Filling a gap: Grassroots engagement in Nigeria

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Abby Rolland

By Abby Rolland
With contributions from Leslie Wells and Sara Johnson

Ngozi Iwere has been a leader in grassroots, community movements and efforts in Nigeria for more than 25 years.

She founded Community Life Project (CLP) in 1992 to focus on the HIV/AIDS epidemic afflicting Nigeria. What started as a response to a major problem developed into a powerful nonprofit that focuses on community participation, influence, and a voice in daily affairs.

Iwere had experience in community movements before the creation of CLP.

“I knew that that we had to reach everybody, not just women or men, and reach out to them through their own networks and their own channels,” she said. “I started by approaching the self-help community-based organizations in my neighborhood, and proceeded to expand that grassroots approach nationwide.”

She faced opposition from some members of her community who believed that grassroots people were not interested in learning about HIV/AIDS. However, Iwere moved on with her plan.

“All humans are entrusted with their own well-being. If anything threatens that well-being, it becomes a felt need and preoccupation,” she said. “Grassroots individuals may not have university education, but they have a depth of knowledge about their own conditions, lives, and interests.”

Through their “bottom-up” paradigm of engagement, Iwere and CLP worked with local communities to identify needs and how CLP could influence change. CLP built networks of faith-based groups and trained associations, and other organized groups there were interested in addressing areas and topics of need.

“After working on the HIV/AIDS crisis, the organization took a life on its own,” Iwere said. “As we were working with communities, they added issues to our agenda that they wanted to learn more about. So, we brought in people who were experts in the issue areas and who could conduct trainings for local people.

“If you have organized groups and you use the right approach to engage people, they will get engaged.”

Recognizing the need to work with government in order to create more lasting change, Iwere and CLP decided to address election fraud in the country.

“Elections were terrible in the country. There was a great deal of fraud and they were a complete sham,” Iwere said.

Over several election cycles, CLP partnered with the electoral management body to register people to vote.

“We organized and mobilized leaders in communities and trained them on voter education and registration. Then, they trained their communities,” Iwere said. “We also worked with the transportation subsector so they could carry stickers, posters, and materials to a more widespread audience.”

In addition, Iwere and CLP adopted a cloud-based technology platform called Ushahidi.

“We embedded the platform into websites and added multiple local languages so that everyone could understand,” she said. “People could send a text message and say they were having issues voting, and that location would then be Google mapped for us and other partners to see.”

CLP also linked individuals without Internet access to networks and groups that had the technology available.

Through multiple partnerships, community outreach, and many years of hard work, Iwere and CLP were able to increase the credibility of and participation in elections in Nigeria. Their main focus now is on social accountability and including and engaging groups that are disadvantaged in the civic sphere.

“We’re working with community leaders to demystify the budget in order for people to learn what government is spending money on, and for government to learn what it is the people want,” Iwere said.

They are also connecting and collaborating with women to increase women’s participation and representation in government bodies.

“You can’t just suddenly get influence on the state or national level as a politician, so we’re working with women to get them into local political party structures and positions of power,” Iwere said. “We’ve worked in two states so far, and tremendously increased the number of women in the parties and positions of power; 180 percent in one state and 300 percent in the other. We’re trying to change the mindsets of people through experience, learning, and even self-awareness.”

With a forward-facing mindset, Iwere has been pondering sustainability and leadership succession since 1992, the beginning of CLP. As a longstanding grantee of the Ford Foundation, she heard about the ARNOVA-AROCSA NGO Leadership Fellowship Transition Program with collaboration between the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) Indianapolis. She knew CLP had challenges, such as building an endowment, which she wanted to address during her time in Indianapolis.

“During the program, I found myself reflecting on the past 25 years and questions about CLP that I’ve been wanting to answer,” Iwere said. “I don’t have all of the answers yet, but I found myself leaving with a better self-knowledge and greater clarity in terms of a sense of direction for myself and CLP.”

