fundraising vs. fund raising...does anyone know the difference?

Anonymous:

Quick question...this has puzzled me for some time.

I don't know which is grammatically correct in which context. Sometimes I see fundraising as one word and sometimes fund raising as two words. Can anyone solve this mystery for me?

Mister Micawber:

It can be written either way-- or hyphenated (fund-raising)-- with no change in meaning.

Veteran Member77,117

Anonymous:

I went online to ask the very same question. I have heard, but with no real authority, that fundraising is a noun and fund raising or fund-raising is an adjective. For example, "We need more fundraiing to survive. We have hired fund-raising counsel to assist us." Look forward to other responses to the question.

Anonymous:

Just read another resource where someone wrote, "According to the 2005 AP Stylebook, fundraising and fundraiser (single words) are correct in all cases. They are no longer hyphenated or two
words." Hope this helps.

BarbaraPA:

The 2007 version also has them as one word.

Veteran Member26,562

Anonymous:

For what it is worth, I miss the distinction between fund raising (adjective - with or without a hyphen) and fundraising as noun. I think the difference adds clarity. I suspect the loss of this distinction goes back to the decision to change the name of NSFRE (National Society of Fund Raising Executives) to AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals). I continue to use the two versions as adjective and noun in my writing and leave it to editors to change as they see fit. And while I am being peevish about usage, I intensely dislike the term "fund raiser" for its lack of clarity. Is it a person who raises money or, as is more common these days, does it refer to fund raising events?

Anonymous:

Fundraising is incorrect. It is two words, e.g. fund raising, if used as a noun. It is hyphenated if used as an adjective (i.e. precedes a noun). For example:

Our charity's board of directors has fund raising as one of its primary functions.

Our charity's board of directors planned a fund-raising auction.

Anonymous:

I'm looking at The Associated Press Stylebook right now. According to them, "fundraising, fundraiser -- one word in all cases."

For confirmation, I also went to the Oxford English Dictionary. It has the same -- fundraising.

Merriam-Webster and MLA, as well as Britannica, have it as "fund-raising."

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fundraising vs. fund raising...does anyone know the difference?

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