A Giant Step Forward

By Anuj Marathe, BBA 2017

The Baylor Philanthropy course has a group-oriented structure, which is extremely useful in helping us divide the workload and keep our focus on the final goal of donating money to select non-profit organizations in Waco.

Our five main organization categories as well as class groups are:

  1. Community Improvement and Community Development
  2. Hunger and Homelessness
  3. Human Services and Civil Rights
  4. Health and Wellness
  5. Children, Youth, and Education

I am working with the Children, Youth, and Education group.

Reconvening after group conference calls, our class has taken a giant step forward. Each group was responsible for interviewing about twelve organizations and shortlisting the five that they thought to be the best potential match for grant funding this semester. Through this experience, I was able to learn an astonishing amount about the different types of programs geared towards Children, Youth, and Educational advancement in Waco. As a group, we held twelve conference calls with our organizations and learned as much as we could about them and their grant proposal ideas.

Having spoken directly to organization leaders, I found that we had become mini experts of our category and would be responsible for presenting our findings and thoughts with the class. However, the task of shortlisting these organizations still loomed over us, and given the nature of the project proposals we had heard, it proved to be a particularly difficult undertaking. Nevertheless, our main selection criteria revolved around the project’s innovative nature, scope of impact (how many people it could affect), sustainability, the organization’s need for funding, and the leadership behind the project idea. After much deliberation, we successfully chose the organizations with proposals we thought best matched our mission statement and philanthropic goals.

This past week was dedicated to group presentations explaining these organizations, their proposals, and the group’s reasoning behind its shortlist. While at times it was a challenge to keep various organizations straight, it was incredible to hear about the various new and ongoing charitable endeavors across Waco. It is inspiring to see that there are so many individuals and groups striving to make Waco a much better place. And while familiarizing ourselves with over sixty different non-profit organizations in a few short weeks was no small task, it is exciting to know that we will eventually have the opportunity to tangibly impact several of these “innovative and sustainable efforts” that will “enhance lives and enrich the Waco community.”

About the Author: Anuj Marathe is Junior Business Fellows major from Chicago, IL. He is passionate about the healthcare industry on both the medical and hospital administrative fronts and plans to attend medical school after graduation. At Baylor, he is the Secretary for Order of Omega and an active member of Delta Epsilon Psi Fraternity.

Narrowing the Search

By: Annie Kronlokken, BBA ’18

Our class is called Philanthropy & the Public Good. We have spent time discussing philanthropy and grant-making, but it wasn’t until we began working directly with organizations that I understood the power of the public good.

Over the past few weeks, our class communicated with over sixty Waco-area organizations. In groups, we became experts in certain project areas. We researched, talked, and debated. I have never learned so much in such a short amount of time.

Right now, our class is in a unique position: we know the needs of Waco-area organizations. This insight brings us to a posture of humility; we have a great responsibility to our donors, our organizations, our class, and ultimately to our community. We are responsible for determining who will receive the grant money with which we have been entrusted.

From the conversations and research, I know one thing: a lot of good is being done in Waco. A lot. Hungry children are eating in the summer and on the weekends. Homebound adults are being fed, transported, and cared for. Veterans and low-income families are receiving free legal services. Museums are creating programs to educate students. The homeless are finding shelter, encouragement, and clothes. Waco is in the process of becoming an arts district. And there’s more. Each organization is doing good, but only a few can receive our grants.

We are narrowing the search. This is no simple task; many factors are involved in choosing projects to fund. First, we look to our mission statement. Our mission is to serve and collaborate with Waco-area organizations to enhance lives and enrich our community through innovative and sustainable efforts. This statement informs our decisions. We use it to determine not which organizations are best, but rather which ones are the best fit for us. Second, we look at the strength of the proposals, the strength of the leadership, and the overall need in the community. After considering these factors and more, each group has proposed five organizations they would like to move forward with.

