Monthly Archives: March 2018

Yesterday was our first class meeting after Pitch Day, and while we each had had some time in the past few days to process the experience individually, yesterday was our first opportunity to gather as a group and discuss the day together. I can’t help but think of this class now in terms of before and after Pitch Day, because Pitch Day made the class “real” in a way that no other class I have taken before has felt. Hearing first hand about the extensive work nonprofits in Waco pour into our local community, and knowing that we were exposed to only a small fraction of the incredible service work being done in Waco, was extremely sobering (considering the deep rooted issues these organizations have set out to address), but ultimately very hopeful. These feelings were only compounded as, for the first time, I garnered a true sense of the breadth and depth of the philanthropic world at work throughout communities across the country, and the world, and how this class allows us to engage with that extensive and vibrant space.

During class yesterday we were advised to come together as funding teams and develop a team giving metric, to identify the pitches we heard that most closely aligned with our teams’ giving priorities. As awe inspiring as it was to see the extensive philanthropic work being done within our community through Pitch Day, it was equally as emotive to now come back to class and face the next step in our class journey– the hard realization that we only have a limited amount of funds and the difficult road ahead entails making tough, collective choices on how to allocate those funds.

To begin this process, we used some of the time we had together as a class to  exchange the names and information of organizations teams met with on pitch day, and did not find the organization’s pitch in direct alignment with their team’s funding goals, but thought that organization may present a good fit for another team. The parallels between class and “the real world” became apparent through this exercise. We’ve explored the communal nature by which philanthropy must take shape in our readings and the compilation of our briefing books’ first chapter. We’ve also seen the interconnectedness of issues and organizations through the profiles and pitches we encountered during Pitch Day. The teamwork, depth of engagement, and sense of passion which drives our class presents great exposure to the key principles of listening to others’ needs, matching resources and leveraging one’s passions to address the issues around us. In my view, the context of this class provides a perfect training ground for instilling effective and sustainable philanthropic practices.

Secola Houston, BA International Studies 2018

We had the privilege of taking part in our philanthropy class’s Pitch Day on Tuesday February 27, 2018, right before we left for Spring Break. I have the opportunity to be on our class’s poverty team, and our team’s interviews with the potential grant recipients were held on the 2nd floor of the Bill Daniel Student Center in the Beckham Room. We had the pleasure of conversing with God Neighbor House, Habitat for Humanity, Take Heart Ministries, Skillpoint Alliance, and Pack of Hope in order to get to know their charities and hear them pitch how they would use the potential grant money to bring families out poverty.  Every pitch was good and we wish we had more time to spend with each non-profit. Pitch Day flew by!

Overall, it was a very educational experience that gave us many options to consider. At the end of Pitch Day, the needs of all the charities motivated our Compliance Committee, who helps make sure we do what we can to acquire more money to give away, to help raise as much money as possible! Our class is also attempting to work with the development office to start up more fundraising for this class so future classes would have the opportunity to give even more.

Pitch Day came and went so fast for my team! Now, we are beginning the next chapter of our briefing book (Chapter 2), while trying to decide which charities we have the most serious interest in. We established in the first chapter of our briefing book that we are primarily concerned with breaking the generational poverty cycle, and we were blessed to speak with so many people who are giving children and families opportunities to do so. We enjoyed meeting with everyone, and each non-profit is doing meaningful work. Our class discussed writing up profiles of pitches that overlap with our other teams (Health, Education, and Miscellaneous) so that every charity has opportunity to receive grant money from teams they did not even pitch to.

Currently, we are compiling profiles on each one of the charities for our next installment of the briefing book due next week. All five of the charities we met and interviewed presented pitches that would help improve lives and alleviate poverty in McClennan County, making our decision incredibly tough.

This is why our current part of the briefing book is so critical. We are currently in the process of analyzing individual charities to see where our efforts as a team can best be accomplished. Thorough research will help us make an informed decision about how to proceed. I am personally very excited for the site visits coming up where we get to see some the non-profits in action. Our team met before break and we will meet again this week to discuss our decisions and what causes are closest to our goals and to our hearts. Thanks to everyone who participated in pitch day and who helped contribute to our education.

