Students and community members came out Friday, Jan. 17 to see the Global Business Brigade’s first ever event: a panel on nonprofit organizations. The event featured business leaders involved in various nonprofit operations, including business leadership development, microloan financing in developing nations and nonprofit consulting.
The panel focused on how students could enter the nonprofit world and what to expect if pursuing a career in the nonprofit sector. Panelists came from business backgrounds, and they spoke on how business-related majors could affect nonprofit business operations.
Executive Director of the Mason School of Business’s Executive Partners Program Terry Shannon emceed the panel. Panelists included the Director of Regent University’s Center for Entrepreneurship John Mulford, Vice President of Health Outreach Peer Educators International David Wasik and president of Wineinger and Associates and an executive partner for the Mason School of Business Christina Wineinger.
Panelists briefly presented on each of their organizations, and Shannon led an audience question-and-answer session afterwards. Mulford spoke on his work setting up and running business development centers across the developing world. The Center for Entrepreneurship — Mulford’s organization — aims to train entrepreneurs to own and grow businesses in the developing world.
Wasik presented on HOPE’s faith-inspired microenterprise development. Originally starting in Ukraine, HOPE International offers microfinancing across the globe to grow faith-influenced small businesses.
Wineinger spoke on the needs of nonprofit organizations. She started her career in fundraising for Bermuda’s first national art gallery, and she emphasized the intersectionality of nonprofit and business organizations’ needs.
All panelists emphasized traveling abroad, and they encouraged internships as ways to get a better grasp on working for nonprofits and a means for networking.
Find out, one, what am I passionate about … [and] two, what am I good at?” Wineinger said. “If you’re passionate about [a cause], you need to just do it,”
“Find out, one, what am I passionate about … [and] two, what am I good at?” Wineinger said. “If you’re passionate about [a cause], you need to just do it,” said Mulford.
The event was the first ever put on by the College of William and Mary’s Global Business Brigade chapter, which was founded last semester. The club works to send students on alternative break service trips to underserved countries.
Global Business Brigade’s president Kevin Xu ’17 hoped the event would educate both business and non-business-oriented students about the possibilities of nonprofit work.
“The goal of this panel [was] educating about nonprofit business organizations … and how students [could] get involved, expand career opportunities beyond the big four … [and] create a dialogue between the rest of the college,” Xu said.
Audience members repeated Xu’s sentiments.
“Before coming into the panel, I had some interest in working in nonprofit. After hearing the panelists, my interest is definitely peaked in pursuing a career [in nonprofit work],” Neil Patel ’18 said.
Patel said he was also impressed by the speakers.
I thought the panel was great, with extremely knowledgeable panelists in their respective fields,” Patel said.
“I thought the panel was great, with extremely knowledgeable panelists in their respective fields,” Patel said.
Evelyn Chang ’19 went further in her praise of the panelists. Chang also appreciated the personal stories in panelists’ presentations.
“When we hear about nonprofits in the news, we often only hear how much money was donated — not the actual impact,” Chang said. “It was good to see the tangible impact each of the panelists had.”