The Oram Group was founded by Harold L. Oram in 1940. In the shadow of World War II, he and a few colleagues literally wanted to change the world – by stimulating social betterment through philanthropic response. In the early days, the firm concentrated on direct mail fund raising, and Harold Oram was a pioneer in using modern direct marketing techniques to stimulate social change. Over time however, our clients changed and their broader needs demanded that we develop professional competencies in every aspect of nonprofit philanthropic management – which we did: expertise in capital and annual fund raising, institutional assessments, strategic planning, organizational development, governance and board leadership.
We have served every category of charity: education, religion, health, welfare, services to youth and the elderly, social action, civil rights, the environment, and the visual and performing arts. Our clients have come to depend on us for fresh ideas, comprehensive nonprofit experience, total reliability, measurable achievements and above all, unflinching integrity.
Henry Goldstein
Henry (Hank) Goldstein is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Oram Group, Inc., consultants to philanthropic organizations.
He joined Oram in 1964 as an account executive following nearly a decade as public relations and fundraising executive in United Way organizations.
An alumnus of New York University, Hank majored in journalism, and pursued graduate studies in American government, specializing in urban politics. He has worked as a weekly newspaper editor, freelance reporter, political campaign manager (two wins, no losses), and as an intelligence specialist in the U.S. Army. He is presently adjunct professor of philanthropic management Milano Graduate School of Management at New School University in New York.
Hank is former Chairman, and past President of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, Inc. (now AFP — Association of Fundraising Professionals), and he is also a past president of the association's New York Chapter. He was the association's national recipient of the 1986 "Fund-Raising Executive of the Year" award, and from 1991-1993, was chairman of the national ethics committee.
He is a director of Giving Institute and immediate past chairman of Giving USA Foundation. Hank is an emeritus trustee of Berkshire Theatre Festival, vice chairman of PICO National Network, and treasurer of Women's Prison Association. He is a member of the National Scholarship Awards Committee of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. He also was a trustee of Soho Repertory Theater, and a governor of the National Arts Club.
He is co-author of Dear Friend: Mastering the Art of Direct Mail Fund Raising and speaks and writes widely on philanthropic issues. His lively column, Against the Grain, ran for three years in NonProfit Times, and he now writes for The Chronicle of Philanthropy. In 2006 he published So You Want to Be a Consultant! available at nominal cost from AFP.
Marilyn Bancel, CFRE
Marilyn Bancel is Vice President of The Oram Group, Inc., and heads its west coast office.
Prominent in San Francisco Bay Area non-profits since 1976, Marilyn joined The Oram Group in 1993, specializing in major giving and capital campaigns, strategic planning, and board development.
In addition to consulting, Marilyn is Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco where she has taught Capital Campaigns and Major Gifts in the College of Professional Studies, Institute of Nonprofit Management. She has published a number of articles about fund development, and is author of the widely and continuously used step-by-step workbook, Preparing Your Capital Campaign, published in fall, 2000 by Jossey-Bass Inc. and reviewed by The Foundation Center.
Prior to entering the consulting field, Marilyn worked for fifteen years as an institutional fund-raiser—as director of development for The Exploratorium, a museum of science, art and technology; as director of development for The Oakland Symphony; and as founder and executive director of East Bay Performance, Inc., publisher of the bi-weekly journal Bay Arts Review. Before entering the nonprofit field, she lived for three years in Turkey where she operated an 80-person cottage craft and clothing export business.
An alumna of Indiana University, Marilyn graduated with majors in English and French, Phi Beta Kappa. She has long been active with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Golden Gate Chapter, for which she has served as board member and officer and as chair of various programs and events including the Mentor Program and National Philanthropy Day. She is a recipient of the Chapter’s Hank Rosso Outstanding Fundraising Executive Award. She is a frequent speaker and teacher at fund-raising seminars and conferences.