While Iwere was able to take time and learn from others in the program, she also impacted students and faculty at IUPUI.

From her mentor, Sara Johnson, director of executive education and clinical assistant professor from SPEA: “She’s modest and humble and willing to listen to anybody’s thoughts on what it was that she was doing. Courageous and resilient, her work has had significant impact in HIV/AIDS education, election reform, women’s rights and inclusion, and other areas. She has reinforced how impactful passion can be.”

Now, Iwere has returned to Nigeria to continue leading CLP, even as she begins her succession planning. Her focus though, remains on CLP’s community partners and impact.

“We’ll work with our partners and key leaders first, and then the board and donors next,” she said. “As an institution, we’re filling a huge gap, and I want to see CLP continue to make an impact.”

This is the third in a series of posts on the ARNOVA-AROCSA NGO Leadership Transition Fellows. Check back soon for more posts about the fellows.

30 years of building philanthropy

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Abby Rolland

Dr. Gene Tempel shares a story at the school's 30th anniversary celebration — Dr. Gene Tempel (far right) shares a story at the school’s 30th anniversary celebration with (from left to right) emeritus faculty member Fran Huelhs, senior administrative assistant Jennifer Staashelm, and affiliate faculty member Leslie Lenkowsky.

This past year, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy has celebrated its 30th anniversary as a center and school with multiple events, memorable quotes, words of inspiration, and more.

While there are thousands of faculty, staff, students, and alumni who have passed through the school’s doors, there are several individuals who have stayed with the then-center and school throughout the entirety of its history.

One of those individuals played an instrumental role in bringing The Fund Raising School to Indiana University and beginning the Center on Philanthropy. He also played a pivotal role as the founding dean when the center became a school in 2012.

Here, he shares some of his thoughts on the past 30 years and where he hopes to see the school venture next.

Dr. Gene Tempel remembers his first experience with philanthropy when his family’s house burned down, and his Southern Indiana neighbors all chipped in to help the family rebuild its life. Without any nonprofits in his small town, the church and church volunteers stepped in to help families when they needed it.

“I’ve been fascinated by philanthropy ever since that moment, but there wasn’t a way to think about it or talk about it with anybody. It was just something that people did,” Dr. Tempel said.

Years later when working in higher education in Indiana and Missouri, Dr. Tempel saw groups of people identify prospects and work together to fundraise. However, it wasn’t until he earned the job of assistant dean of development at the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University (Bloomington) in 1980 that he learned more about professionalized fundraising.

“I knew how to work with faculty, but I didn’t know anything about fundraising,” he said. “Then, this flyer came across my desk from The Fund Raising School. I met Hank and Dottie Rosso when I began taking courses and found the concepts Hank talked about fascinating.”

After that meeting, Dr. Tempel became more convinced that there should be a way to study and work on fundraising and philanthropy in an academic setting. An opportunity arose when a conversation with Mr. Rosso led to the idea of transferring The Fund Raising School to IUPUI and housing it in an academic institution. With help from Charles Johnson, the vice president of Lilly Endowment, and the support of the Endowment, they were able to transfer The Fund Raising School to Indianapolis and IUPUI.

It wasn’t always an easy journey, but Dr. Tempel and his colleagues worked hard to establish the center as a leading expert in the field. After receiving a grant from Lilly Endowment, the center was able to re-grant part of it to faculty applying their discipline to the study of philanthropy in order to help build talent in the field.

“We were able to bend these faculty members to conducting research through the lens of philanthropy by giving them course development grants,” Dr. Tempel said. “In addition to those research grants, the center also gave national dissertation fellowships to people studying philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, fundraising, and other related topics.”

However, it wasn’t just about the center. “One of our measures of success was that there were other places across the country doing this research,” he said. “We wanted to build a field of inquiry and education that went beyond ourselves. I believe we have succeeded in building and expanding the professional study and teaching of philanthropy.”

