BOSTON, MA: On National Philanthropy Day, November 12, 2009, the Carolina Center for Public Service was honored for “Innovation in Philanthropy” by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Triangle Chapter. While the award acknowledged their great work over the years through the Public Service Scholars Program, it specifically recognized their innovative work through the Promoting Change Through the Nonprofit Sector course.

The course—which provides opportunities for students to give both volunteer time and financial resources—was sponsored by a $15,000 grant from Students4Giving, a joint program of the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund and Campus Compact. UNC was one of five colleges and universities nationally to receive the award.

Campus Compact President Maureen Curley explains, “Through our Students4Giving initiative and our partnership with Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, we provide support for colleges and universities to give students real-world experience in managing donor funds while learning about philanthropy. We’re delighted to see courses like the one just honored at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill win such praise and we look forward to hearing about the impact that these fund are making in communities.”

As a class, the students oversee a Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Giving Account, disseminating a request for proposals and awarding $10,000 in grants. They considered factors such as the organizations’ scope, impact, and geographic location to select recipients. The students will continue to monitor the organizations in the coming year to see, first-hand, how their efforts helped various communities through North Carolina.

About Campus Compact

Campus Compact is a coalition of more than 1,100 college and university presidents — representing some 6 million students — who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education. As the only national association dedicated to this mission, Campus Compact is a leader in building civic engagement into campus and academic life. Through the organization’s national office and 35 state offices, Campus Compact provides training, research, resources, and advocacy to help colleges and universities educate a new generation of responsible leaders. For questions, contact Sue Kelman at skelman@compact.org or call 617/357-1881 x207.