Our board meetings have been filled with discussion, questions, and many great ideas. It has been so fun to learn about the organizations in Waco. I have been deeply encouraged by the good. People are dreaming, collaborating, and innovating ways to truly make Waco a better place. I am grateful for the passionate individuals who are problem-solvers instead of problem-pointers.

As we continue forward, my earnest wish is that we would continually learn, serve, and listen. Making good decisions as a team is challenging; it’s hard to say no to certain proposals. But in the end, everything we do will be something good.

About the Author: Annie Kronlokken is a sophomore from Minneapolis, MN. She is majoring in Business Fellows, Finance, and Math, while also studying Spanish and French. Annie aspires to work in the social sector in some capacity, she is particularly interested in international development. At Baylor, Annie is involved in Cru and Chi Omega.

But the Greatest of These is Love.

By Grace Miller, BBA 2017

Love.

This is a word our culture uses to describe our feelings toward lots of very different things. I love coffee. I love my parents. I love sleeping in on Saturdays. I love Baylor.

But what does love look like when it comes to philanthropy?

This class has taught me that it looks like a partnership, a relationship that builds people up and empowers them to work for and inspire change. It looks like engaging with the people around us and learning from each other. It looks like doing things with people and not to them, working alongside and not from a place of superiority. It looks like seeing people in terms of their own worth and gifts and value, not their lack of material things.

In We Make a Life by What We Give, Richard Gunderman puts it this way:

Love declares that we have a purpose in life higher than ourselves, that we can participate in relationships and communities whose boundaries far exceed our own. It says that our aspirations should extend beyond getting and spending to sharing, investing ourselves in one another’s lives.”

Without love, philanthropy means nothing. Sure, people will be fed and clothed and given shelter, and those are real needs. But philanthropy is so much more than that.

A lot of people, myself included before this class, have a one-dimensional view of service or philanthropy. In their eyes, someone gives something to someone else, and that’s the extent of it.  But it’s the aspect of giving of oneself that is most important. When we give of ourselves and build relationships with people, that is when philanthropy is most powerful.

Gunderman describes this power perfectly:

Philanthropy stretches us as human beings, challenging us to become better than we are. It invites us to look beyond the distinctions of giver and receiver, and to see one another as sharers, parts cooperating for the benefit of a larger whole.”

This class has shown me, and continues to show me, that love is vital in every aspect of philanthropy.

To serve, you must first love.

About the Author: Grace Miller is a junior Business Fellows major from Keller, Texas concentrating in Marketing and Public Relations. She aspires to work in the healthcare industry, particularly in the marketing/communications realm. At Baylor, Grace is involved in Campus Kitchens and Delta Delta Delta sorority.

An External Perspective

By: Emily Neyland, BBA 2018

Decisions are tough. This week we’ll be making many decisions, eventually choosing 25 organizations to move forward with in our grantmaking process. Last week we made conference calls to various organizations in our teams. After listening to passionate leaders tell us their vision, dream, and hope for their organizations, our decisions will be tough. And they should not be taken lightly.

In light of the decisions we will be making, we spent a class period talking to Ashley Allison and Felicia Goodman, Executive Directors of the Waco and Cooper Foundations, respectively. Their wisdom about Waco, nonprofits, and decision-making reminded me of the big picture of our efforts. This Q&A allowed me to step back and see the importance of what we’re doing instead of being overwhelmed about the decisions that we’ll be making.

They told us that we accomplish our mission by writing checks. In doing this we trust that other people will carry out our mission. As we narrow down our long list of organizations to 25, we should seek to align our mission with their goals. Because in the end, we must trust that our mission will be carried out by these organizations.

We discussed Waco’s biggest needs. To Ashley and Felicia, these are: education, health, and financial security. They told us that we must couple the needs that we see and see how they meet our mission. They continually said that our mission must be at the forefront of all the decisions we make.

Ashley and Felicia mentioned the importance of separating weak and strong organizations. We should fund strong organizations. These will be the ones that have great leadership that will propel them into success. Strong organizations have a solid vision and goal. On the other hand, writing a check for a weak organization is questionable; for instance, they may not use the money like they initially proposed.

