J. Russell Raker III, official at Nevada State College, dies at 75

J. Russell Raker III, a “master collaborator” and a “bridge builder” who served as the associate vice president for Office of Institutional Advancement at Nevada State College, died unexpectedly Dec. 21.

He was 75.

Raker’s career in fundraising, not-for-profit capacity building and leadership in higher education, health care and social services spanned 53 years. He led teams that raised more than $1 billion for nonprofits.

He spent about a decade in Southern Nevada, developing a comprehensive fundraising program at Nevada State College. With help from Grant, campaign Chairman Glenn Christensen, and other foundation members, Raker led the college’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, which netted more than $17 million in gifts and pledges to back the college’s facility expansion, scholarships and academic programs.

“He was one of a kind,” Nevada State College Foundation Chairman David M. Grant said. “In a short time, he became the best-known fund-raiser in the Las Vegas Valley. He was tenacious in finding ways for people to contribute that matched up with their priorities.”

In 2008, Raker co-founded the Gift Planning Advisors, a collaborative partnership of six valley not-for-profit organizations, working to enhance the educational opportunities available to them and the awareness of the groups. In 2013, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Las Vegas chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Andy Kuniyuki, dean of the college’s School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said Raker succeeded with people skills.

“In fundraising, it’s not a matter of how skilled you are as an executive,” said Kuniyuki said. “It’s about connecting people, so that they do what they are doing from the heart.”

Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.