Michael Seltzer, whose bedside vigil for a friend who was dying of AIDS, transformed him into a prodigious fundraiser for the disease. He rallied individuals, foundations and corporations to support prevention and treatment in the 1980s, when it was largely neglected at all levels of government. Mr. Seltzer died on July 31 while vacationing on Governor Island, near Branford, CT. He was 78.

During Mr. Seltzer’s tenure as executive director of Funders Concerned About AIDS, private philanthropy for H.I.V.-related programs soared to $59 million in 1996 from $18 million in 1987. A total of nearly $700 million has been raised from his sources since then.