greatly honored to have been selected to lead this group, which has gone through tremendous change and growth in its 70-plus years of existence,” Ruotolo said. “It is my hope that through the collective leadership of the officers and directors, we will continue to well-serve the philanthropic community through the wise counsel and standards of practice we developed long ago.”

The former AAFRC changed its name after a historic 70 years in existence to more accurately reflect the scope and breadth of work its member firms provide to the philanthropic community. While fundraising still remains an integral part of the Institute and its firms, the services they provide are extremely diverse and expansive. Additionally, many member firms work extensively outside the United States.

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Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits, an international association of leaders in the philanthropic consulting field, is headquartered in Glenview, Ill. Its 38 member firms have specialties in all areas of philanthropic consulting, including fundraising, executive search, capital campaigns, feasibility studies and marketing communications. Its mission is to advance the practice of philanthropy through research, education and best practices. For more information, visit www.givinginstitute.org.