Helping UMass Lowell Honors Students Become Future Philanthropists
By Kathy Register
LOWELL – This fall, Honors students at UMass Lowell are learning that the philanthropic landscape and their roles in it are changing.
Through a creative partnership between UML’s Honors College and the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), students enrolled in the Honors Seminar “Experiencing Philanthropy,” are getting hands-on training in how to be the philanthropists of the future – and giving away $10,000 in the process.
For the second year in a row, under the direction of Associate Teaching Professor Deborah Finch, 19 Honors students are learning about nonprofit organizations, different styles of philanthropy, and effective nonprofit management. By the end of the semester, they will have designed their process for requesting and evaluating grant proposals and awarded $10,000 to local nonprofit organizations.
“GLCF has a wonderful relationship with UML’s Honors College,” said Jay Linnehan, GLCF President & CEO. “At the end of 2019, Jim Canning, then-Dean of the Honors College, reached out to us to help support a hands-on learning opportunity for students to understand philanthropy better.
“The Foundation agreed to put up $5,000, to be matched by the university, and our partnership resulted in the Fall 2020 online course, ‘Experiencing Philanthropy,’ ” he explained.
According to Jenifer Whitten-Woodring, Acting Dean of the Honors College, the university is pleased to be continuing the arrangement this fall. “Our partnership with the Greater Lowell Community Foundation has made it possible for the university to offer this course to UML Honors students,” she said.
“Normally, most students do not have the means to engage in philanthropy, so without this partnership, these students would not be exposed to philanthropy. The partnership also fosters students’ engagement with the community, which in turn strengthens the university’s engagement with the community.”
And connecting young people with the community bodes well for the future, added Jennifer Aradhya, GLCF’s Vice President of Marketing, Programs & Strategy. “These students are the future of Greater Lowell. Teaching them about community needs and area nonprofits allows them to best direct their time, talent, and treasure to make the entire community stronger,” she said.
“Like all nonprofits, the work of GLCF is only made possible by the generosity of our community,” Aradhya continued. “As we cultivate a sustainable future for our foundation, it is essential to educate, engage and connect with a new generation of donors and funders.”
Finch, who also teaches in UML’s Manning School of Business – including courses in nonprofit management and nonprofit marketing — relishes the variety of students “Experiencing Philanthropy” attracts.
“Honors seminars are designed to be cross-disciplinary, so we get students from all over the university. As a result, our discussions are very lively,” she said. “Majors in various fields realize they bring something different and valuable to the table.
“Many students have had some previous nonprofit experience,” Finch added. “But plenty say they enrolled in the course because they don’t know anything about nonprofits and would like to know more.”
Over the course of the semester, Finch brings in speakers from various local nonprofit organizations. Students also virtually attend a board of directors meeting of the Lowell Association for the Blind. “In this course, students get the big picture about how nonprofits operate, what a board of directors does, plus the importance of mission statements and strategic plans,” she explained.
But when it comes to the grant-award process, Finch takes a very hands-off approach. “I have no role in awarding the $10,000. I guide them, but I don’t tell them what to do.”
Last year, during the pandemic, “Experiencing Philanthropy” students were concerned about domestic violence since victims were often trapped at home with their abusers during the lockdown. After further research, the class voted to make domestic violence their grant-award program theme.
With the help of Aradhya, students then identified several GLCF partner organizations, local nonprofits, that serve victims of domestic violence, and invited those organizations to apply for $10,000 in grant money.
The final grant was awarded jointly to The Center for Hope & Healing (CHH), and the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK). These two Lowell organizations collaborated on the winning proposal. The collaboration leveraged CHH’s Mobile Healing Unit Pilot Program to help ATASK distribute vital resources to ATASK clients.
ATASK partnered with The Center for Hope and Healing who delivered vital resources to families in Greater Lowell. This partnership program was funded by a $10,000 grant from the UML/GLCF Experiencing Philanthropy partnership.
Coming up with a grant focus area and awarding grants can be challenging for students, said Finch. “This is not an easy class. But, the students really do care — especially after they hear all the nonprofits’ grant proposals,” she said.
“It’s more than just a class when they realize what a difference this $5,000 or $10,000 can do for these organizations.”
Finch keeps the future – and the local community – in mind as she teaches “Experiencing Philanthropy.” “This course is helping educate the next generation of students to become volunteers, board members, and philanthropists,” she said. “It’s also helping students to look differently at community foundations and recognize the important role they play at the local level.”
“Community foundations are unique in so many ways,” stressed GLCF’s Aradhya. “We always say, ‘Community foundations are the boots on the ground.’ We find pockets of need within our community that national organizations might overlook.
“We are available in emergencies at the local level – as seen recently with our dissemination of more than $4 million in COVID relief funds to Greater Lowell nonprofits,” she said. “Engaging people early and meaningfully in philanthropy – and keeping them engaged at every stage of life – is essential to building a better tomorrow.”
Training future philanthropists is something GLCF President Linnehan hopes to continue and perhaps even grow. “We are committed to this partnership and hope to continue supporting UML’s ‘Experiencing Philanthropy’ course, which we review and renew annually,” he said.
“We also see value in expanding this model to high schools and the community college, and are exploring that possibility, as well.”
About Greater Lowell Community Foundation –Established in 1997, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) is a philanthropic organization comprised of more than 390 funds dedicated to improving the quality of life in 21 neighboring cities and towns. With financial assets of more than $55 million, GLCF annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. It is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from Foundation staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. The generosity of our donors has enabled the Community Foundation to award more than $25 million to the Greater Lowell community.
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