California State University, Fresno, Fresno, CA
Describe the educational framework (i.e., academic course or structured co-curricular program) and how management of the Giving Account will be incorporated into that structure.
The mission of the American Humanics Nonprofit Administration Program (AH) at California State University, Fresno is to prepare individuals to strengthen and lead nonprofit organizations. The AH interdisciplinary certificate in nonprofit management and leadership at Fresno State requires 19-23 units and 300 hours of supervised internship.
Our AH Program is in the process of developing an innovative two-semester course sequence specifically designed to provide students opportunities to contribute to the success of the nonprofit sector through efficient management practices and entrepreneurial approaches to solving community problems.
In the first three-unit course on “Philanthropy and Grant Making” — to be held each spring semester — students learn fundraising principles and practices, identify and meet with stakeholders, and engage in “student philanthropy” by making grants to local community organizations. Students award grants after investigating community needs, researching nonprofit organizations that meet those needs, and developing a request for proposals (RFP) to fund specific projects. In culmination, students plan and hold a press conference and present grant awards to select organizations.
In the follow-up three-unit course on “Grant Writing and Evaluation” — to be held each fall semester — students learn about conceptual aspects of developing and writing grant proposals. The students assist a community-based organization with researching and/or preparing grant proposals. In addition, students will learn about program evaluation and evaluation plans and apply that knowledge to a site visit and evaluation of local nonprofit organizations/programs, specifically including the organizations and programs that received funds distributed during the first course. Students will be able to measure the impact of their giving from the prior semester and report those outcomes to the community.
Outline educational goals and plans for assessment (including student reflection). It is anticipated that students would develop proficiencies in these areas:
- Principles and practices of philanthropy.
- Building local and regional partnerships.
- Proposal writing.
- Soliciting and assessing fund requests from nonprofit organizations.
- Selecting and awarding funds to nonprofit organizations.
- Monitoring and assessing outcomes of philanthropic investments.
Each student will prepare the following 6 reflection essays and a culmination “celebration” essay:
- Reflection Essay #1: Current involvements with organizations that promote community service and civic involvement.
- Reflection Essay #2: A history of your involvement with organizations in your community.
- Reflection Essay #3: History of your family’s and friends’ community service activities.
- Reflection Essay #4: Personal/Family history of any kind of assistance from an individual, a government agency, or any other community organization.
- Reflection Essay #5: Describe and comment on your role(s) in our Philanthropy Project.
- Reflection Essay #6: Did your participation in the investment experience enhance your understanding of the course material? What impact did this philanthropic experience have on your understanding of course concepts?
- Celebration Essay: Pick some of the more interesting, important and helpful things you learned and reflect on the following questions: What have you learned about yourself, the nonprofit sector, your community, or others since becoming involved in this course? Have you changed any of your thinking or behavior because of this class? Have your interactions with others or your community been altered? What was the most important, meaningful, or helpful part of this class? What aspects of the course meant the most or stretched your mind the most? Explain why these phenomena are interesting, important, or helpful to you. Is there something you think that you will take with you and have in your life a year from now? Five or more years from now? How will this impact your life or your future philanthropic and civic engagement activities? Will your relationships with others or with the community and larger society be different? Has the way you feel about yourself now changed from how you felt before this class? If so, how? What do you wish for yourself, for your fellow classmates, for your society, for the world in which you live?
Describe how you will support students in the development of a grantmaking process (including identification of community needs, grantee selection, impact assessment, fundraising for mission sustainability, etc.).
The following steps serve as guidelines to support students in the development of the grantmaking process:
- Students will be assigned or self-select into two workgroups, called Student Community Boards.
- Students will be lead through a process of identifying community needs.
- Students will determine two community needs will be considered granting areas for the current semester’s grants.
- Students will review examples of a Request for Funding Proposal (RFP) and draft their own RFP.
- Faculty and students will compile a list of appropriate nonprofit organizations that address the identified needs.
- Each Student Community Board will research the organizations and narrow the list down.
- Students will arrange meetings with the executive director and/or board president/chair and conduct a site visit.
- Students determine which organizations will be invited to submit a proposal.
