Southwestern College has announced that it is one of 10 academic institutions chosen to participate in the 2008-2009 Students4Giving program sponsored by The Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund and Campus Compact.  This program is aimed at promoting philanthropic education efforts at colleges and universities across the country.  Now in its second year, Students4Giving seeks to inspire young people to get more involved with philanthropy. 

Southwestern College senior Laura Morgan, Goddard, will be in charge of setting up a student philanthropy board consisting of eight to 10 members from the four service learning organizations on campus.  According to Morgan, their goal is to educate students on the grant-making process and to learn more about what philanthropy is.  The board will send out requests for proposals during the second semester.  They will review the requests and determine the recipients of the money.

Morgan is in her fourth year of Leadership Southwestern and this is her senior Leadership project. 

Each year senior Leadership Southwestern students are given the task of organizing an event that benefits society. 

“I want to work with social services and the non-profit world,” Morgan says.  “I want to be able to acquire money to help other organizations stay afloat.”

Financed by Fidelity, the program provides each of the 10 selected schools with oversight of a $15,000 Giving Account, a donor-advised fund, which will be managed by the students participating in their respective school’s nonprofit and philanthropy courses. 

“Students4Giving is providing students with unique, real-life opportunities to learn about community needs and how best to manage charitable assets to maximize their impact,” comments Sarah C. Libbey, president of the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund.  “Managing actual charitable assets provides the students with a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that exist within the nonprofit world and an experience that incorporates real consequences.  Our vision is that Students4Giving will provide college and university students with the skills and inspiration necessary to become the next generation of philanthropic leaders.”

Morgan says the criteria has yet to be established for who can apply for the funds.

The other nine institutions participating include: George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; Lesley University, Cambridge, Mass.; Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, Mo.; Providence College, Providence, R.I.; University of North Carolina at Charlotte, N.C.; State University of New York, Binghamton, N.Y.; Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Mich.; Wheelock College, Boston, Mass.; and Northeastern University, Boston, Mass.