The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy is the first school dedicated solely to the study and teaching of philanthropy. Since its inception, it has demonstrated a commitment to training and empowering students and practitioners to innovate and lead to create positive and lasting change in the world. This includes its growing bachelor’s, certificate, and master’s programs offering students a mix of theory and practice.

Through The Patterson Foundation’s unique position of having an unfettered charter, it can undertake work in ways others are not doing, cannot do, or will not do. In that spirit, supporting a course that allows students to explore the future of work in the philanthropic sector through the lens of The Patterson Foundation’s initiatives opens up possibilities for a new generation of leadership.

The focus of "The Future of Work in the Philanthropic Sector: Experiential Learning with The Patterson Foundation" is to connect students to living examples of innovative philanthropic strategy through The Patterson Foundation and its connections to nonprofits in its home region. The course explores these questions:

• What may the philanthropic sector look like in the future?
• What will it take to build sustainable organizations tackling systemic problems within our local communities, country, and the world?
• How are innovative partnerships begun and sustained?
• What competencies and qualities will leaders of the future need?
• What ideas, questions, and recommendations do thought leaders have about the future of the philanthropic sector?
• Why are foundations different from other nonprofits?

Led by an Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy faculty member, the course meets weekly on the IU campus. It culminates with a weeklong spring Study Away experience in Sarasota, taught by The Patterson Foundation staff and consultants, connecting students with local nonprofits to further explore these areas.

Philanthropy is a field of possibilities with many different avenues for professional growth. By focusing the course on a group of broad but tangible topic areas drawing on learnings from The Patterson Foundation’s initiatives, students can partake in projects and experiences that accurately represent what work in the field may look like. Previous course offerings have focused on the following concepts:

• Inspiring Philanthropy through the Giving Challenge
• Capacity Building through Nonprofit Thrivability
• High Touch, High Tech through the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
• More Than Money Philanthropy through Digital Access for All

Read more about the experiences of the students who participated in previous offerings of the course on The Patterson Foundation’s blog.

The experiential nature of the course offers a unique opportunity to live philanthropic work in real environments. Because there is a mix of undergraduate and graduate students, this exposure allows for meaningful participation across the experience and interest spectrum.

The Patterson Foundation is proud to showcase the Suncoast’s vibrant philanthropic ecosystem.

This course is being offered again in spring 2023.

The course is open to any undergraduate or master’s student at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The response from students has been enthusiastic for previous iterations of the course, with registration closing early to meet demand. Any additional opportunities to participate in the course will be announced here and on the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s websites in the future.

The course is an endeavor of the Advancing Philanthropic Leadership initiative and the partnership between the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and The Patterson Foundation, but there is no direct link between the course and the Fellows Program. The course is not a requirement to apply for the Fellows Program.

For more information, contact initiative manager Dr. Donald R. Bowman: dbowmantpf@gmail.com.