While other universities began and then dropped programs related to philanthropy, the Center on Philanthropy not only survived, it thrived.

“We had a lot of support. Many people contributed to the success of the center,” Dr. Tempel said. “It also became more acceptable at universities around the country to study philanthropy from an academic lens.

“One of my proudest moments and favorite memories was when we established the Ph.D. program in 2003. I realized that we had in fact built a field and had enough knowledge and faculty power base to accomplish this. We had built in one place the largest and most incredible faculty solely dedicated to this subject.”

Throughout the past 30 years, Dr. Tempel believes that the center and school has had a powerful impact on philanthropic research and the nonprofit sector.

“In addition to the grants and fellowships, we looked for people to draw in and ways we could be of assistance to people studying subjects close to or in the field,” he said. “Every time we helped someone build or create a new program, we enhanced the reputation of the center and school and became the go-to place on philanthropy.”

What does he find more satisfying, though? The impact of studying philanthropy on students and alumni.

“It’s easy to point out people who are in leadership positions in foundations, in fundraising, in other nonprofit work,” Dr. Tempel said. “We see that we made a small difference in their lives and their ability to be leaders in their organizations and communities.”

For Dr. Tempel personally, the influence has been tangible.

“Putting together the first courses on principles and practices of fundraising, nonprofit law, and following courses was one of my favorite roles,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed being students’ and now alumni’s teachers and mentors. Adding a budget in the original proposal for a philanthropic studies library with Dr. Jan Shipps was vital.

“I love looking out and seeing what other people are doing and how it relates to the idea that you had. Young people are going to continue to grow and develop the field in the next generation.”

In the next 30 years, Dr. Tempel hopes to see the school work with other subjects and schools to create a more comprehensive curriculum.

“I hope the school continues to grow and develop and that there will be more collaboration among faculty,” he said. “It’s an interdisciplinary program, which is on the rise in the university, and we can lead the way with that.

“This organization means so much to me. I realized once I helped start the Center on Philanthropy in 1987 that I could never leave it. Even when I became president of the IU Foundation, I did it with the knowledge that they would continue to build the center into becoming a school. Some people suggested that the capstone to my career was becoming the president of the IU Foundation. While that work was important, the most rewarding role for me has been building the center and school. I consider that a life’s work.”

A fundraising life

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Andy Ware

By Sarah K. Nathan

This post was originally published in Advancing Philanthropy.

It is still common to hear fundraisers say they “fell” into fundraising or that they came to it “accidentally.” This phenomenon is relatively unique to fundraising.

You don’t hear a surgeon say she “accidentally” went to medical school or an elementary school teacher indicate she “fell” into the classroom. Ever so slowly, the notion of the accidental fundraiser is beginning to change. To help us document and understand this change is a growing body of research about the fundraising profession. My own career journey illustrates much of the emerging research in our field.

I’ll begin in the present. Although I am not a fundraiser today, I care very much about fundraisers and fundraising work. That’s why my role in at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy is so special. Every day I am part of advancing the field by training fundraisers in our classrooms and understanding how the profession is changing through research. My colleague Gene Tempel and I conducted the largest survey of fundraising professionals since the mid-1990s.

Among our many discoveries was that fundraisers are coming to the profession younger, are increasingly learning the profession through formal education, and, at the same time, they desire more training and educational opportunities.

According to our research, the median age an individual takes her first fundraising job is 27, down from age 31 in the mid-1990s (Nathan & Tempel, 2017). I was a 19-year-old college student when I first started fundraising.

Phonathon was the highest-paying campus job and, feeling I needed more challenge, I added it to my weekly schedule. Turned out I was pretty good and I spent the following three academic years as a phonathon student manager. It also led me to a summer job in the alumni office where I was exposed to the comprehensive advancement program.

Was it an “accident” I got this campus job? Perhaps not totally, although at the time I had no idea just how much this “little” job would become my eventual career. Fast forward five years and I was the associate director of the college’s annual fund, responsible for the phonathon program and leading the charge for an automated phone center. Although I had been around fundraising throughout college, I still lacked formal training or education about the nonprofit sector.