By: Jared Stuart, BBA 2018

With the semester now past the halfway mark, our Philanthropy & the Public Good course continues to develop and progress towards the end objective of awarding grants to several of the incredible non-profit organizations in the McLennan County area. Chapter Two of the Briefing Book assignment is due at the end of this week, and this point in the semester necessitates much research, deliberation, and discussion about the organizations we met with on Pitch Day. The progress we have made up to this point is certainly exciting. However, as a team we are now faced with the difficult task of choosing which organizations to conduct Site Visits with as well as which organizations we will unfortunately have to part ways with at this time. This is an important week for our class as we transition into this next stage of the philanthropic process.

My team’s focus is specifically on health-related philanthropy, and each of the organizations we have researched and met with are doing impactful and impressive work as they meet urgent, important needs in the greater Waco area. Learning about these organizations and their purposes has been a very enjoyable and educational experience that has taught us a great deal about the widespread needs that exist in the surrounding community. My perspective of McLennan County has evolved over the course of the semester as we have gained a deeper understanding and awareness of these critical issues. The opportunity provided by this class to assist these organizations in meeting these needs is both a privilege and a humbling experience.

Early on in the semester our team established three general areas in which we would like to focus our philanthropic efforts within the broad spectrum of health: medically underserved populations, women and children’s health, and nutrition/healthy living. In tackling the challenge of determining which organizations to support, one of our primary objectives is to fund projects or causes that align with one or more of these target areas. Beyond this, we have also endeavored to discuss and evaluate a number of other criteria in order to differentiate between the organizations. The following are a few of the elements we have been taking into consideration: an organization’s specific plan for using the grant money as expressed in their Pitch Day interview, their overall mission and goals, their most urgent needs and challenges, and how they plan to measure the progress and results of their projects. We have truly enjoyed meeting with and learning about each organization and are greatly impressed with the work that all of them are doing. However, evaluating each organization through the lens of our team’s specific criteria and areas of focus has enabled us to begin narrowing them down. Although choosing between excellent organizations is challenging, this is definitely an exciting time as we move further along in our semester-long experience in philanthropy. Without a doubt this course’s influence has already inspired me to stay closely involved with philanthropy throughout my career and life.

By: Idowu Disu, BS, 2019

A new view is just over the horizon! This has been a very pivotal week for us here in Philanthropyland. This week was exciting in that it marked the conclusion of the first chapter of our briefing books! After several weeks of intensive research and discussion, we were finally able to craft the philanthropic principles and issues that from here on out will be used to guide each group on their individual journies to bestowing grants to the organization or organizations that they feel would best serve the Waco community.

This week was also exciting because at long last we learned which non-profit organizations had accepted our offers to present on Pitch Day. On Tuesday, each group met individually with Dr. McDaniel to not only discuss the progress that we have made on our briefing books but also on what to expect and how to prepare for Pitch Day. At the close of the meetings, we were given the task of becoming experts on each of the organizations that would be presenting, so that we would be prepared to ask the proper questions requisite for making correct and informed decisions on which organizations’ proposal would make it to the next round of our decision-making process.  On Thursday after hearing presentations from some of our classmates, we broke up into our groups one last time before Pitch Day to discuss how we should conduct our interviews, as well as to address any foreseeable problems. Some groups also used this time to solidify the ideas presented in their briefing books before final submission and to formulate how they will proceed onto chapter two of the briefing book.

I cannot believe that Pitch Day is already here! It feels as though it was not that far from the present that we were first introduced to our group mates, and now we are just four days away from making a decision that will not only have real-world implications on the lives of people whose names we may never know, but on the progression on the rest of the semester as well. My voice may not be the echo for the rest of the class, but I am both humbled and filled with trepidation. I am humbled that these organizations have enough trust in us that they would share and allow us the privilege of helping them advance their work. With that being said I am also terrified because first impressions mean everthing. At the moment my mind is filled with countless what ifs. What if we do not have enough time to ask all of the necessary questions, what if they do not like us, what if our goals do not align and we are unable to make a decision, what if we make the wrong decision…