Though some of this advice seems simplistic, Ashley and Felicia reminded me of the broader goals of the Philanthropy Lab. We are here to write checks. We are here to support organizations with innovative and sustainable efforts. We are here to better Waco.

It’s easy to get lost in the middle of the chaos, especially right now. We are preparing to spend a week reporting our best organization to our classmates in other program areas. After that we will present our top organizations to the board (our classmates). Though the process can be long and tedious, we are making decisions that have the power to influence others. Right now that seems easy to forget.

Though there are a lot of moving pieces right now, our mission should not be lost. We are here to “serve and collaborate with Waco-area organizations to enhance lives and enrich our community through innovative and sustainable efforts.” That is our goal, and all the decisions we make in the coming weeks should support that.

 

 

 

 

Choosing Community Engagement in College

By: Emmy Edwards, BA 2017

College is just full of opportunities. It really feels like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book with a million different options and so much potential to get involved in life-changing things. That’s kind of how I felt about joining the Philanthropy and the Public Good class. It seems like some kind of crazy, exciting adventure to be with a group of people and figure out how to give away a large sum of money in the best way possible. What an opportunity!

And yet, over the past week, my classmates and I have been talking with people who, for their career—more than that: their livelihood, their everyday, their calling—do the work of making life better, giving people a “hand up,” and building and creating alongside those who could use someone to champion them. Maybe that’s what I need to learn here – the adventure doesn’t stop with college, but it sure can start here. Now’s the time to choose to lead a life of giving.

I was service chair of a sorority here at Baylor. Allow me to be totally honest: it’s not always easy to mobilize a large group of people to sacrifice hours out of their week to go get their hands dirty or spend time with strangers that they aren’t comfortable with. I worked really hard to communicate the value of community service, but I always recognized in my mind that, ultimately, college students just might not have the time to go out and serve. This is a busy time in life for so many students, and each hour seems almost desperately precious. Now, I’m doubting that excuse.

I would always repeat over and over this quote by Mother Theresa: “We feel ourselves that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

I don’t know why that quote stood out to me so much when I thought about community service. Maybe it’s because I think sometimes college students don’t prioritize service or giving because they think their contribution will not make a difference. It’s like we ignore the gifts we ourselves have. Or we fear being small.

After talking to dynamic, committed, and self-sacrificial executive directors of different philanthropies all week, the quote came back to the forefront of my mind. My experiences as a service chair and memories from that time have been swirling around my head. My time in my own community service seems different. The church donation basket swept right on by me, but I felt a pull on my heart.

Maybe it’s time for me and my fellow college students to start making service a priority. Maybe I need to choose philanthropy and community involvement as a part of my story. The more I think about it, the more I understand that college is the ideal time to make community engagement a part of one’s life trajectory.

In college, I’m told to take ownership of my own life. That doesn’t come without an understanding that my personal contribution is valuable and important, even if it feels small.

College is a time when it feels like my wallet is just a hole in my pocket. That means I need to learn to make sacrifices by financially giving now so that it becomes a part of who I am later.

There’s no more socially active group of people than college students—everyone is just looking for a cause to fight for. Wouldn’t it be great to put in the hard work and get out into the community to serve alongside people instead of fighting on a lonely soapbox?

College students are so willing and ready to make new connections and new friends, and there’s no better time to do that then at a place that stretches people out of their comfort zones.

Minds at universities are ready to expand. Why not foster that expansion in a part of town that a college student wouldn’t normally visit?

Choose your own adventure, college says. Let’s choose service.

Emmy Edwards is a junior at Baylor University from Flower Mound, TX. A University Scholar, she plans to go on to graduate school in higher education and student affairs to one day work in student life at a university. She is a student leader for New Student Programs, highly involved in Baylor Cru, and a Crane Scholar. Emmy loves being in Waco and the opportunities that community service have given her.

