82 Counseling and Values ■ January 2007 ■ Volume 51

Research and Theory

© 2007 by the American Counseling Association. All rights reserved.

Philanthropy: A Method for Teaching Counselors to Be Social Advocates in the Age of Modern Behavioral Health Care

William O’Connell and Margery Shupe

Graduate counseling programs are proficient in training direct service provid-ers but less able to teach the business of sustaining a community agency’s services. Modern philanthropy emphasizes social advocacy by investing in change that benefits the local community and respects the diverse cultural experiences of potential clients and stakeholders. Teaching philanthropy in an introductory graduate counseling course provides one avenue to prepare future counselors to both understand the importance of and be actively involved in sustaining a community counseling agency’s mission.

Counselorshelp fulfill a community counselingagencymissionbyparticipatinginassessment,therapy,documentation,treatmentplan-ning,andreferrals(Nystul,2006).Theseareskillsthataretaughtin

counseloreducationprograms.However,thecounselingliteratureindicatesthatcounselingstudentsneedmore-than-effectivecounselingskillstoworkin the modern behavioral health care environment (Favier, Eisengart, &Colanna,2000;Myer,2001;Nystul,2006).Today’scounselingstudentsarechallenged to participate in advocacy activities and understand the nutsandboltsofconductingthebusinessofcounseling(Favieretal.,2000;Lee,1998;Lewis,Lewis,Daniels,&D’Andrea,2003).Inotherwords,inadditionto helping agencies fulfill their mission, counselors must understand theimportanceofsustainingthatmissioninthecommunity.

Inaprofessionalorientationcourseforgraduatecommunitycounselingstudents,wehaveusedanecologicalmodelofthecounselor–clientrelationshiptoteachourstudentsaboutthemultiplesystemsofinfluencesurroundingthatrelationship(O’Connell&Mabry,2004).Whenpresentingthemodeltostudents,wediscusswiththemthefollowingsystemlevelssurroundingtheclient–counselorrelationship:(a)publicopinion,(b)philanthropicgroupsandfundingsources,(c)privateandpublicregulatoryagencies,(d)compli-ancestandards,(e)agencyorganizationandmission,(f)counselingservices,and(g)thereciprocalrelationshipbetweenallthesesystemlevels.Wehaveobservedatheory–practicegapinthegraduatecounselingprogram:toomuch

William O’Connell and Margery Shupe, Department of School and Community Counseling, Xavier Univer-sity. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to William O’Connell, Graduate Counseling, Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45207 (e-mail: oconnell@xavier.edu).

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theorybeingtaughtinaclassroomandtoolittlereal-worldexperiencestohelpstudentsunderstandhowcommunitycounselingagenciesarefundedandhowcounselorsfunctionassocialadvocatestopromotepublicsupportforcounselingagencyactivities.Fortuitously,ananswertothetheory–practicegaparrivedintheformofachallengebyalocalphilanthropistthatrequiredarethinkingofhowwetaughttheprofessionalorientationcourse.

The Challenge

OuruniversityhasbeendescribedasacommunityofinquirygroundedintheCatholicJesuittraditionanddedicatedtoengagingandformingstudentsintel-lectually,morally,andspiritually,withrigorandcompassion,towardlivesofsolidarity,service,andsuccess(Graham,2002).AlocalphilanthropistnamedRogerGreinapproachedtheuniversitypresident4yearsagoandexpressedhisdesiretofundaprojectthatwouldincorporatephilanthropicalideasacrosstheentirecurriculum.Rogerbelievedthatteachingstudentstheprocessofphilan-thropywouldengagetheminadifferentkindofservicethatwouldstimulatepersonalreflectionanddialogueregardingcivicresponsibility.Hisbeliefwasrootedindecadesofpersonalchallenges,failures,andsuccessesthathadshapedadeep,spirituallife.AbriefsketchofRoger’slifestorymayhelptoilluminatethegoalofthephilanthropyprojectattheuniversity(Grein,2006).

