The Most Important Thing

This semester I learned a lot, probably more than I wanted to about the non-profit sector. Two facts about the nonprofit sector led to my understanding of “the most important thing I learned in the class”:

1. All non-profits are not charities or foundations. There are non-profit organizations for professional groups and others.  There were organizations that until this semester I never knew were non-profit, some that I would love to work for.

2. Executive Directors and other officers of non-profit organizations make a pretty big salary.

3. The non-profit affects several aspects of almost everyone’s life.

These three facts led me to the realization that I would love to work for the nonprofit sector. While I would be glad to work for a charitable foundation, there are also non-profit organizations that focus on my field of study and future career field. For example, this semester I interned for the American Bar Association, which is a 501 (c)(6).  However, there are several 501(c)(3) organizations under its umbrella.  There are also nonprofit organizations in areas that I would love to work in such as: child welfare and inmate re-entry into society.  In the future I would also like to study non-profit fundraising.

In conclusion, I guess the most important thing (s) I learned about the nonprofit sector is:

1. I would like to learn more about it.

2. I would like to work in it.

3. Derek Sweetman is a great teacher.

China vs. Australia

I chose to compare China to Australia because they are both places that I would love to visit in the near future. I found a few things similar about the nonprofit sectors of these two countries.  The first is that in the past twenty years the governments of each of these countries have reduced social programs which led to a demand for a larger civil society sector.  The “non-profit sectors” of both of the countries are divided into different categories. In China, there are two: social organizations and nongovernmental and noncommercial enterprises.  Australia’s nonprofit sector is no considered one separate entity so the nonprofit organizations are recognized separately according to the field or purpose they serve.

NONPROFIT BLOG

In order to find a nonprofit blog, I googled “nonprofit blog”. As I looked through the results I found the Oxfam blog. Since someone in this course is researching the organization, I thought this would be a great example to write about.  The name of the blog is “Generation Why”  On this blog you can find entries on each and every issues addressed by the organization: climate change, conflict and disaster, debt and aid, democracy and human rights, education, gender, health, livelihoods and trade. This entire list is shown on the “issues” portion of the blog site.  In another section they show phoos of the writers and explain how to become a writer for them.  Apparently, they are always in need of talented writers.  Although it is a blog site, this site looks very complicated like a regular website.  Also most of the posts I read were only advertising for concerts that benefit their issues.  The URL is: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/generationwhy/blog/

11/30/08 12:11 A.M.

EL Post 8

Recently I’ve been preparing for the MS Walk that I have done for the past 2 years. Each year I register my team far in advance so we can raise lots of money to find a cure for MS.  My mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis almost 9 years ago. Since then I occasionally read about her illness in publications issued by the MS Society and other MS education and advocacy organizations. Someday I hope there is a cute for the disease.

The National MS Society is made up of MS sufferers and other individuals who want to move toward world without MS.  There are chapters in each of the 50 states.  They Society is helping to further research on MS by pursuing prevention, treatment and cures for the disease.  They also work hard assist those living with MS and their families.  Another important part of their work is to put pressure on politicians to become advocates for MS.

These types of organizations are very important to civil society because it gives people who may not have one one, a voice.

EL POST 7

It really took a lot of searching for me to find posts for this week!  Luckily, my life involves non-profits that I didn’t know about.  I regularly volunteer at a community center that is run by the Fairfax County government.  However, my sorority sisters and I volunteer at the Computer Clubhouse which is a nonprofit organization.  It was founded in 1993 by The Computer Museum and the MIT Media Lab.  There are six community centers in the state of Virginia that offer the program. Surprisingly, the news section of the website displays numerous articles spotlighting the Clubhouse. The reason I say it is surprising is that the program in Fairfax is in serious need to participants. When I visit there are usually more volunteers than children.  This gave me a better idea of the program on a much larger scale. The Clubhouses are usually under privileged areas. Since Fairfax County is not exactly poor, I assume less children need to take advantage of the program because they have more options.

The mission of the Computer Clubhouse is as follows: “The Computer Clubhouse provides a creative and safe after-school learning environment where young people from underserved communities work with adult mentors to explore their own ideas, develop skills, and build confidence in themselves through the use of technology. Using the “original” Clubhouse as a model, the Computer Clubhouse Network supports community-based Clubhouses around the world, providing thousands of youth with access to resources, skills, and experiences to help them succeed in their careers, contribute to their communities, and lead outstanding lives.”

