The Impact Project is a peer-to-peer student philanthropy education initiative that started in the 2018-19 academic year. It replaced our Senior Class gift model, which was inciting anger, frustration, and annoyance out of our student body. Our participation numbers were not only declining—our student volunteers (down to just one) were getting harassed when tabling for the program. The Impact Project was born out of this and is a complete rebranding of philanthropy education for us. It is modeled after a socially-conscious start up. We co-brand a limited-edition item each year with a different Minnesota company (promoting local business). Each year we have a different focus as well.
From the Judges
This submission is an innovative way to address the challenge of student philanthropy in a way that resonates with students, the intended audience. To acknowledge when something isn’t working and devise a plan to try something new—and find success—is deserving of acknowledgement. By creating a sense of urgency through limited edition items, students are inclined to take action each year to give. A similar model could be used at other schools, and it provides students the opportunity to network with alumni business owners, which are valuable interactions for students and alumni alike. The program is relatively new, but will likely see continued success in future years.
