Business Students Extend Their Reach
Published: April 13, 2021
Greenville College students stretch out a helping hand from across the globe to those in need. This semester the Management Department established a project which helped students see the evangelistic potential of business as a mission opportunity by recognizing that 80% of the people in the world who have yet to hear of Christ are in the economically poorest areas of the world. Students partnered with Kiva to extend their reach.
Management Department Chair Dr. Ivan Filby fashioned a new GC tradition with his fall 2010 professional business leaders' class. The class assignment provided students with an applied Christ-centered education in the field of microfinance. The project challenged students to raise money to help fund a microfinance loan given to an entrepreneur in a developing country. "During the project, students learned about the needs of the entrepreneurs and about the country in which the entrepreneurs live," explained Filby. "We will track the repayments of the loans over the coming years. Each year we will repeat this class, and eventually build up a substantial microfinance portfolio." This semester students raised just over $1,000 dollars for five different entrepreneurs in need.
The class divided into five groups and each group selected an entrepreneur listed on Kiva.org to sponsor. Kiva, an organization founded in 2005, creates a personal connection between lenders and recipients. Each entrepreneur in need of a loan has a profile page with a picture and description of what he or she plans to do with the loan. Kiva matches lenders with borrowers all across the world. In total, more than 200 countries are represented by lenders. A typical loan is $100, but a loan can be as low as $25 to help a particular entrepreneur raise his or her total amount. Every month lenders get an update on how much of the loan has been repaid allowing students to closely track the money they invested. Today Kiva boasts of a 98.91% repayment rate.
In addition to raising money, students in the class were responsible for developing a fundraising strategy in a field related to the entrepreneur they sought to support. Throughout the semester, the professional business leaders groups hosted a garage sale, 5k run, and several food sales to raise money to distribute evenly among the five selected entrepreneurs. Greenville College students who participated in the new Management Department project learned how to plan, organize, lead, and control various fundraising activities. They were also responsible for investing funds in a way that changes the lives of individuals, families, and communities for the better.
The profession business leaders' class is just one of the ways Greenville College is delivering real experience each day. For more information and opportunities visit greenville.edu.
For more information contact media@greenville.edu.
