College Student Philanthropy

About College Student Philanthropy

When we think about the educational tools that colleges and universities employ to develop active and engaged citizens, we may first think about service-learning courses, organized days of service, and other academic and non-curricular programming to involve students in reflective service opportunities. Most civic engagement activities invite students to learn by giving of their “time and talent,” but rarely provide opportunities for students to learn by giving “treasure.”

Many schools across the country have begun to implement both course-based and non-curricular opportunities for students to develop civic competencies by awarding grants. These experiential philanthropy courses engage students in the development of philanthropic priorities, community needs assessment, and the nuts and bolts of the grant making cycle, while encouraging the expansion of partnerships between colleges and universities in new ways.

Campus Compact continues to support student philanthropy by providing colleges and universities with the educational resources and initial funding to engage students in strategic grant making activities within the context of community-based learning.

• Students4Giving, an initiative to educate and inspire a new generation of philanthropists in a new era of giving.
• Pay It Forward, an initiative to strengthen local communities through student-led philanthropy.
• Teaching Philanthropy Resources, a compilation of current research efforts, syllabi and program models on philanthropy, and grant making resources.

Initial financial support for the College Student Philanthropy initiative was generously provided by the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund and the Corporation for National and Community Service,

Portland Community College Students Hit YouTube With Dynamic Video

The students at Portland Community College wanted to find a way to both explain their Students4Giving program and inspire others to get similarly involved. They created the video here, which is now available on YouTube. Congratulations to them for a terrific piece and for setting a wonderful example for other college students.

College Student Philanthropy in the News

“Lessons in the Art of Giving” by Rebecca Knight was featured in Financial Times.

Most aspiring MBAs go to business school to learn how to make a great deal of money. But these days, business schools are also teaching students how to give it away. A growing number of business programmes are introducing courses focused on “practising philanthropy,” with the aim of teaching MBA students how to have a strategic edge in their giving by conducting site visits to non-profit organisations, tracking social and operational metrics and measuring the impact of their charitable contributions. This article can be found here.