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University of Montana Students Learn the Challenges of Philanthropy Through Hands-On $10K Giving Program

Students in a University of Montana School of Business Administration class learned about philanthropy firsthand this spring when they awarded $10,000 to seven local nonprofit organizations.

The class, called Leadership and Motivation, focuses on leadership and management skills and engages students in community-based service learning with local nonprofits. This semester a new element of the class focused on philanthropy through the Learning By Giving Program. With a generous grant from the Sunshine Lady Foundation, students learned about the importance and the practice of philanthropy by disbursing grants to Missoula-area nonprofits that serve needs related to youth, education or health.

The students issued a request for proposals in March and received 63 submissions from local nonprofits requesting a total of $128,000 in funding to support a variety of programs and services. With only $10,000 to award, the students implemented a rigorous in-class review and scoring process to determine which projects to fund.

In the end, seven Missoula nonprofit organizations received funding. The organizations are the RiteCare Language and Hearing Clinic, 1st Way Pregnancy Support Center, Partnership for Children, Missoula Community Food and Agriculture Coalition, the Flagship Program, Missoula Food Bank, and the Missoula Family YMCA. Grant awards ranged from $821 to $2,500.

The Learning By Giving Program is sponsored by the Sunshine Lady Foundation and offers campuses nationwide the opportunity to integrate curriculum focused on philanthropy. Doris Buffett, sister of Warren Buffett, is the benefactor of the foundation and spoke to UM students via teleconference in April to share her perspectives on giving and philanthropy.

School of Business Administration Associate Professor Bambi Douma and Andrea Vernon, director of UM’s Office for Civic Engagement, wrote the grant to bring the Learning By Giving Program to UM. Douma and Vernon said the grant brought an exciting new element to the Leadership and Motivation course this semester.

“The students’ level of engagement with this project was remarkable,” Vernon said. “They learned firsthand about the critical needs our community faces related to youth, education and health, and they took their role as philanthropists very seriously.”

A special ceremony will be held on campus during finals week in which the students will award the winning proposals and celebrate community engagement.

http://news.umt.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5090&Itemid=9

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