A Clearer Perspective

By: Jonathan Permetti, 2017

In the midst of the fifth week of our class, we have become fully immersed in the philanthropic process. Having completed roughly half of the 12 calls with various organizations, we now understand the often busy and complex nature of the field. While it is an incredibly rewarding experience, coordinating and managing the different elements of the initial vetting process has proven to be a challenge due to the vast differences in each group, as well as the incredible spirit we have seen in every organization thus far.

What has been most striking about this week is the tremendous passion evident in every representative we’ve had the chance to converse with. While it was obvious for us to assume a certain level of charity in each organization, the actual introduction to true, powerful sincerity towards the serving of others has blown us away. The level of sacrifice and commitment to providing much-needed solutions to pressing issues in the community has been both inspiring and humbling. In one instance, the president of a certain non-profit stated that her organization has garnered 8,000 volunteers over the last year. When asked how many staff she had, she replied with, “It’s just me for now.” As in this example, these individuals have demonstrated enormous effort toward building up the lives of others, and in multiple cases dedicated their careers to the fulfillment of such an objective.

While every organization’s passion has served as a motivator for our class’s endeavor, it also makes it that much more difficult to narrow the list. Many of the different organizations target radically different sectors, all of which need attention. After viewing the strong focus and involvement present in each non-profit, it is a challenge to determine how we measure whether one group is more deserving of a grant than another. To combat such an issue, we have continually referred back to our mission statement and its criteria for guidance. As such, we have focused much of our analysis on the level in which an organization a. provides an innovative solution to a problem of high priority b. whether the founders and leadership are truly invested in the success of the project c. and lastly the mentality of the organization towards the people it serves. Are they immersing themselves in the lives of the people and truly trying to understand their pain? Ultimately, asking these and similar questions has aided us in providing criteria in which to determine what organizations align most highly with the values established in our mission statement.

I believe the greatest aspect of this week has been the experience of applying the philosophy we’ve discussed in class to real-life situations. Although theoretical discussion and study is an essential and formative part of the philanthropic process, the immersion in the day-to-day joys and challenges of charitable giving has begun to cement these principles in our heads. It can be easy to view this type of work from a textbook black and white perspective. After a brief introduction into the realities of this world, we now understand that it is in fact very complex but also incredibly exciting and gratifying. The exposure we have received thus far has brought to the life the values behind our mission, granting us new insight and a clearer perspective.

About the Author: Jonathan Permetti is junior Business Fellow from Friendswood, Texas majoring in Entrepreneurship and Real Estate. Possessing a strong passion for startups, he hopes to pursue a career revolving around the formation of innovative companies that promote the welfare of society. Jonathan is also an active member of the Baylor Student Government and Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity.

Leaders Behind the Curtain

By: James Porter, BA 2017

Heading into the fifth week of our philanthropic studies, our board is finally beginning to shift gears away from the classroom and into the workroom. Having explored the various definitions of philanthropy – what it means, entails, and calls for – as well as having devised a mission to help direct our board, we now turn towards our first official step in this long and rewarding process of ours: interviewing our partner organizations.

Aside from a crash course in how to properly navigate scheduling numerous meetings which conflict with one another in a single day, what struck me most throughout the process of researching and conversing with each organization were simply the vast differences between each organization. Whether it is the way each organization serves a given need, the amount of structure within each organization, or the manner in which each organization was founded, I have learned that every organization that I come into contact with has, at their roots, their own unique story. It is this story that lies at the heart of every organization.

Moving forward I stand as a representative on the Human Services & Civil Rights committee of our board. In the following week we will be conducting interviews with twelve different organizations that cater to a wide variety of issues in order to begin narrowing down our choices. This last Friday we had the opportunity to speak with our first two organizations. Needless to say, the difference made from speaking with an actual representative of the organization rather than merely researching them, is ineffable. In the short timespan of a 45 minute phone call we were able to hear from the very heart and driving force of these organizations, transforming the information we had researched and analyzed into a real living entity.

