Students in the spring semester Philanthropy and Leadership (MNGT 411) course at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business awarded $10,000 in grants through the Strive to Thrive Lincoln project to two local nonprofits: The Children’s Place and the Northeast Family Center.

 

The student-led project, which began in 2015, is designed to teach students about philanthropy and nonprofit leadership while fostering lifelong civic engagement. Students learned how philanthropy can create community impact by evaluating nonprofit organizations, conducting site visits, volunteering and deliberating how to allocate the grant funds. This semester, they focused on early childhood education.

 

“Early childhood education was selected as our funding priority because of how much of a child’s development happens before the age of five,” said Amber Messersmith, executive director of Center for Executive and Professional Development and lecturer of management, who teaches the course. “Our students engaged directly with providers to see how this work impacts not just children, but entire communities.”

 

Anne Brandt, executive director of Lincoln Littles, spoke to the class early in the semester to share the local landscape of early childhood care and education. She noted that 90% of brain development occurs by age five and that 75% of children under six in Lincoln have all parents in the workforce.

 

“Whether you have children or not, the extent to which kids are taken care of is the extent to which a community is healthy,” Brandt said. “Students in this class really understood that. The ripple effect of this experience will show up in how these students lead and make decisions in the future.”

 

Throughout the semester, students visited and volunteered with 12 nonprofit organizations focused on early childhood development, including: Belmont Community Center, Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties (Headstart), Dimensions Educational Research Foundation, Educare of Lincoln, Malone Center, Northeast Family Center, Rosemont Childcare, Sheridan Child Development Center, St. Mark’s Preschool Kidzone, The Children’s Place, Trinity Infant and Child Care Center—16th & A, and Willard Community Center. Their firsthand experiences helped them better understand the challenges nonprofits face.

 

“The opportunity to put ourselves into these nonprofits and see how they operate is something you can’t just get from researching online. It allowed us to become more knowledgeable about what nonprofits do and how we can be part of the change,” said Michael Booker, a senior marketing major from Grand Prairie, Texas. “I volunteered at Sheridan Child Development Center, and we got to help them sort books and make Play-Doh from scratch, too, which was fun.”

 

The Children’s Place plans to use the grant to improve outdoor equipment for the children they serve, many of whom come from low-income families. Kathy Paisley, president of the board, praised the class’s efforts and its long-term potential for the community.

 

“A class like this would never have happened 50 years ago when I started in child care,” Paisley said. “It gives me hope to see young people learning about nonprofits and making an impact.”

 

The Northeast Family Center will use its grant to purchase supplies like diapers and toys to meet the immediate needs of families in the Havelock area of Lincoln.

 

“Childhood development is super important, and it’s something a lot of people should consider investing in more,” said Colby Lyon, a junior management major from Lincoln. “This class really opened my mind to that.”

 

Many students said the experience changed how they view philanthropy and civic engagement.

 

“This class has helped me realize the nonprofit sector needs us just as much as the corporate world does,” said Garrett Smith, an accounting and management major from Kansas City, Missouri. “It’s made me more likely to work with or support nonprofits in the future.”

 

Since its inception nearly 10 years ago, Strive to Thrive Lincoln has awarded $170,000 in grants to local nonprofits. Currently funded by notable Lincoln philanthropist Rhonda Seacrest, the course's grants need further support to continue the hands-on experience that provides valuable service and leadership experience for students. Gifts made to the Strive to Thrive Lincoln Excellence Fund directly fund each semester’s grant award.