1st Day of Presentations (Written by Tiffany Evens)

As a class we have come a long way since the first day when the majority, if not everyone, did not even know what an RFP was. Now we have created our own and sent it to twenty-five different organizations with the hope that they will apply for our grant. The process of writing our RFP was spread across several days of class. During that time, we learned the differing views students hold on what is most important, and the difficulties involved in selecting just the right word to describe our meaning. When we first compiled a list of all the things students thought were important, we realized that the proposals we would receive would be at least twenty pages each to fit everything in. The process continued with class discussion on how to narrow down our requests, so that we get everything we need to make knowledgeable cuts to our list of organizations, without wasting the organizations time with unnecessary questions.

The most contentious problem among the class was deciding whether or not to accept requests for general operating costs. At our first site visit, at Bethany Hill Place, we learned that the donations would go to general operating costs, particularly staff salaries. This idea did not sit well with many in our class. A debate on general operating costs lasted several days. On one side students believed that the grant money should go to the programs that are assisting those in need, not to things like staff salaries or building payments. Others countered with the argument that without staff or a place to work from then there would be no programs to help those in need. In the end the class decided to accept requests for general operating costs as long as details for the exact use of the funds are included.

General operating costs are a clear point of difficulty in the world of charitable giving. Grant money going towards an electric bill is not as ‘sexy’, as our professor says. The directness of money going to a program to help the needy makes us feel good about what we have done. It is easy to say that you have made an impact. When we are told that the money is going towards salaries the immediate gut reaction is probably somewhere along the line of thinking “I wanted to help the needy, not pay someone”. But in actually it is more complicated than that. With a longer look it is possible to see that the money isn’t just going towards salaries, the money is making it possible for individuals to create programs for the needy, to help directly, and to raise more money for those in need. If an organization is not able to pay its own bills, then it will have to close its doors and no one is going to receive help from a closed down organization.

First Site Visit (Written by Kiara Davis)

On Monday, February 12, 2018 Our class had its first opportunity to perform a site visit with a local non-profit organization, Bethany Hill Place. Our class had prior knowledge on Bethany Hill given by the professor because a few of us have volunteered to raise funds for them. This fund raiser is in a response to a challenge posed to the previous Non-Profit Class. Having the opportunity to actually see the organization served as an additional source of motivation.

 As stated on their website, "Bethany Hill Place is a living and learning community of neighbors that provides independent, affordable housing and educational opportunities within a climate of respect, inclusion, and acceptance." http://www.bethanyhillschool.org/

Our class all met on campus and carpooled with each other to the Bethany Hill Place campus, located in Framingham Ma. Upon approaching the premises of the facility, the 3 other students in the car, along with the professor, openly admired the landscaping and scenery of the surrounding property. Once we arrived we were greeted by the Executive Director, Trish Appert. She escorted us to a room with multiple chairs and tables. It was there where she then went over how the tour and visit would be structured.

Trish introduced herself, her assistant program director and a current resident who lived there. The way Trish inform us on the local affordable housing crisis was only made more palpable, through the personal testimony given by the current resident herself. It seemed as if the young single mom was not able to tell her full story because she was over whelmed with so many emotions. She attempted to speak a few times but couldn't even finish her sentence because the mere talking about it aloud brought her to tears. She was finally able to compose herself enough to tell us how Bethany Hill Place has been life changing and enhancing to her family of 4 school aged children through the educational programming and housing supports they provide. Witnessing the emotional strain poverty has had on this girl brought, what most of us have heard of but never seen, the issue of poverty and homelessness to life.

Following the tour of the property, which included a view of a vacant unit, we returned to the large room for a Q&A. During this time, we came to learn about other technicalities that play into running and maintaining a non-profit organization. The most important thing I took from the Q&A was the in depth breakdown of expenses, revenue, and funding needed to sustain this particular organization.

The last few minutes of the class was used by Dr. Silver for an emotional check-in with the group as well mentioning brief course announcements.

Overall, visiting Bethany Hill Place as our first site visit was not only informative but it set a foundation for what to expect during our site-visiting part of this course. We have also become even more inspired and motivated to raise funds for Bethany Hill Place.

Class 2: Special Presentation by Kyrah Altman from LEAD (Written by Sabrina)

Our second day of class began with a bang as we were introduced to a special young woman named Kyrah Altman. Kyrah is special because she along with 7 other classmates (IN HIGH SCHOOL) back in 2012 created what is now known as LEAD (Let’s Empower, Advocate and Do) which is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that aims at being a resource for mental health information, giving donations that helps fight and address substance abuse, domestic violence, poverty, mental illness, and etc. LEAD also is significant because they developed and are continuing to develop other curriculum for Mental Health Promotion (MHP) which would be a class taken by students in high school as a supplement for the Health Education course students are required to take.  I would highly recommend taking a look at the site for a more in-depth idea about their organization. http://www.leadnow.org/

Kyrah and her team do a lot for our community- they fight to show people how important mental health is especially when it affects so many adolescent youth. Her visit to our class has shown students, like myself, at Framingham State University that kids are able to achieve anything they put their minds to. Kyrah is only a year or two older than most of us in our Nonprofit Class so getting to meet someone who is considered very influential and on the rise in the nonprofit sector was amazing. Kyrah reminded me, personally, that being a social entrepreneur has its pros and cons but ultimately being able to help a life in need is a gift that keeps on giving; it allows for connections to be made between people, memories to form, all the while creating a space for lives to improve and flourish. I think it is safe to say that meeting someone like Kyrah opened all of our eyes to what this class (nonprofit giving) is really going to do for not just us students but for those who will be receiving our grant of 10,000+ dollars. It opened my eyes to the impact we will have as a "foundation" and what this sum of money can really do for people who need it the most. That is something we are all very excited to learn about. So thank you!

Our Goal (Written by Tiffany Evens)

Our class has been given the opportunity to donate $10,000 to a nonprofit organization that expresses great need. The foundation, Learning by Giving, developed by Doris Buffet, has supplied our class with the funding. In the meantime, we have also been organizing ways to raise an additional $5,000! Doris Buffet has promised to match our $5,000 so we can donate another $10,000 to Bethany Hill
Place. This specific nonprofit offers affordable educational housing services. They aim to help those that have become victims to homelessness, addiction, and even violence.