I didn’t know what I didn’t know; nor did I know that professional development was something I could ask for. Despite what I learned on the job, I did not have the right vocabulary to advocate for my work internally or frameworks to think about my work strategically. If only someone had sent me to The Fund Raising School early on!

But I wasn’t alone as a young fundraiser. We have seen that more fundraisers are now learning how to be a fundraiser through formal education (21.1 percent) – an increase from only 10 percent in the 1990s. However, fundraisers learn the occupation in a variety of ways: mentoring (57.8 percent), conferences and workshops (70.8 percent), and through certifications (24.4 percent), to name a few.

Opportunities for academic and practioner-based fundraising training have grown tremendously over the last 20 years. And yet, fundraisers are eager for more.

In an analysis of the largest subgroup in our study—higher education fundraisers—participants reported that more training and education was among the most important things we can do to improve the profession (Shaker & Nathan, 2017). That desire to learn more is what first drew me to philanthropic studies at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

I was hungry to understand the “why”—the human contexts—for our work. And it was here that I discovered that philanthropy education was my deepest passion. Just as I taught undergraduate students working in the phonathon about fundraising and about job skills, today I continue that work as an educator – in both academic and practitioner (training) settings.

Like many younger fundraisers today, philanthropy has always been, and will be, my life’s work. Just last week I saw firsthand a classroom full of graduate students who positively affirmed their desire to search for fundraising work as a result of their fund development course.

My story—from student phonathon caller to philanthropy educator—illustrates a career path that is quickly becoming an informed and intentional choice. This marked change in fundraisers’ career journeys can be seen anecdotally on university campuses across the country and is now documented through research.

As the profession continues to grow, it is my privilege to educate new fundraisers while contributing to the scholarly work related to it.

Sarah K. Nathan, Ph.D. is associate director of The Fund Raising School, the nationally renowned professional training program for fundraising practitioners. As a true pracademic, she supports faculty and curriculum development while engaging in research about the fundraising profession. Dr. Nathan holds the M.A. and Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Undergraduate students honored for community engagement

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Abby Rolland

In 2006, the William M. Plater Civic Engagement Medallion was established in order to honor both graduating bachelor’s and master’s students who have illustrated excellent service to their community. The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy had three undergraduate students chosen to receive this honor this year. Here, Elliot Dunbar, Taylor Parker, and Rosie Tarlton explain how they were involved in the community during their undergraduate careers, how studying philanthropy influenced their community engagement, and their plans after graduating.

Abby Rolland (AR): Can you talk about yourself and your background?

Elliot Dunbar (ED): I’m graduating with a bachelor’s degree in philanthropic studies with a certificate in nonprofit management and a certificate in event management. I grew up in Greencastle, Indiana where I learned about community service and civic engagement through my youth group. I attended mission trips every summer growing up and fell in love with working in the community. I originally intended on studying paramedic science at IUPUI, but after working on the ambulance, decided I wanted a different career and stumbled across philanthropy. After taking a few classes, I chose to make it my major.

Taylor Parker (TP): I’m a graduating philanthropic studies student with keen interest in celebrity philanthropy and civic engagement. Throughout my time in the program, I’ve worked alongside Dr. Sara Konrath and served on the executive board for the Philanthropy Ambassadors Club.

Rosie Tarlton (RT): I’m graduating with a degree in philanthropic studies. I attended Jagathon, IUPUI’s Dance Marathon, as a senior in high school because I was a 2015 Riley Champion. Riley Champions are 7-8 individuals who have overcome adversity in their medical journeys and have continued to give back to the hospital. I shared my story at Jagathon and I loved it. I knew then I wanted to attend IUPUI and be a part of that organization. I started as an ASL interpreting major but through a conversation with an advisor learned about the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. I immediately started taking classes, and realized that this school is the place for me.