These past few days have been busy! Pitch day is in 7 days and Chapter 1 of our Briefing Book is due in a few days. My issue report covers the issue of Medically underserved areas and how it affects people. I found out that McLennan county is classified as a medically underserved area, meaning that there is a significant shortage of physicians for the number of people in the county. After learning this, I became more interested in the briefing book and the class as a whole. I started to realize that our work in the class went far beyond the scope of the classroom. My research into medically underserved areas has opened my eyes to the more pressing issues around me. I feel like I have developed a deeper appreciation for this class and its goals now that I have discovered that my local community will directly benefit from our efforts.

Before I started this class, I felt like I had a pretty good idea of what philanthropy is. But I had always struggled with trying to figure out how I can make an impact as a college student. I have learned that taking this class was a step in the right direction. It is important that our generation starts taking the right steps towards making a big difference in the community. Writing the briefing book has definitely been a huge help in facilitating this process for me personally.

Another thing I have enjoyed about the Briefing Book is learning about what philanthropy should aim to do. We read excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI and what he believed should be the goal of our philanthropic efforts. I learned that it is important to be organized and professionally trained in any charitable effort for others. But the most important thing we can do to improve our philanthropic efforts is to display genuine concern for the well being of the people we serve. This has been difficult recently because we haven’t had any personal or face-to-face experiences yet. But I think the best thing we can do to show genuine concern for these philanthropies and organizations is just be respectful of their time and efforts, regardless of whether we plan to give them money or not. I am a little nervous about telling some companies that we cannot help them with our money, but I know they will understand that we can not give every group money.

Overall, this class has already been an eye-opening experience for me. I thought I knew a lot about charity and helping others, but working on the Briefing Book has been a great way for me to learn more about effectively helping others. Its not just about giving money: there is a lot of careful planning and many decisions we need to make to achieve our ultimate goal of making a lasting and extensive impact within our local community. I am excited for the future of this class and I am ready to start the process of allocating our money to the various philanthropy groups.

By: Reed Cooper, MTA 2018

As our semester is getting started, one of the things I have found we focus on the most is how we can build for those who come after us. We are in a the unique position of having a different professor this semester, so we are all figuring things out together. Something that this situation has made me do is want to build a foundation for future semesters to build on.

I am part of our fundraising committee and the first job we have been tasked with is creating a plan to get us to a point of financial independence. We had a great discussion in class yesterday on what the benefits of financial independence would be for our class in the future. One of those benefits would be the ability to potentially create a fund that carried over each semester and was able to build and create its own income. Having this financial independence and a growing fund would help solve some of the problems that the class currently faces. One problem that we discussed specifically is the negative attitude that it can create if we invite an organization to pitch day multiple times without choosing them. If we had a larger financial base to work from, we would be able to assist with more projects each semester. Another benefit that financial independence would have for our class is that it would teach us more about what running a philanthropic organization is truly like. It would force us to become proficient in donor relations as well as potential donor outreach to insure that our fund continued to grow. It would also open more doors to working with other parts of Baylor’s campus in order to invest and operate our fund proficiently.

Another idea we discussed to help us build for the future is a journal that would be passed from semester to semester. This would help future semesters learn from what past semesters have done in an easier way than bringing in guest speakers over and over again. This would also help with the problem of inviting one organization to pitch day over and over again and not choosing them, because there would be a record of why that organization was not chosen. This would help the next semester decide whether or not they want to invite that organization back or open that spot for someone new.

Overall, what makes this class special is the hands on nature it has. One way to make things even more practical would be to treat it like a true philanthropic organization. One essential aspect of any organization is the ability to transition smoothly and continue growing even in the midst of transitions in leadership. I believe that is one area that our class has the potential for significant growth.

Niru Ancha, BBA 2020

For the past few weeks in Philanthropy and the Public Good, we have been focusing on defining philanthropy. We have looked at philanthropy from many angles and have determined what it means to each of us in the class. In addition, we have been discussing our class values and philanthropic viewpoints as a group. A couple weeks ago, we were divided into four groups with common philanthropic interests. My group is focusing on healthcare in our local community. Up to this point, we have mainly been planning and organizing the semester ahead of us.

