Charitable giving in the United States topped 370 billion dollars in 2016, and over 70% of those dollars came from individual giving. Is this money well spent? Unfortunately, only some charities are effective. This course will cover the scope and diversity of the nonprofit sector, as well as individual patterns of giving and volunteering. A significant portion of the course will focus on providing students with the tools and skills to evaluate charitable programs for effectiveness using social scientific techniques.
Based on their own evaluations, students will have the opportunity to distribute significant funds, at least $25,000 (provided through The Philanthropy Lab and individual donors), to charitable organizations. Students will be placed into groups that will do extensive research on a category of nonprofits, ultimately deciding which charities will receive funds through discussion and debate.