AR: How have you engaged and served the community throughout your time at IUPUI?

RT: First and foremost, I participated in Jagathon during my three years here. I was a committee member the first year on the family relations committee and then went onto two director roles on the executive board my last two years (director of outreach events and director of community engagement). This year we raised just over a half-million dollars—a recording breaking fundraising year for us! I also volunteered over 90 hours in the Child Life Zone at Riley Children’s Hospital over the span of three semesters. This is a fun area in the hospital for patients and their families to escape the medical aspect of the hospital.

TP: My primary passion is civic engagement, so I’ve used my time as an undergraduate student to help other students get involved and stay involved. This has happened through volunteering as a site leader during IUPUI’s Days of Service as well as hosting events, like clothes swaps and menstrual product drives, that allow students to see and serve a varied set of issues that the IUPUI community faces.

ED: Throughout my time here, I have been involved with Sigma Alpha Epsilon in various positions of leadership. I was able to get engaged with local organizations and help plan fundraising events supporting homeless and at-risk veterans and raising awareness and support for Riley Children’s Hospital. After my sophomore year, I spent the summer as a work projects coordinator with the organization YouthWorks in Logan, WV, where my team and I led local high-schoolers to plan and execute over 30 service projects. I studied abroad in Berlin, Germany and learned about the nonprofit sector there, which helped me better understand global philanthropy. Now, I work for the Indiana Masonic Home Foundation as a development associate. I have also taken on the youth director position at my home church and spend Sunday afternoons mentoring middle and high school students and helping them find ways to get involved in the community.

AR: How has your philanthropic studies education and experiences contributed to your involvement in the community?

TP: My education has shaped the way I go into any community event. I’m hyper-aware of my intentions in philanthropy and conscious of how my actions impact others along with the weight of my impact. My philanthropy is still tangible, but I intellectualize the process now.

RT: I am able to utilize what I learn in the classroom and implement it into the work that I do in the community. The fundraising skills and knowledge is what I have used most in the community during my work to raise funds for pediatric research. Also, bringing the work that I do in the community into my classwork is valuable for me when I am completing specific assignments because I am able to relate back to my experience and how it connects with the philanthropic studies curriculum.

ED: Through the school, I have learned how to be a more effective leader in my communities and I have been motivated and encouraged to explore new and innovative ways to make an impact.

AR: What are your next steps (in terms of future education, career plans, etc.) and how would you like to continue your engagement with the community?

ED: After graduating this May, I am continuing into the M.A. program with the school where I hope to learn more about economics, law, and development to make me a better practitioner of the field. As I go forward, I plan to find ways to be engaged in the community and connect them to my passions to make a difference in the world.

TP: I will be working at Newfields this summer as their docent program intern. Beyond that, I intend on working in philanthropy through the arts professionally, while helping my artist friends coordinate their own philanthropy on the side through establishing nonprofit relationships and hosting benefit shows.

RT: After this semester, I will be the development intern for Indiana University Foundation and the IUPUI School of Science. In August I will have completed all of my degree requirements and will officially be a graduate of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. After my internship, I hope to enter the nonprofit sector to do fundraising.

It’s truly an honor to have received this award. I am thankful for the opportunities, experience, and knowledge that the staff and faculty of this school have provided me. This would not be possible without the support from those at IUPUI, my family, and friends.

Tarlton was also chosen as a recipient of IUPUI’s Top 100, while master’s students Kinga Horvath and Mohamed Merzoug were also chosen as Plater Medallion recipients.

Involving and engaging fellow students: A day in the life of a bachelor’s student

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Abby Rolland

What does a day look like in the life of a philanthropic studies student? We’re about to show you. In this series, three students in three different academic programs (Ph.D., M.A., and B.A.) take you inside their lives for a day to show you what it’s like learning, living, and breathing philanthropy. This week we highlight a day in the life of bachelor’s student Jonathon Hawkins.