As a Pre-Med student, my educational background has mainly been comprised of all science and lecture based classes. Because of this fact, I was drawn to this class since it is so different from any class I have taken before. During the first few classes alone, much of the material and classwork was discussion based. The class discussions along with the class readings challenged me to reflect on my values and outlook on giving. These are topics I would have never conventionally had to think about in my science classes. During the past weeks, I have had to seriously think about which aspects of giving are important to me, personally.

Throughout my life, the type of giving I have taken part in is devoting time to volunteering. Since I am passionate about entering the medical field, I have spent time volunteering at local hospitals, health clinics, and other community organizations. Volunteering has allowed me to see the impact a helping hand can have on people’s lives. I am now interested to see how monetary giving through grants can affect its recipients as well. I have come to realize that strategic monetary giving can have a more lasting effect on its recipients. Frumkin explains how philanthropy aims to help those in need until they are able to support themselves. Also, grant giving can be a way of supporting causes that you resonate with and transferring values into action.

Reflecting on and having to put my ideals into words has made me realize what I hope to accomplish through this class. I have been able to relate influential instances in my life to how I plan to give back to my community through a grant and how I plan to live a meaningful life. For example, my time volunteering at the Mission Waco Health Clinic has allowed me to discover the value I place on empowering others through small acts of service and kindness.  I have realized that it is important for me to give back because this is one way I can make a positive impact on my community. Gunderman explains how giving a gift can imply concern for the recipient of the gift. He goes on to describe how a gift is not given just to satisfy the recipient, but to invest in their success. I look forward to seeing how my work this semester will invest in the success of an organization and my local community.

Half of me feels like I am deep into this class after weeks of thoughtful discussion and the completion of Chapter 1 of the briefing book. However, the other half of me feels like our philanthropy journey is only just beginning after Pitch Day yesterday!

Completing Chapter 1 was a long process with ups and downs. It was not easy for my group to narrow our interests down to 3 key issues, especially because we are the miscellaneous group. We each desired to be on the miscellaneous group for the reason that the name implies; we had unique interests that did not fit into another category. Although, after discussion and debate, we realized that our main interests and causes overlapped quite well. We decided on Legal Advocacy and Representation, Food and Water Insecurity and Cultural Development and then spent time researching these in-depth to better understand the problems overall. For this chapter, we also came together as a group to answer what we thought the aim of today’s philanthropy should be. To do so, we read variety of excerpts from Kass’ “Giving Well and Doing Good” that offered different perspectives on the subject. This question is one that lacks a distinct or correct answer, so it required much reflection.

All of Chapter 1 seems like old news now that Pitch Day has happened; what a day it was! We were able to finally meet our potential grantees in person. It was an overwhelming, exciting, nerve-wracking, and rushed 2 hours! Basically, we met with 6 organizations for 15 minutes each. The goal of these meetings was to better understand the organization and what they want to achieve with the potential grant funds. Although it felt frantic at times, the day overall was so humbling. We were able to see firsthand how many people work for the betterment of this community. Then, when I consider that all 4 of our groups met with this many people, I am astounded. I am particularly fond of Waco because I was born and raised here. I grew up here and have seen it grow. I couldn’t even part from this town for college! So, it was especially incredible for me to see this many people dedicating their careers to this city. Despite the downtown Waco booming growth and Magnolia hype, there are still many needs to be addressed here. Spending time with these organizations and their representatives­­ reminded me that there are so many gracious people working to address these needs daily. I am so appreciative that each of these people were able to make time to share their mission with us.

I am anxious for what is to come. My group will meet up tomorrow to discuss our thoughts about Pitch Day. It will not be easy to determine how to maximize the good done with our allotted grant funds. It is hard to grapple the fact that we cannot meet the needs of every organization. Each organization had unique ways of utilizing the funds, some of which were surprising and thought-provoking. I look forward to working with my group and forming a more personal relationship with the organizations through site visits in order to see the good we can achieve together!