Nearing the end of these first two phone calls I began to realize the true difficulty of our charge. Each organization has had its own stories of success and failure, times of expansion and loss, throughout all of which these loyal and passionate leaders whom we have spoken with have guided the helm of their ship through the waters of the financial and social markets.

Upon entry of this class, the student believes their job to be found in furthering and developing an organization within this community. However, what they do not realize is that it is not an organization that they will be working with – it is people. Just as we will have the joy of telling some people yes, we will also have the unfortunate task of telling others no. After speaking with these first few individuals I now realize that my previous hope to function in a removed and indifferent manner while examining these organizations will be impossible. Yet despite this difficulty, my team and I shall continue to move forward through the week, and further hear of the zeal from which these leaders serve their organizations.

About the Author: James Porter is a junior University Scholars major, concentrating in Political Philosophy, Chinese, and Economics. He hopes to be selected as a Schwartzman Scholar for Tsinghua University where he will study economic policy before law school. His interests lie at the intersection of politics, philosophy, economics and culture. Drawing from this knowledge base, he hopes to change culture through voluntary association, entrepreneurship and grassroots civil society.

A Lesson in Stewardship: Waco as a Fixer Upper

By: Danielle Cooper, BA 2016

Epitomized by Chip and Joanna Gaines’s shabby chic following, in a few short years, our small city of Waco has traded in its cultish connotations for a significantly upgraded namesake. But it will take more than better branding and skillful remodeling to turn “Tent City,” a piece of undeveloped property downtown where many of our homeless reside, into a permanent, life-giving dwelling.

This past week, my team, focusing on Homelessness & Hunger, began researching many of Waco’s organizations that are committed to addressing these community needs. As painful as it is to recognize the depth of hardship surrounding us, it is inspiring to know that numerous groups exist to combat it. Coming to appreciate the uniqueness of every establishment, the process of choosing which ones we decide to partner with naturally poses a great challenge. Given much, however, we knew that much would be required of us, and for every bit of nervousness we may have, we feel much more blessed to begin this opportunity in generosity together.

At this early stage in our research, one concept that our class aims to keep in mind is the tension between a program officer who acts both as a sentry and a steward. In “The Insider’s Guide to Grantmaking,” Joel Orosz explains how “the most underrated attribute of good grantmaking” deals with the character of the grantmaker. He describes a grantmaker’s discernment and scrutiny of proposals as a necessary sentry, or guard-like, mentality. On the other hand, a grantmaker must also balance this prudence with stewardship, living to “seek, expose, and capitalize” on the potential of ideas presented before him or her. By communicating effectively with each other as we set up conference calls with the outside organizations, my team hopes to embody a combination of sentry-ism and stewardship internally so that we may recognize it in the proposals we will hear next week.

Just as my team intends to simultaneously act as sentries and stewards, I am individually motivated to represent both as well. Visiting Washington, DC, a city with similar poverty rates to Waco, this past summer, I became increasingly interested in the problems of homelessness and hunger because there was no way to turn a blind eye from the scenes I passed on the streets as I went to work every day. Like Washington, DC (and the majority of cities across the nation,) several of the basic human needs of Waco’s residents, like food and shelter, go unmet. Though I have attended Baylor for the past three and a half years, I, like most of my peers, have for the most part been rather removed from this reality. Today, I am happy to call Waco one of my homes, but I feel like this notion of home would be shortsighted if it was not powered by a desire to give back to a city that has provided me so much. Through sentry-ism, Christian stewardship, and a little bit of HGTV-inspired creativity, I hope we can do just that.

“For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.” Hebrews 3:4

 

About the Author: Danielle Cooper is a senior University Scholar from Boerne, Texas concentrating in Political Science and Philosophy. She is involved with Student Senate, “It’s On Us,” American Enterprise Institute, and Kappa Alpha Theta at Baylor and plans to attend law school in the fall.

The Golden Rule: With, Not To

By: Courtney Boorman

How can you help someone without knowing what they need? How can you know what they need without asking them? How can you ask them what they need without actively engaging with them?

