Philanthropy Intern Today, Philanthropist Tomorrow?

The Development Summer Internship Program as a whole (work, class and leadership development components) led to a paradigm shift due to it being such an eye opening experience. To this day when reflecting on my summer as a D-SIP intern, I continue to redefine my professional aspirations.

In order to gain a deeper understanding into how this thought process came to be, let me backtrack a little. During my time in D-SIP as an intern for the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology Office of Development and Alumni Relations, I had the privilege to work on the 9th annual Movement for Life Golf Invitational. The annual event served as a major fundraiser in which proceeds benefit research in therapies for people with motor disabilities. From my work component I gained valuable skills including: marketing, leadership, collaboration and adaptability. Furthermore, through many successes and challenges experienced while planning this event, I was able to gain lasting lessons regarding professionalism and where I wanted to translate these newfound skill sets into a future work setting.

Originally when starting D-SIP I felt destined to become a businessman in the sport industry as an agent or a member of the front office for one of my favorite professional teams. However, since participating with D-SIP I have become open to working in the nonprofit sector for my favorite charity, as a development officer or even in athletic community relations because I still have an unwavering passion for sports.

Overall, this modification has taken me from solely thinking on an individual level, such as achieving economic independence, to also including more community based goals in which my accomplishments would benefit many.  I have come to this understanding from assessing my strengths gained from D-SIP. I now understand and value trying to afford others with the same opportunities that were provided to me. Additionally, it is now clear that I seek to work with others as a team to bring positive change through the work I do.

Since finishing D-SIP, and as I prepare to enter a career setting, I am now confident in my overall ability to present myself as a valuable addition to any organization. This confidence is the result of understanding the importance of proving myself every day. Whether it is by being on time or presenting my deliverables to supervisors, all of this can be attributed to what D-SIP taught me

Above all else, what I will continue to apply most from D-SIP is always remaining cognizant of how I can impact the world from a personal, professional and philanthropic standpoint.

Post by:

Kyle Nowels, D-SIP ’11

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D-SIP Alumni Awards

Leadership is one of the competencies considered during the selection process of our interns, so it is no surprise that our alumni can do great things.  But, what does surprise us is what they do.  Because of the impressive work completed by our interns, two newly created awards  have been, and will be given out annually at the D-SIP Closing Ceremony.

One of these awards is given to an individual who works in the development profession and remains steadfast in making the profession better in some capacity.  This award,  the Chrissi Rawak Award of Distinction in Development, is named after Chrissi Rawak whose vision was critical in the creation the Development Summer Internship Program.  Although the impact of her work goes beyond students, her passion for creating a pipeline for students to enter into the development profession has created a transformative experience for many U-M undergraduates.

The other award granted this year was the Block M of Honor for Community Impact.  This award is given to an individual that has made an impact in their community. 

Without further ado, let’s meet the honorees.

 Amy Pfaehler, D-SIP 2007, was granted the Chrissi Rawak Award for Distinction in Development.  Just as Chrissi helped to create a pipeline into the profession for young professionals, Amy continued such work for D-SIP alumni.  An advocate for development work, Amy gladly met with all D-SIP alum searching for jobs in the D.C. area and provided guidance.  In fact, her help led one of our alumni right into another political fundraising position in D.C. 

The Block M of Honor for Community Impact was given to Nick Glauch, D-SIP 2007.  Nick was responsible for raising 25,000 dollars for an endowment he established for his local high school.  He achieved his goal due to his ability to work with the senior class, alumni, and community members.  In today’s economy, such an endowment is quite an accomplishment and, even more, a great help to his high school.

Congratulations Amy and Nick! 

 

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A Whole Different World

Hi! My name’s Pete Wangwongwiroj, a rising junior in chemical engineering. I am a current D-SIP intern at the Life Sciences Institute. First, I’d like to give special shout-out to my supervisor who is responsible for my summer experience with the Life Science Institute.

Now you must be wondering ‘Engineer and the Development Summer Internship Program (D-SIP)? What???’

The truth is… I’m as surprised as you are. I enter the development world from a seemingly wholly different planet. Nobody’s ever talked to me about development before. And when I tell my engineering friends that I work in development, they say ‘Oh! I do development too!’ By that, they usually mean software development.’ That is rather different.

I believe I am not the only person who has somewhat ‘stumbled upon’ the development community. I first saw the D-SIP flyer on the 4^th floor of the Union, a place I typically visit only once a semester. So I believe it is more than just a mere coincidence that I am currently in this program.