My sorority works with this organization because one of our platforms focuses on technology. The leadership in my sorority believes that it is important for undergraduate members to do as much as we can to ensure that people in our community are technology savvy.

Barack Obama’s “Social Investment Fund Network”

I thought it would be interesting to write about Barack Obama’s plan to help out the nonprofit sector. On his website www.barackobama.com there is a ’service’ section where he lists his plans with regard to community service.  One of the is to create the Social Investment Fund Network which will ” use federal seed money to leverage private sector funding.” There will also be an agency dedicated to helping the nonprofit sector.

About NDI…

I think Tuesdays guess speaker was great. Her speech really helped me to understand the situation in Zimbabwe and across other African countries. The most interesting portion of her speech was when she talked about how one of the NDI volunteers or staff was detained in Zimbabwe although he was not doing anything illegal. I was alarmed to hear that this type of thing happens. Although I was inspired to work with an organization that benefits countries outside of the U.S. this did make me think twice about where I might go.  Aside from here speech about NDI, I felt that she was definitely an inspiring woman because she is doing what she loves and helping people at the same time. She was also very intelligent and very well-spoken.

EL Post 6: Sewanhaka (EL #2: Breast Cancer)

Sewanhaka wrote about the Susan G. Komen organization which is a nonprofit that raises money for research on breast cancer and raises awareness of the disease. My life has been affected by several organizations focusing on breast cancer because my aunt was diagnosed with the disease a few years ago. She is currently going through her third bout with breast cancer.  As such, I frequently go to meetings and informational events about breast cancer. Recently, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. held a breast cancer information session hosted by the Sisters Network, Inc or SNI.    SNI is the only national breast cancer survivorship organization for African American women.  At the informational, the ladies discussed the importance of regular examinations. They also explained that although it is a much higher risk for old women, young women do develop cancer as well.

The mission of SNI is to increase local and national attention to the devastating impact that breast cancer has in the African American community.  It carries out its mission through several programs such as the Gift for Like Black Walk, the Pink Ribbon Awareness Project and STOP THE SILENCE.  Their website is: http://www.sistersnetworkinc.org/

EL Post 5

Today I went to a sorority meeting with our local graduate chapter. I know I write and talk about my sorority a lot but right now its a big part of my life. I learned that our graduate chapter has a 501 (c)(3) organization called the Educational and Charitable Organization of LKO.  The mission of ECF of LKO  ”to provide educational and charitable services to individuals, families, groups and organizations in the Northern Virginia area, without regard to race, religion or ethnicity.” Rather than receive donations our graduate chapter accepts donations through the ECF of LKO.

According to Wikipedia (a nonprofit information database) some non-501(c)(3) nonprofits often create their own 501(c)(3) organizations so that donors can receive tax deductions for their donations.  They carry out all of the community service and charitable giving through ECF of LKO. ECF holds several fundraisers annually including a highly successful booksigning.  

Although, I have not thoroughly researched the reasons for creating a non-profit, I think it’s a great idea to create one in order for people who give to receive some reward. One day, I plan to own my business. When that happens I will definitely create my own non-profit to benefit my community.

EL Post 4

I am at the point in my life where I’m trying to decide what I will do with my future after college. At this time, I am planning to go to law school to eventually become an attorney for the state of federal government.  One of the first steps to applying to law school is taking the Law School Admissions Test or the LSAT. Surprisingly this test is administered by a non-profit organization called the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC).  LSAC was found in 1947 to coordinate, facilitate and enhance the law school admission process.  The members of the organization are over 200 law schools from America, Canada and Australia.

LSAC provide several services related to the law school admissions process. The first is administering the LSAT.  The LSAT is a required text for all ABA approved laws in the U.S. and many in Canada and Australia.  The test helps law schools to make better decisions regarding applicants.  It measures, critical thinking. reading and comprehension and other skills that will be necessary to succeed in law school. The second service provided by LSAC is the LSDAS. Through this service, the LSAC centralizes and standardizes the records of law school applicants to simplify the process. The third service is the CRS or Candidate Referral Service. This service allows law schools to search for potential applicants. LSAC also holds several  law school forums and publishes materials to help students decide the legal education future.  Soon I will be taking the LSAT in preparation for law school so I will need to work with the LSAC.