- Faculty and students determine the RFP and evaluation criteria to be used and send it to selected nonprofit agencies with a cover letter and deadline information.
- Students review and score the applications according to the established criteria.
- Each respective Student Community Board invites the finalists for a brief classroom presentation.
- Each Student Community Board, respectively, evaluates the in-class presentations and makes final decisions.
- A press conference will be planned and held, with students as the speakers, to present the funding awards to the selected nonprofit organizations. A press release will be prepared by students, in conjunction with the university communications office, and distributed to local media.
- Students will learn about program evaluation and conduct a site visit and interviews with the Executive Director from the funded organizations to assess the impact of their giving and report those outcomes to the community.
Describe plans for ongoing financial support of the charitable mission through the Giving Account program and related philanthropic education.
The Irvine Foundation recently reported that Central California is the most under-supported area of the state, receiving $10 per capita compared to $210 per capita in annual foundation giving statewide. This philanthropy project serves to cultivate understanding and appreciation for the importance of a thriving philanthropic culture in the San Joaquin Valley.
During the spring 2007 semester, our campus test piloted an offering of the American Humanics Student Philanthropy Project — in partnership with the Fresno Regional Foundation (which allowed us to re-grant a total of $4,000 to local nonprofit organizations that increased opportunities for at-risk youth and supported affordable housing).
I am working with the University Advancement Office and Development Director for the College of Social Sciences to begin using the results of the pilot project to solicit individual donations towards increasing funds available for community grants to be distributed in spring 2008. We submitted a proposal and recently received some support from American Humanics, Inc. in the form of a $5,000 Cohen Grant, to track the project outcomes and develop curriculum to share with the other 70 campus programs in the American Humanics Alliance in June 2008 (see www.humanics.org). We are also submitting a proposal for the Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation to provide financial support that will allow us to fully document our program so as to serve as a model that can be replicated or adapted by other organizations.
This proposal seeks support from Campus Compact and the Fidelity® Charitable Gift Fundâ„ for project development and enhancement with the long range view of self-sufficiency over time through the support of Fresno Regional Foundation, individual donors in our community (with the hope of a significant gift from one individual after two years of a successful track record), and support from local corporations. We are confident that the benefits that accrue to nonprofits and our community from this effort would be well received in this region and enhance learning experiences for our students.
During the news conference for the spring 2007 grant awards, the theme of which was “Setting the Stage: Youth and Families Front and Center,” students described their responsibilities during the granting process. Lindy Fox, senior sociology major, stated, “This course provided an opportunity for me and our class to approach the nonprofit sector through the view of a philanthropist granting funds. The experience challenged our capabilities and made the course material more meaningful as we gained confidence by putting those concepts into action.” Geneva Skram, sophomore sociology major, talked about what she learned from the process: “I have gained hands-on experiences in philanthropy and community leadership. And, while it was challenging to evaluate and choose the best proposals, I learned what it takes for organizations to receive funding to maintain and expand their programs.”
Allowing students to develop contacts with community organizations and interview nonprofit leaders broadened their social and professional networks. Having the opportunity to engage in “student philanthropy” by investing real money in local community organizations exposes students to the process of stewardship in a personal way. Learning how to request, evaluate, and prepare funding proposals by doing and not just by reading provides students with the opportunity to realize that each of them has the power to make a difference in the lives of others and his or her community. Allowing students to deliberate — over which areas the RFP would cover, which nonprofit organizations should be invited to submit proposals, which proposals were more complete, how the grant awards should be presented, etc. — allows them ownership of the process and, in the pilot offering in spring 2007, resulted in powerful learning outcomes those students will have for the rest of their lives, regardless of whether they have careers in the nonprofit sector or participate in the sector as a volunteer, donor, or board member.
Since 2001, 60 students — from diverse backgrounds and representing 23 academic majors/disciplines — have graduated from California State University, Fresno with American Humanics National Certification in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. Approximately 66% of these alumni are employed in the nonprofit and public service sector (with 75% employed locally). These individuals are making a difference and this Student Philanthropy Project, with your support, will be able to enhance the impact future students are making in their communities.