Naturally, the first thing that stood out in the flyer was the phrase ‘paid internship program.’ Hey, I’m looking for one of that! Great! After I attended the information session, I had an inkling that this program may potentially be a very eye-opening and memorable experience. However, I was hesitant then, because it is something as far from the typical engineering internship as I could fathom. I decided to apply anyway because I felt that I should give myself the opportunity to venture out of my comfort

Interns on field at Big House, Pete is in the middle of the front row

zone, challenge myself and learn something new in the process. After all, real life isn’t limited to my major. I shouldn’t let my major decide what kind of internship I should get. In fact, through my past experiences, much of my personal growth involves my experiences and interactions outside the classroom setting. So I applied. Little did I know, this internship has not only introduced me to the development world, but also deepened my appreciation for the staff at Michigan and enriched my soul as I continued to interact with mission-driven colleagues and friends.

I am a mission-driven individual, and I believe that I am here to serve a purpose that is more than just making money and gaining prestige for myself. As an engineer, I rarely get the exposure to the behind-the-scenes happenings or learn about what motivates individuals to behave the way they do. So to learn about the Michigan’s supportive donors and their motivations has really intrigued me. It gives me hope to know that there are talented and passionate staffs doing the behind-the-scenes work to continue to make Blue go.

As I continue on in this internship program, I will continue to blog about my experiences and expand on many of the issues I’ve mentioned in this post. I hope that, as a young student, a Thai, and an engineer, my perspectives and opinions on development will add to the many discussions about this meaningful profession. Goodbye for now!

Post by: Pete Wangwongwiroj, D-SIP ’11

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Do something funny for money…

…is the tagline for a U.K. event called Red Nose Day.  It’s a simple concept, yet what’s amazing about the U.K.’s “Do something funny for money” campaign or Red Nose Day is that it’s recognized by the whole country. Everyone is challenged to raise money. Adults and children participate and raise money by singing, dancing, wearing pajamas to work, donning a crazy hairstyle, planning a sponsored silence, etc..  The day ends with TV specials on the BBC where celebrities and comedians come together to raise money through laughter.  Powerful documentaries are mixed in within the comedic specials to remind viewers of the need for support as well as to highlight the impact the raised funds can have. Proceeds from Red Nose Day go to programs that help those in need in the U.K. and across Africa.

For a great video that gives a general overview of Red Nose Day, please click here to visit the official Red Nose Day site.

Or you could smile and learn more by checking out the YouTube video below.  :)

Should the U.S. have one day where all citizens are encouraged to fundraise?

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So you think you know a lot about philanthropy?

Prove it!  The website learningtogive.org has several fun quizzes that test your knowledge of philanthropy.  Below is a philanthropy pretest.  Do you know what percent of adults give?  Perform community service?

http://learningtogive.org/lessons/institute/defining_philanthropy/page1.asp

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What is philanthropy?

As you read through our blog, we hope you consider how you would define philanthropy (and that you do not think it is the study of insects!)…

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“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

–Howard Thurman

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Detroit Partnership Day

Also known as “DP Day“, this event brought over 1200 volunteers to spend a day bettering the city of Detroit.  Volunteers participated in a variety of projects such as: helping to erase blight by demolishing abandoned homes, beautifying neighborhoods with urban gardens, creating friendlier spaces for children by cleaning up parks and schools, and changing the landscape of neighborhoods by painting murals.

Below is a picture of a volunteer working with Public Art Workz.  The major focus of their work is the “Papillion Effect“.  Volunteers painted butterflies to be placed around the city.  The butterflies are symbolic that Detroit is on it way to reemerging into a more beautiful and lively city.

In addition, volunteers were able to see Public Art Workz hang a beautiful mural of Barack and Michelle Obama dancing above a local building to be appreciated by all members of the community.  (Picture below, but unfortunately mural is small).

D-SIP alumni, Joseph Sutkowi and Amanda Olson were instrumental in the success of the day.

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People are Just People

Last night I sat down to dinner at a looks-like-a-hole-in-the-wall-but-was-delicious Chinese restaurant. The waitress came to fill our water glasses and I greeted her, smiled, and asked how she was doing. She replied that she was fine and asked the same question of me. I said that my friend and I were starving and, after a pause, pointed out that I liked her boots. Our initial greeting turned into a friendly conversation and, before I knew it, the whole waiter-customer dynamic had disappeared. To me, it kind of felt like she was a potential friend who just happened to be working at a restaurant.

After the waitress left the table, my friend chuckled and said, “Wow. Someone’s still in work-mode.” After I threw a puzzled look across the table he explained that I was acting like he’d seen me behave when interacting with anyone from work – donors, colleagues, or volunteers.

