Gettin' Our Hands Dirty

This week we heard from students about how their service learning projects went, and what they thought. Wow, what a wide range of experiences and take-aways!

Some of our projects:
The Missoula Food Bank http://www.missoulafoodbank.org/
Students volunteered time on Sunday morning to fill lunch boxes for the week.
"It was humbling to think about all the people who need food here in our community" - Brittany

Tangle Free Montana http://tanglefreemontana.blogspot.com/
Students went trekking up a mountain to take down outdated fencing that threatens wildlife and their habitats.
"It was great to see the immediate impact of what we were doing" - Ana
"I want to bring Tangle Free back to Arizona" - Dominic
"I met this girl that just went out there in her free time, just to help. I thought that was great." - Dylan

The Village Senior Residence http://www.villagesenior.com/
Students spent Saturday at The Village chatting with residents, playing board games, and doing puzzles.
"I was nervous about going to the dementia wing because my grandmother had Alzheimer's, but it went really well. I talked with a 102-year-old woman - she had SO MUCH ENERGY! I was able to see how much I could make a difference to them, but I didn't realize how they could make such a difference to me!" - Jennifer

The Roxy (community theater) http://www.theroxytheater.org/
Students volunteered during the Missoula Film Festival.
"It was great to see so many [diverse] people coming together. It's an experience that we need in Missoula." - Sarah
"I realized how important theater is for bringing people together" - Grace

All in all, our class was able to lend a hand to some amazing Missoula organizations and see the impact that just a few hours of our time can have. Such a great lesson.

Transparency

Andrew Carnegie once said, "It is more difficult to give away money intelligently than to earn it in the first place."

In class this week we reviewed two writings on the rise of philanthrocapitalism and together laid out our thoughts about what a healthy "social contract" with philanthrocapitalists looks like. It was interesting to dive a little deeper into what makes an organization "healthy." At the top of the list was:

Transparency: Do they report truthfully about what they do and who they are? Are they accountable and up-front with the public? We also discussed:
Recognizing Limits: Are they open to the possibility of failure and honest about that reality?
Checks and Balances: Do they have third party audits? Do they welcome legitimate questions?
Participation of Beneficiaries: Do those they seek to help have a legitimate voice within the organization? And finally:
Structural Change: Do they put money toward solving the causes rather than merely the symptoms?

As we move into the decision-making segment of this class, it isn't enough to just "feel good" about the organizations that will apply for our grants. We have to take into consideration many factors that will tell us about the long-term health and sustainability of their programs, and know that the money will be managed in a transparent, responsible way. These are some of the questions we will be asking when we start to look at proposals next week.

Trustees Panel

In class on Friday we were able to hear from two local philanthropists, Kira Huck of the Foundation for Community Health http://www.fchwmt.org, and Meredith Printz of the Missoula Community Foundation. http://missoulacommunityfoundation.org

Here are a few of our class's take-aways: 

Kira Huck, who spoke in our class stressed the importance of building relationships and improving the community said, “Philanthropy isn’t just about money, but building relationships with donors to create a meaningful impact.” Huck is an Operations and Programs manager at the Foundation for Community Health. Huck added, “The purpose of philanthropy is to better the lives of people.”

 

One of the most difficult aspects of philanthropy, is saying no to someone. If they propose a specific idea, but it’s not going to be successful, a philanthropist must have the ability to say no. Integrity is key; having strong morals, remaining respectful, kind, and determined is important. 

Connecting donations to projects that reflect their wishes is a very important part of choosing where the money goes. Even if a project is worthy of funding, the person who donated that money might not be 100% behind it, and in the end it is important to match the project with the donor in order to maintain long-term health of the relationship. 

Incredible Opportunity

Hello! Emma here again.

This Learning By Giving class has shown me there are an infinite amount of problems in our world. But, there are also an infinite amount of solutions. Anyone has the ability to change the world. Philanthropists are passionate, driven, and spectacular people who have natural charisma and can easily connect with people. Whether it’s working for a non profit or being the leader of one, every extra hand is key. 
 

           
These are all very important aspects associated with giving. The most incredible portion of our class, is we have the opportunity to choose an issue and find non-profits specifically addressing them. But, we also have the honor to invest in these non-profits and make a difference in the world. Not many students have the early insight into philanthropy this class offers us.