This line of questioning has been something we have been exploring in class throughout the first few weeks. Beyond the classroom, though, these questions have stuck with me as I have contemplated what “philanthropy” and “giving” and “serving” truly mean. Oftentimes, we approach philanthropy from the stance of “What can I do to make someone’s life better?” Is this a noble question? Yes, but it is not the only question. Inherent in the idea of giving and philanthropy is also the question of “How does this impact me?”

Philanthropy is active, not passive. It is active because it requires relationships– and not one-sided ones. Philanthropy is an exchange in which you give of yourself and receive something in return. Receiving something in return does not necessarily mean getting a new house like the one you just helped build for that family in need. Maybe it means getting a deeper understanding of the word joy because that family you just interacted with were some of the most joy-filled people you have ever met, despite their living conditions. Philanthropy requires relationships and the recognition that we are all part of the same community, regardless of our socio-economic status or background.

There is one particular idea that especially stuck out to me from what we talked about in class on Tuesday which highlights this idea of active engagement and relationships. It’s the idea of doing things with people, not to people. In his book, We Make A Life by What We Give, Richard B. Gunderman says:

“The Golden Rule does not authorize us to divide up the world into good people and bad people, us and them.….Instead, if we are really going to learn something about others and build a community of practice in our workplace, we should do things only with them, and never merely to them. The Golden Rule does not permit us to build walls between ourselves, the people we work with, and the people we serve.”

What does it look like to do something with people and not to them? It means learning about them and asking about their needs, not merely choosing what their needs are. It means working with them to find a solution, not merely handing one to them. It means serving from a posture of humility, working alongside rather than working from above. Ultimately, doing something with people and not to people means recognizing that as children of God, we are all members of the same community. We all have something to bring to the table. Once we begin to actively engage with the people around us, working with them and not doing things to them, we will begin to see the difference that service and philanthropy can make both in the lives of others and in our own.

 

The Fundamentals of Collaboration

By: Lindy Reamer, BA 2016

A foundation or a company’s mission statement should serve as a guide for decision making, and should offer insight into the company’s purpose for existence. Last week, we set out to define for ourselves the mission of our foundation, and we can proudly say that difficult task of outlining our work is complete! Last Thursday, we delved into the process of creating a mission statement. Little did we know, this would be such an arduous task. After much deliberation and difficult conversations, I was reminded of a quote Don Tapscott once said, “Collaboration is important not just because it’s a better way to learn. The spirit of collaboration is penetrating every institution and all of our lives. So learning to collaborate is part of equipping yourself for effectiveness, problem solving, innovation and life-long learning in an ever-changing networked economy.” Thursday we learned that our collaboration as a team is essential to the success of the foundation and, furthermore, the success of the work we set out to do.

As we began discussing, the first question that we asked ourselves was, “who do we want this mission to be for?” After a brief discussion, it was decided that the mission statement should be designed to hold us accountable while also informing our partners of our role as a foundation. Most of the class time was spent discussing the choice of words we would use in our statement. We asked each other the questions like, what values are MOST important to our mission? Are innovation and sustainability values or efforts? Do we seek to follow Christ or Christ’s example? While we all had different ideas, we worked together to create, what we think, is accurate depiction of the collaborative work we will be doing this semester. Our mission statement is as follows:

Our mission is to serve and collaborate with Waco-area organizations to enhance lives and enrich our community through innovative and sustainable efforts.  Seeking to follow Christ’s example, we are committed to the following values:
• Humility
• Prudence
• Generosity
• Compassion

While a mission statement is a huge feat and necessary to the viability of a foundation, we still have so much to unpack in the next few weeks. We have only just begun this exciting adventure of learning about philanthropic giving. This week we were assigned to our specific program areas and are excited about beginning the process of researching and forming relationships with the different organizations.

Meet the Author: Lindy Reamer is a Senior Intensive International Studies major, with a minor in Spanish. She is active in her sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma. She is interested in domestic and international policy and reads legislation for fun. This semester, she is excited to engage with Waco- area organizations in the fight to enhance lives in the community.