Nicole

CPSP318P has really hit the ground running in the first two weeks of class. With only four meetings under our belt, we’ve already jumped head first into our discussion of philanthropy. Through a series of readings and case studies, our conception of philanthropy has widened. The readings that stand out most in my mind are those that address the potential obstacles we may face throughout the course of the semester. For example, the reading The Snow Image describes the possibility of attempting to help someone, without fully understanding the circumstances of their need. In that situation, the potential of making the situation worse for the people you are trying to help is great. It brought to our attention the need to fully understand the needs of those we want to help, before rushing in, head first, and attempting to solve the problem any way we think we should.

The other reading that stands out most in my mind was the Kaplan Fund’s case study. This reading showed the importance of strong leadership, and organization in a fund. Being that we are all in the Public Leadership program, this particular lesson seemed to resonate throughout the class. It also inspired a nice discussion about how we would like to come to an agreement on where we think the money should be going. In this discussion we debated the pros and cons of splitting up the money among several organizations versus giving a larger sum of money to one organization.

Beyond the readings, I have been most struck by the quality of discussion among our classmates. With every topic at hand, there has been at least one comment made by one of my classmates that would not have occurred to me on a normal basis. These first few classes have made me very excited for the semester, and everything our class will be doing. We have a great group of students who are all very excited about our project, and I have already learned so much, just within our first four classes.