After interviewing my mom, i learned a lot about her that i did not know before hand. For example, my mom felt strongly on saving your money and to not spend it all on things that i don’t really need. I interviewed my mom because my mom is very interested in philanthropy and wanted to help me. Something that i learned from this that also surprised me was how my mom was the leader of the drill team. Overall, the experience interviewing my mom was very interesting to me.

I learned a lot from the recent panel discussion from the previous week. During the panel, my group got to learn all about the Boonton food pantry and also other groups charities. Not only did we learn about them financially but we learned them on a personal level where my group felt comfortable to speak with them. I Believe that by seeing the new charities that come in the next class, will help me decide which one to choose. I am learning from my groups fundraiser that many people care for the fight against hunger.

By using ways to evaluate a company, you can learn many things about it. For example, by examining the 990s i was able to see where all the money was going to through out the organization. I feel that by doing this, i am able to see if i would want to invest in it. Also i believe that it helps me see if the company puts money towards its cause instead of fundraising or employment. I think that there is more value in some methods then others. At this moment my group is able to find non-profits very easily and which is a potential investment.

This week while researching my cause/organization I found out that they spend most of their money on the Program and its activities. This showed me that my organization cares for its program and does not hold money away. They spend a total of 87% of their money on their cause which is crazy.

I feel that it was important to look at the numbers of my organization because it helped me see where the money was going to. If i did not know where the money was going, it would be hard for me to determine which organization to donate to.

When creating my groups Purpose, Vision and Mission statements, I found that me and my group members work very well together. For example, we were all able to come up with our “purpose” very easily. This helped me see that our group can work and come up with ideas together. Also i was able to see how other members in my group felt about the topic of Hunger.

During this week i expect that when reaching out to different organizations, i will be able to learn more about each charity. I believe that by getting more information, will help my group decide which to donate to. Also i expect to be talking to different organizations frequently this week.

This week during our Brown Bag Activity i was able to learn a lot about myself and my group members. For example one common theme among my group members is that we all are involved in sports. To me, this means that we all enjoy being part of a team to reach a common goal. Another thing that i learned is that we all have leadership qualities and care for others. By sharing three things that are important to us we got to know each other even better.

Our team will be helping to fund raise for hunger. We are currently working on the details for a 3v3 basketball tournament. As of this moment the specifics for this fundraiser are still being discussed.

After completing the MAD Cards exercise, i found it very difficult to choose only three concerns. I believe that all of the topics that were presented on the cards are all very important. The three that i chose were Veterans and service personnel, Educational institutions and Hunger. This made me think deeper about those specific topics and made me really want to contribute to these three causes. Something that i learned about myself is that i really want to be involved with helping all causes and not just three. I felt that i could make a difference in all of the issues on the cards and especially the three i chose. Another thing that i learned about everyone else in the class is that they were faced with the same problem as me. They all care deeply about the other issues we learned about.

I hope to gain from MSPA the ability to create a plan and have it be successful. Also i hope to make a difference in someone else’s life. With this program i feel that i will be able to be part of a group of people that all work for a common cause. Overall I hope to gain knowledge that i will be able to use for the rest of my life, and be part of an experience that i will never forget.