In1937,Rogerwasadoptedfromanorphanageattheageof6months.Atthetimeofhisadoption,hisadoptiveparentswereunawareofhisphysicaldisabilities that manifested in a prognosis by physicians that Roger mayneverwalkortalk.Friendsandfamilyencouragedtheadoptiveparentstoreturnthechildand“getanewone.”Roger’snewmothernotonlykepthimbutalsopatientlytrainedhimtowalk,athomeandinpublic,nomatterhowawkwardorunusualheappearedwhiledoingso.ShealsopersuadedRogertocourageouslyliveinthemainstreamduringanerawhenpersonswithdisabilitiestypicallylivedinvisiblelives.Inaddition,Rogertreasuredthememoryofabaseballcoachwhoinvitedhimtobethewaterboyfortheteamafterhefailedthetryouts.Rogerappreciatedthatthecoachexpectedhimtoworkhardandearnhisplaceontheteam.ThekindmannerwithwhichthecoachreachedouttoRogeralwaysimpressedhim.

DoctorshadalsoexpectedthatRogerwouldhavementalchallengesthatwouldpreventhimfromachievinganeducationinmainstreamschools.Usingthesamedoggedpersistencewithwhichhelearnedtowalk,Rogergradu-atedfromhighschoolandlaterearnedacollegedegree.Hewasfiredfromhisfirstaccountingjobfornot“fittingin.”Ratherthengivingup,hestartedhisownaccountingbusiness.Roger’sroleasaphilanthropistemergedfromhisdeepgratitudeforthepeopleinhislife,includinghismother,coaches,teachers,andfirstcustomers,whoencouragedandchallengedhimtosucceed.Roger’sinterestininfusingtheconceptofphilanthropyacrossthecurriculumatXavierwasbornfromafaithinGod’sabundance,aloveforeducation,andahumbledesiretoplanttheseedofsocialactioninadultstudents.

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Rogerenvisionsasocietywhereconcernedcitizens,whethertheyarecoun-selorsoraccountants,encourageothers,especiallythosewithsocioeconomicdisadvantages, to succeed and achieve their dreams. Roger’s challenge touniversityfacultywastofindawaytointroducetheconceptofphilanthropyinto thecurriculumandprovidestudentswithanexperience thathad thepotentialtoresultinsocialchange.Inthisarticle,wedescribetheconceptofphilanthropy,therelationshipbetweenphilanthropyandsocialaction,andthestrategiesweusedtodesignaprofessionalorientationcoursethatincludesaphilanthropicexperience.

Philanthropy

PhilanthropyhasbeendefinedinavarietyofwaysbymanydifferentgroupsandorganizationsthroughoutAmericanandWesternEuropeanhistory.InthetimeofCharlesDickens,philanthropywasdefinedsimplyascharityorgivingtothelessfortunate,thesick,andthedowntroddentoeasetheirsuf-fering(Nussbaum,2002).Givingintheformofcharitywas,forsomepeopleofmeans,avehicletoassuagetheirguilt.DuringtheriseoftheAmericanIndustrialAge,philanthropywasataskofthewealthytodistributesomeoftheirgoodstothosewhodidnothaveasmuch.Thebeliefamongmanyaristocratswasthatpeopleofwealthwouldgivewhatwasneededtothepoor.Aproblemwiththisbeliefwasthatmanyaristocratshadnoideawhatthepoorneeded;nordidthewealthypossessameansforevaluatingthebenefitsoftheircharitablegiving(Bremmer,1998).

Modernphilanthropyisconnectedtocitizenshipaimedatstimulatingself-improvementthrougheducation,culture,orresearch(Bremmer,1998;Kymlicka&Wayne,1994;Nussbaum,2002).Modernphilanthropistsdescribethemselvesasinvestorsratherthancharitabledonors.Theywanttoseetheirinvestmenttakerootandgrow.Modernphilanthropistsdonotdropthemoneybagandrun.Theycollaboratewithpotentialrecipientsandstakeholderstoassessneed,exploresolutionstoproblems,andmakedecisionstogivewiththeexpectationthatasocialprogramwillnotonlybeaccountablebutwillalsoalleviatesuf-feringandimprovethehumanconditionforagenerationormore.Thisnotionof investmentwiththegoalofself-empowerment iscloselyconnectedtothecounselingliterature’sdescriptionoftheconceptsofsocialadvocacyandsocialaction(Collisonetal.,1998;Lee,1998;Toporek,1999).

