|
Programs:
Students4Giving
Inspiring Philanthropy's Future
Campus Compact and the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund℠ are delighted
to announce the 2008-2009 Students4Giving Request for Proposals to
educate and inspire a new generation of philanthropists in a new era
of giving. The Students4Giving initiative will provide 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. Campus Compact member colleges
and universities are invited to respond to this Request for
Proposals to be eligible to participate in Students4Giving as one of
ten new programs located throughout the country. Each participating
school will be allocated $15,000 in assets earmarked exclusively for
charitable purposes which will be managed through a Giving Account,
a donor-advised fund at the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund.
Participating programs will also receive additional funds for
administrative support. Proposals must be received by Campus Compact
by 5:00 p.m. EST Friday, June 20, 2008.
The Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund (the "Gift Fund") is an
independent public charity with a donor-advised fund program. An
individual donor-advised fund at the Gift Fund is referred to as a
"Giving Account." Generally, donor-advised funds are established by
individuals as part of their overall financial plan which
incorporates a lifetime commitment to philanthropy and a desire to
create a legacy. After making an initial contribution to the Gift
Fund and establishing a Giving Account, individuals recommend grants
to IRS-qualified public charities of their choice over time. Grant
making through a Giving Account provides flexibility in charitable
donations and grant making, tax benefits and the potential to give
more as a result of the Gift Fund's investment pool program. As one
of the nation's largest public charities, the Gift Fund has granted
more than $7.7 billion to more than 118,000 nonprofit organizations
since its inception in 1991. More information about the Gift Fund
can be found at www.charitablegift.org.
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 public 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 our national office and network of 33
state
offices, member institutions receive the training, resources, and
advocacy they need to build strong surrounding communities and teach
students the skills and values of democracy.
Overview and Objectives
The Students4Giving initiative seeks to acknowledge and advance
philanthropic education efforts at colleges and universities
throughout the country while encouraging community-based learning
and partnership with local nonprofit organizations. The primary
objectives of the Students4Giving initiative are the following:
- Provide a framework for philanthropic education emphasizing
community-based knowledge with both grant making and fundraising
dimensions.
- Encourage long-term educational use of donor-advised funds through
the development of infrastructure for continued growth, grant making
and sustainability.
- Provide an opportunity for students to manage the philanthropic
process (i.e. creating a philanthropic mission statement,
researching nonprofits, selecting grant recipients, etc.) and to
learn to manage charitable funds to achieve stated philanthropic
goals.
- Provide an opportunity for students to learn about the grant
making process and to understand the impact of their choices.
- Create and support campus infrastructure for education focused on
the nonprofit sector and the resources that sustain it.
Resources and Support
Colleges and universities selected to participate in the
Students4Giving initiative will receive the following:
- A $15,000 contribution to the Gift Fund to establish a Giving
Account in the college or university's name.
- $3,000 in administrative resources to support costs associated
with course/program design and administration (including general
facilitation, materials, travel, stipends for guest speakers,
distribution of Requests for Proposals to nonprofit organizations,
etc).
- Technical assistance from Campus Compact and the Gift Fund,
including regular opportunities for communication as programs
progress through the academic year.
Guidelines and Requirements
Proposals should contain the following components:
- Program design that links the management of the Giving Account to
related academic courses or structured learning opportunities.
- Program design that incorporates both fundraising and grant making
dimensions of philanthropy, encouraging student learning about the
need for ongoing fundraising to meet long-term community needs.
- Program design that incorporates a plan for continued use of the
Giving Account and related philanthropic education opportunities,
including how faculty/administrators plan to incorporate the program
in future academic sessions.
Students4Giving is intended to add value to existing or emergent
educational programming to provide additional resources and
learning opportunities for a course on philanthropy or for a course
or program focused on specific community challenges, for example.
Best Practices and Program Examples
Creativity, partnership and planning are the cornerstones of
successful campus Students4Giving efforts across the country. When
designing a course or program, consider the following best
practices:
- Be creative about fundraising to sustain the Giving Account. For
example, a philanthropy course might partner with a nonprofit
management course focused on fundraising to replenish the college's
Giving Account over time. A "Giving Circle" might be established in
the fall and tasked with matching the funds that will be distributed
in the spring.
- Begin early. While the grant making course and primary activities
will not occur until the spring semester, preparatory activities can
occur throughout the fall/winter terms. For example, a winter term
course in community needs assessment could provide the basis for a
spring grant making effort. Students could be provided with winter
break reading assignments.
- Plan for the logistics involved with the grant making cycle.
Consider using administrative monies to secure the assistance of a
graduate student for additional administrative support (i.e.
coordination of site visits, award ceremonies, etc.) or plan time
for student teamwork.
Giving Account Guidelines:
Administration and management of the Giving Account is subject to
the terms of the Gift Fund's Policies and Guidelines Program
Circular. The Tax Identification Number of the college or university
will be used to establish the Giving Account and a faculty advisor
or administrator will be named as the Primary Account Holder. Giving
Accounts will be maintained in the name of the selected college
programs for continued contribution, investment and grant making
beyond the spring 2009 academic semester. Students, in partnership
with faculty/administrators, will develop grant making guidelines
and related processes, including research and decision making
regarding recommended grant recipients. In conjunction with faculty
advisors, students will develop and implement a fundraising plan to
ensure sustainability of the Giving Account indefinitely or for a
specified period of time. For example, if a class decides to
recommend a grant in the amount of $10,000 from its Giving Account
to a local nonprofit during the semester, $5,000 will remain in the
Giving Account for a future term. These resources should be
supplemented through additional student fundraising or campus
contributions over time.
In addition to the Gift Fund's standard Giving Account program
policies and procedures as detailed in the Gift Fund's Policies and
Guidelines Program Circular, participating programs must comply with
the following requirements related to Giving Account management:
- Between 50-75% ($7,500 - $11,250) of the Giving Account must be
granted during the spring semester 2009 (i.e., by May 1, 2009).
- Giving Accounts will be overseen by the administrators and
students involved with the specific program ("Account Holders").
- All grants recommended through the Giving Account must be made to
eligible Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) public charities.
Standard Gift Fund grant making guidelines also apply.
- Participating schools must submit a list of organizations (on Gift
Fund Grant Recommendation Forms or online) to which they would like
to recommend grants from the Giving Accounts before the end of
spring semester 2009. Grants will be made to charities through the
Gift Fund as soon as possible after receipt of the grant
recommendations.
- All funds held in the Giving Account must be EXCLUSIVELY for
charitable purposes, specifically grant making only. No funds from
the Giving Account may be used for administrative or other expenses.
For additional information on the Giving Account program, visit:
www.charitablegift.org.
By participating in Students4Giving, colleges and universities will
be expected to maintain regular communication with Campus Compact
and Gift Fund liaisons, to participate in media and promotional
activities (i.e. public awards ceremonies) and to participate in a
documentation of reflection on the experience (including interviews
of students, faculty, community partners). This will be used by
Campus Compact and the Gift Fund for both evaluation and media
purposes. Colleges and universities will also be required to submit
a brief mid-semester and end-of-semester report. Participation in
this program is subject to all rules and guidelines of the Gift Fund
unless otherwise noted. Campus Compact and the Gift Fund reserve the
right to change, alter or terminate the initiative at any time.
Learn more about our recipients and their projects:
2008 Recipients
2007 Recipient
|