Students4Giving

Cynthia Killingsworth, Lead Instructor

2012 rock creek class

2012 Rock Creek Winter Students4Giving Class

What is Students4Giving?

Students4Giving was created in September 2007 through a Campus Compact and Fidelity® Charitable Gift Fund initiative to educate and inspire a generation of engaged citizens, philanthropists, and community leaders. Portland Community College was one of five academic institutions in the nation selected to create a donor advised fund to offer grants to non-profit organizations within their communities.

This past year, PCC's Students4Giving participants have accomplished the following:

  • Winter participants in the Rock Creek Campus Business 208: Introduction to Nonprofits and Philanthropy course selected a funding focus of Developing Self-sustainable Living with Respect to Transitional and Preventative Services as part of their course curriculum.  At the end of the term three Washington County grant recipients were selected and received funding for a total of $10,000. 
  • Winter participants in Dr. Kim Smith’s Sociology 280B: Community Action and Service Seminar course reviewed youth grant requests for community projects and made their recommendations to the Multnomah Youth Commission. A little under $10,000 in grants was given to eleven community youth projects.
  • During the fall term, student volunteers from four Business 212: Principles of Accounting II courses and one BA 205: Business Communication course at both Sylvania and Rock Creek conducted an online fundraising auction. This event, along with a campus textbook drive and individual donations, has raised the funds to sustain future grants and expand the program.

How Can I Get Involved?

  • Enroll in BA 208: Introduction to Nonprofits and Philanthropy course.
  • Enroll in Kim Smith’s section of Sociology 280B: Community Service and Action Seminar at Sylvania for the winter term.
  • We welcome auction items and cash donations throughout the year. Please see How can you donate to Students4Giving?.
  • Please contact our lead instructor Cynthia Killingsworth with your ideas and questions.

Students4Giving

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Our Mission

The Portland Community College’s Students4Giving mission is to educate students in the field of charitable giving by identifying and allocating funds to local non-profits that strive to solve social problems, have a strong impact, and demonstrate financial need. By developing sustainable relationships between students, college, non-profits, and community, the efforts of our project will create a lasting impact, beckoning in a new era of philanthropy. 

What Students are Saying...

"The thing that surprised me the most was finding out that this was not your typical classroom and that the majority of the class would be directed by us, the students, and that the focus was on the process and to learn by doing; that and the fact that we had $10,000 in real money that we would be responsible for distributing. That responsibility to something and someone other than yourself and to your own grade in the class really made this a special learning environment. It never felt like a class to me; I enjoyed the experience very much."

Shane Moulder