Philanthropy isalsopartof thebusinessofcounseling.Manycommunityagenciesoperateasnonprofits, relyingmoreonexternal funding thanclientcopaymentsforservices.Agenciesseekoutalternatefundingsourcesthroughgovernmentresources,privategrants,anddonations(Perrin,2003).Grantsfromthepublicandprivatesectorlaythefoundationfortheworkofthousandsofcounseling-relatedagenciesthroughouttheUnitedStates.Ifcounselorsarriveintheworkplacepreparedtocounsel,butignorantofhowcounselingagencieslocateandcompeteforfundingsources,thenagapbetweentheoryandpracticehasoccurred,andeducatorshaveneglectedtoteachinformationnecessaryforcommunityagencies’futurefunctioning.

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Integration of Modern Philanthropy With the Call for Social Action

Recentpublicationsinthefieldofcounseloreducationhavecalledforcounselorstobecomeagentsforsocialchange(Kiselica&Robinson,2001;Lee,1998;Lewisetal.,2003).Itiscriticalforstudentstobeagentsinbringingaboutbothindividualandsystemicchange.Ifourgraduatesaretobecomechangeagentsinvolvedinsocialactionandsocialjustice,theywillneedcurricularandfield-basedexperiencesthatenablethemtounderstandthedynamicsofsocialandculturalchangethroughexposuretotheresearch-basedscholarshiponhowinnovationsandnewideasarediffusedthroughsocialsystems(Lewisetal.,2003).Modernphilanthropistscollaboratewithpotentialrecipientstoexamineindividualorgroupneedratherthanneedasassessedfromtheperspectiveofthedonoralone.

Philanthropyeducationmayfulfillagoalofbroadeningtheworldviewofcoun-selingstudentstoencompassanunderstandingofculturesandpeopleswhoaredifferentfromthemselves(Arthur&Achenbach,2002).Thisrequiresshiftingthefocalpointfromtargetingjustoneindividualtoemphasizingthecontextual,envi-ronmental,anduniquecharacteristicsofvariouscultures(Gerstein&Moeschberger,2003).Individualneedsshouldnotbeignored;instead,theyshouldbeunderstoodwithinthebroadercontextofhowaculturemightoperateoutofsystemicthinking.Toencourageandbuildanunderstandingofphilanthropymeanscounselingstudentsmustbetaughttoconceptualizethefeaturesoftheentirecommunityagencyhelp-ingsystem.Learningtoenvisionthesystemwillshapehowcounselorsapproachsituationsandimplementsolutionsforchange(Yank&Spradlin,1994).GersteinandMoeschbergerpromotedtheideaofpreparingcounselorstobesocialarchitectswhocanmeetthesystemicneedsoftargetedcultures.Roger’schallengetoXavierUniversityencompassedtheseelementsandfurtherbridgedthetheory–practicegapoftenfoundinteachingcompetenceinsocialandculturaldiversity.

Professional Orientation Course Model

MakinggoodonhischallengetoXavierUniversity,philanthropistRogerGreincom-mitted$4,000incashawardstoschools,agencies,orothercommunityorganizationsonthebasisofdecisionsmadebythegraduatestudentswhowereparticipatinginthephilanthropyphaseofthefirstrevisedorientationcourse.Inotherwords,thestudentsbecamethephilanthropists,distributingRoger’sdonatedfundsastheysawfit.Thefirstrevisedorientationclasswasintroducedinthefallof2003.

Forconsultationoncoursedevelopment,wesoughtassistancefromthelocalHealthFoundation,whichallocates$20millionperyearingrantmoniestomentalhealthagencies,drugandalcoholrehabilitationfacilities,andschools(seehttp://www.healthfoundation.org/about.htmlformoreinformation).Alllargegrantfoundationsuserepresentativeswhofacilitatecommunicationbetweenthefoundationboardandentitiesseekingfunding.Therepresenta-tivefromthegrantfoundationconsultedwithusindevelopingthestepsnecessarytohelpthestudentsmakephilanthropicdecisionsattheendofthecourse.Wedevelopedfourstepsforteachingphilanthropywithinour

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professionalorientationcourseincounseloreducation:(a)valuesexploration,(b)needsassessmentofalocalcommunitycounselingagency,(c)grantproposalwriting,and(d)philanthropicdecisionmaking.ThestepscorrespondtoLee’s(1998)stagesofcounselorself-awarenessforimprovingclientsandsociety.

Participants

A diverse group of 12 individuals attended the newly revised orientationclass:6WhiteEuropean,2WhiteAppalachian,and4AfricanAmericanstu-dents.Ofthesestudents,10werewomen,2weremen,and1wasphysicallydisabled.Theagerangewas25–55.Twostudentsreportedthattheygrewupinimpoverishedfamilies.

