Portland Community College students present a check to a local nonprofit organization.
Campus Compact and the Fidelity® Charitable Gift Fund™ are delighted to announce an alliance to educate and inspire a new generation of philanthropists in a new era of giving. The project, called Students4Giving™, provides colleges and universities with the educational resources and initial funding to engage students in strategic grantmaking activities within the context of community-based learning.
Campuses across the country submit proposals and compete for a chance to participate in the program. Students at each participating academic institution oversee a $15,000 donor advised fund to be used for future grant recommendations within their communities. Grants for 2008-2009 have been awarded to 10 institutions: George Washington University, Lesley University, Northeastern University, Northwest Missouri State University, Providence College, Southwestern College, the State University of New York at Binghamton, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Western Michigan University, and Wheelock College. See descriptions of the 2008-2009 projects.
During 2007-2008, the pilot year of the program, five institutions were chosen to participate: Boston University; California State University, Fresno; Portland Community College; the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Whitworth University. See descriptions of the 2007-2008 projects.
Financed by Fidelity and open only to Campus Compact members, this program provides each school with a Giving Account® (the Gift Fund’s donor advised fund) seeded with $15,000. Students participating in courses in nonprofit management, philanthropy, accounting, and related fields oversee the accounts and make grant recommendations for supporting local nonprofit agencies.
The Students4Giving™ program provides a framework for philanthropic education emphasizing community-based knowledge with both grant-making and fundraising dimensions. Students manage the philanthropic process, including creating a charitable mission statement, researching community issues, assessing the ability of nonprofits to address those issues, and learning to manage charitable funds to achieve philanthropic goals.
The focus is on sustainability, both financial and structural. Students learn to use a variety of tools and strategies to create sustainable funding for community agencies. In addition, the program aims to create and support campus infrastructure for education focused on the nonprofit sector and the resources that sustain it. The program will thus have a lasting impact on students, their institutions, and their communities.
In addition to administering the program, Campus Compact serves in an advisory role to the participating institutions and generates models and other resources for the field.
Learn more about Students4Giving
- About the program
- Press Release: Fidelity® Charitable Gift Funds™ And Campus Compact Choose Five U.S. Universities And Colleges For Charitable Giving Program
- Media Coverage for Students4Giving™
- About donor advised funds
- Recipients and program descriptions for 2007-2008
- Recipients and program descriptions for 2008-2009
“I wanted to join the class to understand the inner workings of nonprofits, like business and grant writing. So far I’ve learned a great deal about both, especially how difficult it can be! I also have come to understand the role foundations play in bringing together resources and areas of need. The class allows us to discover the other side of service that, for me, was overshadowed by direct service through volunteerism.”
Caroline Cox, student, UNC-Chapel Hill, Students4Giving participant