Reflections on a Most Interesting Class

BA 208, Introduction to Non Profit and Philanthropy is probably the most interesting and unconventional class I have ever taken.  We had the normal educational things, reading a textbook, listening to lectures and taking notes, taking exams and writing papers, etc.  But we also had a lot of discussion time.  And the discussions were always very lively and informative.  I really enjoyed hearing people’s points of view regarding the non-profit companies we were evaluating. 

Another really interesting part of the class was when we did the site visit.  It was great to go to an organization and talk to real people and observe what they do, and listen to their stories of the people they have helped.

One of the surprising things I learned in this class was how large some of these non-profit organizations are, and how many billions of dollars are involved sometimes.  Some of the other surprising things were how much corruption goes on in some of the companies, often due to a lack of good internal controls, and also due to the high cost of independent auditors.

It was interesting to learn that Oregon has a huge amount of charitable organizations, and a large percentage of the population is volunteering for them.  It’s also interesting that the people with the lowest income give the largest percentage of their income to charities.  Another interesting thing I learned was how non-profit organizations in general are becoming more like for-profit companies.  This seems like a good thing in the long run, because the organizations will be more organized and be able to pay their employees a better wage.

After taking this class, I have decided that I will volunteer at a couple of organizations.  I have already contacted OMSI and have an appointment with them to discuss volunteer opportunities.  I also plan to contact REACH and volunteer for them at some point.  I would like to eventually work at a non-profit organization, after I finish my associate’s degree in accounting.  Who knows, maybe one day I will be able to help small charitable organizations get an independent audit done without spending a huge amount of money.