Values Exploration

Valuesexplorationwasintroducedtodemonstratethediversityofperspectivesamongstudentsanddevelopagroupmission(Arthur&Achenbach,2002).Inaddition,weanticipatedthatwhileconductinganeedsassessment,thestudentswouldconnectwithpersonswhomighthavedifferingvaluesandprioritiesthatwerebasedonracial,ethnic,gender,socioeconomic,andability/disabilityissues.Discussionofpersonal,group,andsocietalvalueswasanongoingactivityintheclassandwasaimedatimprovingstudents’abilitytodevelophumanitarianvaluesandsocialinvolvement(Henricksen&Trusty,2005).

Webeganthetaskofexploringcollectivegroupvaluesearlyinthesemesterandrefineditovertime.First,studentssharedtheirideasaboutwhattheyvaluedinthecommunityregardingserving,advocating,orapplyingsocialjusticetovariousissuesandclientpopulations.Someofthetopicsdiscussedwereworkingforracialjusticebyadvocatingforparityinthejusticesystem,promotingrehabilitationoverincarcerationfordrugabuse,caringforthedisabled,andpromotingprogramsforself-empowerment.Thestudentsalsoexploredwhichvaluesprovidedacollectiveprioritythatcouldbesustainedthroughthephilanthropyphaseoftheclass.

Bydiscussingvaluesrelatedtocounselorservice,studentsconstructedamis-sionstatementtoguidetheproject.Thismissionstatementwasthenusedasareferencepointinthefinalphilanthropyphaseoftheprocessasstudentsdecidedhowtoawardgrantmoniestooneormoreofthepossibleagencies.Thestudentsusedthemissionstatementtohelpthemunderstandandidentifyhowthevaluestheywerepromotingwerecarriedoutintothecommunitybyvariousagenciesandorganizations.Studentsreevaluatedtheirvaluesandmissionthroughoutthecourse.Asampleofideascontributingtothemissionstatementdevelopedbytheclassincluded(a)facilitatingthegrowthandpromotingthedevelopmentandnurturingofyouthinsociety,(b)promotingsafeandhealthyenvironmentsforpeoplewithmentaldisabilities,and (c)promotingagenciesorprogramsthatencourageadvocacyandthereintegrationintosocietyofunderservedanddisconnectedindividualsorgroups.

Needs Assessment of a Local Community Counseling Agency

Theneedsassessmenttaskprovidedtheimpetusforstudentstobecomemeaningfullyengagedwithanagencythatperformsvaluableservicesforthelocalcommunity.

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Agencieswerecontactedbytheinstructorspriortostudentcontacttoensurethatapotentialsupervisorunderstoodthegoalsofthephilanthropyphaseoftheclass(seeAppendixA).Observationtimehelpedthestudentstoidentifytheneedstheyobservedattheirchosensiteandtobegintounderstandthestructureofnonprofitsandagencies.Explorationofagencystructureandfundingaidedstudentsinlearningtheelementsthatareneededingrantproposals.Inparticular,studentscouldseetheconnectionbetweenthevaluesagencieswereupholdingandhoweffectivelyagenciesweredeliveringservicestotheirparticularclientpopulation.

Inclass,studentscompiledalistofquestionstoaskwheninterviewingthedirectororstaffoftheagency.Whileattheirchosenagencies,thestudentscouldengagethedirectororstaffastheygatheredinformationtowritetheirproposals.Forexample,studentsinquiredabouttheobjectivesormissionoftheagency,howtheagencyisfunded,thevaluestheagencysustainsorpromotesthroughitsservices,howwelltheneedsofclientsarebeingmet,andthemethodsforevaluatingservicedelivery.

Students learnedmanyvaluable lessonswhileat theirchosensites;but inparticular,theygainedanewunderstatingofhowagenciesarestructured.Learn-ingaboutagencysystemscanbeadryexperienceforstudentsinthe“formal”classroom;however,inthefield,studentsweremuchmoreengagedintheprocessofunderstandingtheorganizationalhistoryandstructureoftheagency;howafundingsourceoperatesandgovernsanagency;anagency’s taxstructure,fund-raisingabilityandsources,personnelevaluation,andeffectivenessinthecommunity(asrelatedtothetargetpopulation);andtheroleofthecommunityinthenonprofitsector.Inthisway,theclasshelpedbridgethepreviouslymen-tionedtheory–practicegap.Theselessonswerethentranslatedintothefollowingreflectionquestions:“WhathaveIlearnedaboutthisagency?”and“Now,whatcanIdowiththisinformationtowriteaproposalandgarnerfunding?”

