I chose to interview my mom because it was convenient and I wanted to know her thoughts on MSP and Philanthropy itself. One of the main questions that I asked was, “What is your definition of philanthropy?” Her response was funny. She said, from her understanding, she thought it was getting rid of extra money by donating it. She was somewhat close but not quite. I also asked, “If you were to ever be a philanthropist, what major problem in the world would you want to donate to?” She replied with the homeless. From her answer, I used it as an example to explain to her that it’s more than just giving away money and that it is about being passionate about something and making a difference in the community, country, or even world. From this conversation, I learned that many people do not actually know what philanthropy is although almost everyone is passionate about something.
MSP
This whole experience has taught me a lot about the real world and my own self. I learned how you should research any organization you are considering, no matter what it is for. Also, I learned that I can do anything I set my mind to. I did not think I was able to call someone and ask them all these questions. Once I did, I felt accomplished. I love MSP!
Debriefing a 990 Tax Form
I was absent during the day that Ryan came to discuss 990 Tax Forms. Today, though, I had my class mates help me and the process was pretty easy once I got the hang of it. It was actually so easy that maybe I might consider doing this as a career. That would be cool. I started to help my classmates that were having trouble with their 990’s.
Calling Organizations
At first I was really scared to call my organization that I was looking into. After I got on the phone I realized that it wasn’t that big of a deal. The lady was really nice and knew a lot of information for the questions that I was asking. I called Stop Hunger Now. When I asked for their 990 Tax Form she said I could find it online. My next step is to look for it. I’m excited to see what a 990 actually looks like!
week 3
When creating my purpose, vision, and mission statements I learned the process for being a philanthropist. It was hard at first to determine what would go where but after finishing, it made sense. It really describes what our group wants, how we will get what we want, and why we are doing so. When I reach out to organizations this week, I expect it to be hard at first. But, after calling a few people I think it will become easy. It will be a good experience to talk to people who work for organizations that interest my group. It will be weird I think talking to people at first because I will have to be professional.