I think that when you work in development, it’s hard to leave your work personality at the office. It isn’t like being an athlete where you can spend a few hours a day doing something completely unrelated to sports, or like being a musician where it’s best to spend a significant amount of time away from your instrument. Development is about interacting with people, and (apparently I’m just realizing this) people are everywhere. I mean, you really can’t escape them.

So, was I still in work-mode last night at the Chinese restaurant? My behavior certainly wasn’t something I was consciously enacting. This could mean that being available is something that has become engrained in my personality after over a year of working in development. But is the work behavior of a development professional even genuine? Do we really mean the things we say, or are we just faking it until we get what we want?

I think the answer lies in the fact that it feels good to be nice to people. Once, while I was working in development at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, I had just emerged from what I had thought would be a tense and angry interaction. Surprisingly, though, all had gone relatively smoothly because, I realized, I had tried to be as open, understanding, and responsive to the other person as possible. A (wise) colleague of mine responded to my explanation of the scenario with a simple phrase: “You catch more flies with honey.”

I continue to carry this sentiment with me. Today, I made many phone calls to the guests of an upcoming benefit for the institution where I work about a whole host (no pun intended) of issues – seating requests, meal requests, payment requests (ah, the life of an intern). During some of these calls, I held my breath (just a bit) while I waited for an answer from someone who I knew would be short with me or who was unhappy with the Festival or who might be having a bad day. By staying as positive as possible, however, I emerged from the experience relatively unscathed.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when working in development is that there is more (or less, depending how you look at it) to the people we work with than we think. Inside everyone we work with – from the woman in the framing shop to the Vice President of your department to one of the most influential philanthropists in the country – is a person who, behind any façade of power and money exists the same way the rest of us do.

So that’s why I find the line between my work and personal personality becoming increasingly blurred. Somewhere along the relatively short life-journey I’ve had so far I’ve realized that it helps to remember that we’re all human, we all make mistakes, and, most importantly, we can all learn something from each other.

PS – Many thanks to the brilliant Regina Spektor. The title of today’s post comes from her song, “Ghost of a Corporate Future.”

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Ask, Why?

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to see the movie – a hilarious and, at times, heartfelt depiction of a less-than-typical family. The movie followed The Kids are All Right the West Coast clan through its ups and downs (probably more downs than ups) until it arrived at the universal reminder that, no matter who you are or where you come from, family life, as wonderful and supportive and reassuring as it can usually be, is difficult.

I am thrilled to be working this summer for an organization that operates like a family. Almost every member of the administration knows each other not only professionally, but personally as well. And not only that, but the staff that more than doubles in size with the addition of its 100 or so summer employees treats the newcomers as if they were around for the other nine months of the year. Everyone looks out for one another in ways that range from picking up work that just can’t be finished to inviting a colleague to join the lunch table.

In the non-profit sector, most organizations can’t help but operate this way. In a world where the workload is huge and the rewards are not always as great, people have to rely on those around them for support, friendship, and reassurance that it’s all going to be okay.

For most non-profits, the family extends beyond the administration and staff. Where I am spending my summer months, there is the full-time staff. And the summer staff. And the artist-faculty. And the students. And the donors. And the Board of Trustees. And a few other governing bodies whose roles are (still) a bit unclear to me.

It would be ridiculously unreasonable to expect smooth sailing twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and three hundred sixty-five days a year around these parts. With thousands of peoples’ interests to keep in mind, who wouldn’t expect the occasional bump (or ditch) in the road?

In any family, it is important to keep in mind the purpose. In my family, when the going gets rough, I find comfort in the fact that, no matter what, these are the people who will be there for me through thick and thin and who will, without question, always love and support me. Are there times when I want to switch off my cell phone, shut down my e-mail account, and flee thousands of miles away? Of course. But, in the end, I remind myself that I am there for my family because they are there for me.

In a non-profit organization, there is one never-fail, trumps-all, not-to-be questioned answer to any kind of conundrum. Ask, Why? Why should you help out the colleague who, on a particular day, is driving you crazy? Why should you apologize to the donor who is accusing you of being wrong when you are seven thousand percent sure that you’re right? Why should you put your personal interests and agendas aside?

Because it’s what is best for the organization.

In any family – personal or professional – it all comes down to sacrifice. We spend time with people we sometimes aren’t crazy about and sometimes do things we really don’t want to do because it’s what is best – both for the home you’re a part of and the organization you work for.

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