My name is Jonathon Hawkins, a junior in the bachelor’s program at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. I was born in Indianapolis and grew up for the first nine years of my life in Tipton, Indiana. Then, I moved to San Antonio, Texas with my family. After I turned 12, I came back to Indy and I have been here ever since. I graduated from Southport High School and then, my world traveler parents decided to move to Houston and are currently in Oklahoma City. And while I for sure miss my parents, being away from them has allowed me the opportunity to grow as a person and do all sorts of amazing things.

Here at IUPUI, I am currently an incredibly active member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), a social fraternity on campus, as well as currently (two more weeks) serving as the president of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG). I am incredibly passionate about Jagathon, IUPUI’s dance marathon, and work hard every year to support the kiddos at Riley Children’s Hospital in any way I can.

One thing people often underestimate is the time a student has to devote when it comes to not only being a student but also living a life that they enjoy. As such, I am quite busy. What follows is an account of an average Wednesday, in this case April 18, 2018. While busy, it’s good to note that I enjoy what I do. I would never give so much of my life to something that I didn’t care about.

Typical Wednesday

5:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.	Work downtown at the Irsay YMCA
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.	Make breakfast and walk to campus
10:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.	Class with Dr. Burlingame and Professor Pruitt
1:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Hangout in the Cube area with my fraternity brothers and work on a group project
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Ten-year anniversary planning for my fraternity
5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Prep for Take Back the Night
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.	Hold executive meeting for USG
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.	Take Back the Night walk against sexual violence
8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.	Library time

I work at the Irsay Family YMCA in downtown Indianapolis as a wellness coach from 5 a.m. – 9 a.m. every Wednesday and Thursday. My daily duties consist of watching the wellness floor, working with individuals who have a passion for working out and designing plans for them, and overall making sure that people are practicing proper techniques.

The cool thing about working at the YMCA is that I get to see the bottom level of one of America’s largest nonprofit organizations without actually working in the administration side. It’s influenced my view of eventually working for nonprofits someday through a few key insights. First off, you have to value everyone. At the YMCA, from the CEO all the way down to a custodian, there is a mutual respect for every position, and I’ve learned to be successful this is what you must do.

Second, not everything you think of a nonprofit is true. Many people just think of organizations who ask for money (constantly) and want tax breaks. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. At the Y, I have had the chance to actually see how a little bit of help can make a change in someone’s life at any level and the joy it brings to do such a thing.

Just getting started

I currently live in an apartment right next to campus and will usually head there immediately after work. I’m greeted usually (unless it’s been a long night of studying) by my roommate, Alex Brinker, a kinesiology major graduating this May and hoping to attend medical school here at IU. With him, I have learned many of my best study techniques.

Once home however, I’ll typically shower, change, make myself some breakfast (I’m partial to frozen waffles), and then start my walk to campus. Some days this is a very casual walk, while others, considering Indiana’s indecisiveness on weather, can be quite frantic trying to stay out of the cold. On this specific day, it’s actually quite nice.

On Wednesdays, I have two philanthropic studies courses. At 10:30 a.m., I get the opportunity to be taught by Dr. Dwight Burlingame in PHST-210 Philanthropy and the Social Sciences. In this course, we’ve had the opportunity to look at the philanthropic sector as a whole, and establish why people give and where they give, while also (slowly but surely) come up with an amazing song about philanthropy.

Shortly after that, I also have the chance to be in PHST-212 Philanthropy and Civic Engagement, taught by Professor Anna Pruitt. In this course, I have been introduced to two very unique nonprofits in Indianapolis. They are the Dayspring Center and Wheeler Mission. Being able to visit these organizations has offered a chance for me to really to see how nonprofits have to work hard for all they do, as well as shown me the rampancy of homelessness in Indianapolis.

After my time in class, I always try to block out both some free time and time to study. I usually make my way over to the Campus Center and first grab lunch. On days like today, Chick-fil-A is a must considering its status as the best form of southern comfort food on campus. I always go to the Cube on the third floor and try and sit with my brothers talking about anything ranging from chapter business, sports, to just the usual check-in on younger brothers.