Grant Proposal Writing

Thestudentsintheorientationtocommunitycounselingclasshadneverbeenexposedtograntproposalwriting,norweretheyfamiliarwithhowthisprocessisundertakenandunfolds.Toassiststudentswiththiselementofthecourse,wesoughtoutaprofessionalgrantproposalwriterandevaluatorwhowasemployedbyalargefoundationinthearea.Thisprofessionalwaswellequippedtoentertheclassandleadstudentsthroughanexplanationofthegrant-writingprocess.Thiswashighlybeneficialforthestudentsbecausetheycouldnowseethechallengesmanyagenciesfacewhentheyattempttoobtainmoniesfromfundingsources.Inparticular,manyagenciesdonothaveenoughstafftohandlegrantwriting,norcantheysparetheircurrentstafftoworkonagrant-writingprojectif,perchance,theyweretoloseamajorsourceoffunding.Thisisthegrittyrealityofourworld,becausemanystatesarecuttingfundsformentalhealthservices(Lloyd,2000).

Studentslearnedtoengageincommunityassessment,meaningthattheyac-tivelyidentifiedthetargetareastheirchosenorganizationswereaddressingfortheirconstituentsorclients.Studentslearnedthattheyneededtoformallyassessifthesetargetareaswerebeingaddressedinthedeliveryofservicetotheagency’sclients.Thisassessingoftheagencieswasimplementedthroughthestudents’questioninganagency’sdirectorandstaff.Studentsalsoengagedindocumentingthecurrent

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trendsonbestpracticeswithvariouspopulationsandtreatmentmodalities.Thisinformationwas incorporatedintothegrantproposal,whichexaminedmanyquestions,includingtheidentityoftheapplicant(organizationalstructure,financialstructure,qualificationsofthepersonnel),theabilityoftheapplicanttomeetthepromisesmadeintheproposal,theconsistencybetweenthestudents’goalsandthegoalsoftheproposal,theimpacttheproposedinvestmentwillhaveontheagency’soperationandgoals,andthestudents’desiredoutcome.

Philanthropic Decision Making

Determiningwhichgrantproposalswouldhavethegreatestimpactandwhichproposalswouldhavetoberejectedwasthemostdifficultactivityforthestudentsprimarilybecausethe12proposalssubmittedwerequiteprofessionalinbothap-pearanceandcontent.Examplesofgrantproposaltitlesincludedthefollowing:

• IncreasingHIVawarenessthroughtheuseofOraquickHIVtestingkits• Promotinghealthyrelationshipswithprimarypreventionservicesin

anurbanelementaryschool• IncreasingdiabetespreventioneducationservicesamongurbanAfrican

Americansthroughcollaborationwithlocalhealthserviceagencies

Despiteearlypreparation,whichconsistedofsortingthroughtheircollectivevaluesandwritingamissionstatement,studentswerestillchallengedwhentheyhadtoactuallydecideonwhichagencywouldreceivefunding.Withthehelpofourfoundationconsultant,thisaspectofthecoursewashandledinasystematicmanner.Studentsdevelopedaprioritylistonthebasisofanevaluationgridthatwasprovidedbytheinstructors(seeAppendixB).

Eachstudentusedtheevaluationgridforallproposals.Followingeachstudent’soralpresentationofagrantproposal,peerswouldevaluate10elementsoftheproposalbytakingnotes,askingquestionsforclarification,andthenrankingtheproposalonascalefrom1to3(1wasthehighestranking).Thisprocessprovidedasimplequantitativemeasurefortheclasstouseasaguideasitdevelopedapri-oritylist.Eventually,theproposalswererankedonascaleofimportance(1=the most important to fundto14=the least important to fund)inrelationtothevaluesandmissionarticulatedbytheclass.Thisevaluationprocessledtorichdiscussionandtheapplicationoftheideaswehadbeendiscussingallsemester.

Aftercollectivelyrankingtheproposals,thestudentsthenhadtodecidehowmuchandtowhomthegrantswouldbeawarded.Thefirstissuetoaddresswaswhethertheywantedtoawardonelargeamounttoasingleagencyorwhetherthemoneyshouldbedividedupintosmallergrantstoseveralagencies.Intheend,thestudentsdecidedtoawardequivalentgrantstofourcommunityagencies.Thisdecisionwasbasedoneachagency’sproposalanditsalignmentwiththeclass’smissionstatementandvalues.

