Northwestern College’s Chicago Business Communication Students Develop Mock Non-Profits to Assist “Real World” Charities

[Chicago-Jefferson Park, IL]  During the Fall Quarter at Northwestern College’s Chicago Campus, student teams learned to develop not-for-profit organizations in their Business Communication class, and then in an added twist, each team was paired with a real world charity to help their cause.  Finally, the conclusion of the project entailed the hosting of a two-day Charity Fair during the first week of December for the entire Jefferson Park Campus in order to enlist donations and support during the holiday season. 

Business Communications Associate Professor Robert Milstein wanted his students to truly understand what it meant to see beyond themselves to the larger community, and to understand that service to a cause requires a deep understanding and application of communication principles.  So as part of their coursework, the students in his Business Communications classes were put on teams and required to pick a not-for-profit charity that interested them.  They were then charged with developing strategic plans, preparing budgets, designing advertisements and brochures as well as conducting fundraising activities both on campus as well as across the city. But what started out as a classroom assignment quickly gained in momentum as students took the assignments so seriously that one group showed up in a Chicago radio station studio to enlist support of their charity; another group is continuing to work with real-life victims to obtain not-for-profit status for their cause; and another group through its efforts actually influenced a child to include food donations as part of the “entrance fee” to their birthday party.

“Students have been creatively linking classroom knowledge with the real world while learning about not-for-profit and business communication methods,” commented Professor Milstein.  “In fact, each group has a Twitter and Facebook account for their charity, thus, using social networking to spread the word to family and friends.”

The student causes selected by these Northwestern College students include: 1)Wisdom Pals, which is accepting donations by mail or on line for Chicago Youth Programs; 2)Bring Your Heart Home, which is selling bracelets on campus to support the Wounded Warriors project; 3)Liquid Hope for Life, a charity involving clean water, which is accepting donations on-line for clean water wells in Rwanda; 4)The Pet Police, which provides food and toys to various animal shelters and the Tree House Chicago; 5)Conquer Hunger Chicago, which is accepting non-perishable foods on campus for The Greater Area Chicago Food Depository; 6)Healing Hands, which is collecting items such as diapers, toiletries, clothing, baby food and other necessities for a family, via YWCA/Evanston, a shelter for women and families which also works to combat violence against women and children; 7)Little D.O.V.E.S., which is collecting books on campus for children in the WITS Program (Working in the Schools) - a literacy program – as well as volunteering to tutor at the facility; 8)Daniel’s Gifts, which is collecting new and used toys (in excellent condition) for Children’s Hospitals (with the students currently working with “Daniel’s” family on the process of incorporating Daniel’s Gifts as a 501(c)(3) organization; 9)Eternal Love Shelter, accepting new and like-new winter clothing for the charity, You Can Make It, a respite for the homeless; and 10)Cherish Wigs for Children, which is accepting donations on-line for Wigs for Kids, a charity for children who have lost their hair due to trauma, such as cancer or war.

Collection boxes and additional information on each of these charities are available at both buildings at Northwestern College’s Chicago Campus in Jefferson Park, including 4829 N. Lipps Avenue and 4811 N. Milwaukee Avenue.  Students designed and built each of the collection boxes, designed their charity’s logo, created brochures and posted information on bulletin boards at each campus building.

Anyone interested in assisting any of the aforementioned charities can also contact Associate Professor Milstein at rmilstein@nc.edu or reach out to the sister charities directly. 

About Northwestern College:

Northwestern College (NC) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, http://www.ncahlc.org.  The college offers focused career-oriented associate degree and certificate programs with flexible schedules and a supportive faculty. Day, evening, weekend, online classes and online programs are available with campuses in Chicago, Bridgeview, and Naperville. More information can be found at www.northwesterncollege.eduor by calling toll-free (888) 205-2283.