Project time

As an SAE member since 2015, I have had the opportunity to serve in a plethora of leadership roles ranging from recruitment chair to the Eminent Archon (President) this past year in which we had worked to accomplish many goals, including, but not limited to building a stronger brotherhood, increasing our chapter size, and making our presence known on this campus.

During this time, I also try and accomplish as much work as possible on one of the group projects I am working on. In my PHST-212 course, I am currently working on a community action project concerning housing affordability in the Indianapolis area. Our goal is to provide information to our class and other students about housing affordability in Indianapolis as well as introduce us to nonprofits attempting to help support those affected by housing affordability in Indy.

The other project I am currently working on is the final exam for my PHST-330 Intro to Fundraising class. With this course, we have worked all semester to learn the basics of not only fundraising, but the foundation to building a successful nonprofit. And with our final exam, we take a look at a case study involving an improperly handled nonprofit, and how to reverse its course from the top down. This course is taught by the legendary professor Bill Stanczykiewicz, from whom I have learned not only how to effectively fundraise, but how to truly be a better man.

On this specific Wednesday, I’ve scheduled out time from 3-5 p.m. to sit down and develop the plan for my chapter’s 10-year anniversary committee. This fall we are celebrating our 10th year here at IUPUI (second-oldest fraternity) and there a lot of components to what we plan to do. Part of the plan calls for fundraising around $5,000 for our operations from alumni in the Indianapolis area and $20,000 for Jagathon, our philanthropy.

Figuring out exactly how we are going to accomplish this is a big part of our planning and my experience in philanthropy has helped in several ways. First off, I have learned how to conduct an effective fundraising campaign, and also how to get people behind an idea. The right idea is the key to any successful fundraising campaign. And second, our program has taught me to unleash my passion, and truly give all of my support to a cause.

The next few hours are especially busy. This specific Wednesday is the day of Take Back the Night, a walk through our campus to show solidarity and support for survivors of sexual violence as well as a community speak out in our Campus Center atrium.

Up until this point, I have worked with the SAAM (Sexual Assault Awareness Month) Planning Committee on not only this event, but other events as well. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to participate in the actual walk due to a conflicting meeting. However, I was told afterward we had a nice turnout from students and faculty at the walk-through campus.

That conflicting meeting happened to be an Exec meeting for the USG. I have been lucky enough to serve as the president of USG since May 2017. Public service is something I have always believed in. Working with the USG, I have had the opportunity to convey student thoughts and feelings about various issues to not only the Chancellor, but the entire IUPUI administration and Board of Trustees for Indiana University.

For me, one moment this year that really made the entire experience was the moment I was able to speak about the past USG elections and our commitment to student life at Jagathon. Immediately following this speech, we had the largest voter turnout in years for our election. At this specific meeting, we are discussing legislation for the last couple weeks of school as well as how we should go transition to the next administration.

Winding down a busy day

If you thought this was over, you aren’t necessarily wrong. The fun part of my day is most certainly over. At around this time, especially with finals near, I will usually head to the library (also where this is being written!) and work on either my projects or other random projects. It just happens to also be dinner time, so like many other nights, UberEATS is my savior. Then after a couple hours of studying, I head home to a comfy bed and rest after such a busy day. After all, I’m going to have to get up tomorrow and do it all over again.

Now to say that was a busy day is an understatement. But what’s important is this isn’t a rare case. To be successful at what you want to do in life it takes time. I have always been told that you will get out what you put in when it comes to life. And with that mentality, I strive to be as involved in our campus as possible.

I strive to improve conditions for every student so that every single one of us has a better experience. Far too many students come to school and just go home at the end of the day. There is an entire community of engaged students waiting to welcome them with open arms, and you don’t have to be as involved as myself. I merely just like taking things to the next level.