Benefits and Limitations

The philanthropy phase of the class proved to be both rewarding andchallenging for the students and for the professors providing instruc-

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tionforthecourse.Theendeavorwasrichwithscholarlyacademicworkandstimulatedthedevelopmentofstudents’criticalthinkingskills.Thefeedbackreceivedfromthestudentswasverypositiveinnatureandfullofgratitudeforhavingexposedthemtothenatureofcivicinvolvementandphilanthropy.Inthecourseevaluations,manystudentsreportedthattheywould“foreverbechanged”bytheexperienceandthattheywoulddefinitelyinvolvethemselvesinthecommunitytocivicallypromotesocialjusticeinthefuture.

Thecivicinvolvementpromotedbytheclasswasreciprocallybeneficialforthestudentsandthecommunity,anditencouragedstudentstobroadentheirself-knowledgeinthefollowingareas:personalvalues,ethics,civicleadership,andcareerdecisionsrelatingtotheirfuturesascounselingprofessionalsinacommunityagencysetting.Thebenefitsofthisprojectwerefar-reachinginthatthestudentswereexposedtotheirpotentialworksettingsinagenciesmuchearlierthanusuallyoccursinatraditionalcounselingprogram.

Theclassroomwasanexcitingplacetobeontheeveningsthatthestudentsmetinthattherewasoftenlivelydiscussionanddebate,bringingtolifetheveryissuesthesefuturecounselorswouldfaceonbehalfoftheirclientswhilework-ingatagencies.Groupdiscussionalsobroadenedanddeepenedthestudents’knowledgeofhowtobeasocialadvocateforunderservedpopulations,andmoreimportant,whatitmeanstobeacitizenintheirowncommunity.

Uponlearningofthereciprocalbenefitofsponsoringastudentandbe-comingacandidateforgrantmoney,agencyadministratorsquicklybecameinterestedinparticipatinginfutureclassprojects.Theagenciesinvolvedbenefitfromparticipationinthreeways:(a)Theneedsassessmentactiv-ityprovidedtheopportunity foranagency toexaminehowwell itwasfulfilling itsmission in thecommunity, (b)eachagencyreceivedadraftof a formal grant proposal for future use, if necessary, and (c) agenciesparticipatinginthisprojectbecamecandidatestoreceiveanin-kindgrantfromalocalphilanthropist.

Onelimitationofusingthismodelforteachingphilanthropyisthetimeittakesfortheprofessortocontactandmakearrangementswiththeagenciesandsitesthatwillparticipate intheneedsassessmentproject.Additionaltime was also required to follow up with site supervisors to ensure thateverythingwasgoingwellforboththestudentandtheagency,aswellastoclearupanyconfusionthatmighthaveexistedabouthowthestudent’stimeshouldbespentatthesite.Theprofessorsarrangingforthisexperi-ence shouldunderstand that theymightnothave total controloverhowastudent’s timeisspent;but, inourexperience, thesiteswereextremelyaccommodating and helpful to our students. Future ideas include usingthiscourseandthegrantwritingcomponenttosegueintothecurriculum’sresearchanddesigncourse,whichisrequiredformaster’s-levelstudents.Thegrantwritingphaseoftheclasswas,byfar,themostchallengingforthestudents;however,theirtechnicalandanalyticalwritingskillsweregreatlyenhancedbytheexperience,whichprovidedapowerfulentréeintothenextlevelofformalresearchwriting.

