My experience

Last fall when I spoke with my academic advisor to do my forecasting for my time at PCC she told me about Students4Giving. From the moment I heard about it I knew I needed to take this class, and couldn’t wait until spring term which is when it is offered. I was so worried it would fill before I was able to register for it. Luckily, I was able to get in and what an experience this has been. I knew it would be impactful but didn’t really know what to expect or exactly how powerful it would be.

I have spent the majority of my adult life volunteering in some way for over 16 different philanthropies. I have served on boards and ran committees as a chairperson. My desire has always been to start a non-profit. This is why I have returned to further my education, and this class has just strengthened that desire and made me realize that my dream is within reach. I am working towards a degree in Community Development with a certificate in nonprofit business with a minor in Spanish. This class has given me the motivation to continue on this path.

As I said in my last blog, there are 14 students in this class. We each come with our own life experiences, motivations, and perspectives. Even though we are all so different, we have at least one thing in common and that is our passion. This came through very clearly with each decision we made, from selecting which nonprofits to ask to apply for the grant, to narrowing it down to the five who we would go on site visits to, and then the final decision of which of those we would fund. We knew it would not be an easy decision and it ended up being even more difficult than any of us anticipated. I believe we all walked away knowing our voice was heard and we stayed true to our convictions. Each of cast our vote in the way we believed would have the best impact on our community not just in the short term, but for years to come.

I have learned so much in this class. From the book we read, learning about RFP’s (Request for Proposal), how to start a nonprofit, reading 990’s, the guest speakers, site visits, and more. This class has been invaluable.

The song I connect this class to is Fight Song by Rachel Platten ;)