Voices from the community: The perspective of nonprofit organizations in student philanthropy courses

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates the perspective of community members engaged with experimental learning in student philanthropy courses. While most scholarship explores the impact that student philanthropy practices have on students’ learning process and the overall effectiveness of these courses, this study aims to understand the impact of student philanthropy courses on community partners. We rely on a survey and focus groups to assess the perspectives of both nonprofits that participated in student philanthropy courses and nonprofits that decided against participating. We find that nonprofits see relational and advocacy benefits in participating in these courses, beyond the most obvious potential benefit of being awarded a grant. While we found overall satisfaction with the course, we also identified barriers to participation, which informs a list of practical recommendations. This study points to the possibility to better student philanthropy processes and improve the experience of participating nonprofits.

KEYWORDS:

• Experiential learning
• nonprofit education
• service learning
• student philanthropy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Furco (1996) argues that service-learning when hyphened indicates that equal weight is given to service and learning, whereas the service and learning goals are separated when “service learning” is not hyphened.

2. By coincidence, the same number of representatives of nonprofit organizations participated in the survey and the focus groups: 13 nonprofit leaders completed the survey and a total of 13 nonprofit leaders engaged in the focus groups. These participants are not the same, although some overlap is possible. Only organizations participating in the course offered in the spring of 2022 were invited to participate in the survey (13 organizations out of the 17 that submitted a proposal participated), while focus groups participants were recruited from all years in which the course was offered (2021, 2022, and 2023). The survey in 2022 was anonymous and therefore does not allow us to cross-check for overlaps between the two groups.

3. As a side note, it also highlighted that one of the listservs that were used to advertise and disseminate the request for proposal was outdated, partially explaining why some of the community agencies were not aware of the grant opportunity.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter Weber

Peter C. Weber is an associate professor in philanthropy and nonprofit studies at Auburn University. His research interests include the institutionalization of nonprofit education, civil society in contemporary and historical perspective, and philanthropic innovations through the lenses of program‐related investments (PRIs). As a multidisciplinary scholar, he has published extensively in edited volumes and peer‐reviewed journals, including diverse disciplinary outlets such as Voluntas, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Journal of Civil Society, Global Society, Central European History, and Journal of Public Affairs Education.

Erin Casolaro

Erin Casolaro is a recent graduate of Auburn University with degrees in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies and Accounting. She is a current Master of Accountancy candidate at Auburn University. Throughout college she has worked to bridge her accounting and nonprofit passions through research and internships at the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Geographic Society, and RSM. She was awarded an Undergraduate Research Fellowship during her time at Auburn.

Claire Simpson

Claire Simpson is an undergraduate student at Auburn University, expected to graduate in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies and a Business Minor. Her dedication to academia is reflected in her consistent placement on the Dean’s List and her recognition as a Kappa Omicron Nu Human Sciences Honor Society inductee. She has conducted impactful research as an Undergraduate Research Assistant, collaborating on projects such as the Alabama FAST Initiative, where her interests in philanthropy, nonprofit studies, and finance intersect.

Portia Johnson

Portia Johnson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor and Extension State Specialist. Her community outreach programs include adult and youth financial well-being, career preparedness and college financial decision-making. Johnson’s research agenda includes household finance and sustainable housing. Johnson has authored/co-authored 35+ academic and extension publications and regularly presents nationally. She has received over 21 honors and awards, among them 2023 National New Professional of the Year by the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences, 2021 Sadie Collective National Sadie Alexander Scholar Recipient, and National Blue Key Honor Society 2021 inductee. Johnson has been featured on the news, print magazines for Alabama FAST, her award-winning financial aid community program.