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Conclusion

Counselor-as-philanthropistisaninnovativetwistoncounselor-as-social-advocate.Counselor-as-philanthropistsupportstheconceptthatthecounselorisinterestedinmorethanjustthenatureoftheimmediatecounselingrelationship,goingastepfurtherbyprovidingameanstoimprovesomeprobleminthecommu-nity(Griffen,1995;Kiselica&Robinson,2001;Lee,1998;Lewisetal.,2003).Theactofcounselingfulfillstheimmediatemissionofacounselingagency.Counselor-as-philanthropist ensures that the mission will be sustained.Counselor-as-philanthropistisameansoffulfillingthecallforsocialactionandadvocacy.Philanthropyisatangiblewaytomakeadifferenceandpar-ticipateinaprojectaimedatself-improvement,communityresponsibility,andmeaningfulcivicengagement.Counselorscannolonger“leaveituptotheadministrators.”ThatkindofattitudeisakintoAmericancitizensassum-ingthatCongressknowswhatitisdoingandisalwaysworkinginthebestinterestofitsconstituents.Aninformedconstituencyputspressureonleaderstolead.Aninformedcounselorputspressureonadministratorstoactinthebestinterestoftheagencyandtheclients.Professionalcounselors-in-trainingneedtobemoreawareoftheirroleinsociety,notonlyasacounselorbutalsoasahumanbeing.Counselorsare,indeed,perchedinanidealpositiontoleadothersandtopromotecommunitywelfarethroughcivicinvolvementandphilanthropicendeavor.

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Appendix A

Graduate Counseling program

DateDear______________________,

I am writing on behalf of _______________________, a graduate counseling student at________University.IwanttothankyouforyourinterestintheGraduateCounselingProgramNeedsAssessment/GrantWritingactivity.Thepurposeofthisletteristobrieflyexplaintheneedsassessmentandgrantwritingobjectives. Theneedsassessmentactivityisdesignedasapre-practicumexperiencetoexposestudentstoahumanserviceagencythatfillsanimportantneedinthecommunity.Theadvantageoftheneedsassessmentactivityisthatthehostsitemaydifferfromtraditionalcounselinginternshipsites in that thesitemaybeareferralsourceorco-providerofservice.Theobjectivesof theneedsassessmentcomponentareto(1)becomefamiliarwiththemissionoftheorganization,sourcesoffundingandcommitmentinthecommunity,(2)becomefamiliarwiththevaryingfunc-tionsofagencystaffandtheroleofdirectserviceproviders,and(3)beinvolvedinsomeaspectofagencyfunctioning,e.g.,attendastaffmeeting,observeagroup,dinewithresidents,etc.Itisidealforthestudenttonegotiatesomelevelofservicewiththeon-sitesupervisorthathelpsthestudentgainanunderstandingofagencymission.Theneedsassessmentactivityoughttooccurforapproximately2hoursaweekoverasixweekperiod. Grantwritingisdesignedtohelpthestudentgainacriticalskillinhelpingagenciescontinuetheirmissioninthecommunity.Agenerousdonorhasgiventhegraduatestudentsthechargeofdecidinghowtoallocateamonetaryphilanthropicgift.Thereforethestudentisaskedto(1)interviewanagencyadministratortogainagreaterperspectiveofagencyfundingneeds,(2)ifpossibleinterviewanagencydirectserviceproviderandagencycustomer,and(3)writeagrantproposalandgiveacopytotheagencyadministrator.Thedistributionoffundsistheresponsibilityofthegraduatecounselingstudentsenrolledinthecourse.Basedontraininginthecourse,thestudentswillgothroughadecisionmakingprocessusedbytheHealthFoundationtoallocatefunds.Therefore, it isnotpossible toguarantee thatagrantwill beawarded toyouragency.However,thereisahighprobabilitygiventhenumberofstudentsenrolledinthecourse. Ifyouhaveanyquestionsaboutthestudent’sresponsibilitiesortheServiceLearning/GrantWritingactivity,pleasecallmeat_______________.

Sincerely,

AssistantProfessorGraduateCounselingProgram

92 Counseling and Values ■ January 2007 ■ Volume 51

Appendix B

introduction to Community Counseling

philanthropy—Grant proposal evaluation Form

NameofProposal:_________________________ Evaluator:_______________

1 2 3Criteria Weak Average Strong

1. Theproposedeffortfocusesonavulnerablepopulationinneedofservices,etc.

2. Theproposalmakesacompellingcasefortheneedinthepresentedproject

3. Theproposalprovidesathoroughoutlineoftheproject,includingkeyobjectives

4. Theprojectidentifiesaplantoaddresstheneedsofthepopulation

5. Theprojectpossessesthepotentialtohaveameasurableimpact

6. Theproposalidentifiestheroles,responsibilitiesandthepersonnelwithintheagencytoimplementtheproject

7. Theproposedbudgetisrealisticandappearsreasonable

8. Theprojectismeaningful

9. Theproposalallowsthepanelanopportunityforanin-depthunderstandingoftheissuesaddressedthroughtheproject

10. Overallimpressionoftheproposal

AdditionalComments: