{"id":26862,"date":"2016-06-02T07:15:05","date_gmt":"2016-06-02T11:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/?p=26862"},"modified":"2021-11-08T10:47:47","modified_gmt":"2021-11-08T15:47:47","slug":"fiu-business-students-learn-how-investments-in-philanthropy-yield-high-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/2016\/06\/fiu-business-students-learn-how-investments-in-philanthropy-yield-high-returns\/","title":{"rendered":"FIU Business students learn how investments in philanthropy yield high returns."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FIU<\/p>\n

Those who can fund a hospital wing or museum are not the only ones filling the ranks of philanthropists. Volunteers who paint seniors\u2019 homes, tutor children, or give a few dollars a week through employer giving programs are just as important. What\u2019s more, establishing the giving-back habit early is good for both spirit and career.<\/p>\n

That was the message from panelists at the Philanthropic Leadership & Financial Insights discussion held April 20, 2016. It was presented by BNY Mellon Wealth Management, FIU College of Business, and the Business Student Philanthropy Council and took place at the college\u2019s Special Events Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cThink about the contribution you want to make,\u201d said Lillian Peters (BBA \u201994), senior wealth director, BNY Mellon Wealth Management, and member of the FIU Business Dean\u2019s Council. \u201cI support organizations in health and education, and I\u2019ve met individuals interested in the same types of issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was joined on the panel by Carmen M. Perez (BAcc \u201982), president of FPL FiberNet and a member of the Dean\u2019s Council and FIU\u2019s President\u2019s Council; Malcolm Butters (MSIRE \u201883), principal of Coconut Creek-based Butters Construction & Development, Inc., Danielle van der Eijk, FIU Business undergrad and chair, Business Student Philanthropy Council. Gloria Zaldivar, senior wealth manager, BNY Mellon Wealth Management, moderated the panel. Also at the event: Karla Hernandez, senior director of development, corporate and foundation relations at FIU Foundation.<\/p>\n

Whether big or small, giving back, and making that part of one\u2019s professional career, is personally enriching, and a way of shaping the future of a community, panelists said.<\/p>\n

While it may seem difficult to donate at the start of one\u2019s career, if you plan properly, it can be done. To start, said Butters, dedicate 1 percent of your salary to a charitable cause. \u201cMost people can think of a way to make that happen,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe two Saturday nights a year, you stay home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BNY-Mellon-Philanthropic-Leadership-and-Financial-Insights_2\"<\/p>\n

With so many causes out there, which one do you choose?<\/p>\n

\u201cFind something you are passionate about,\u201d Butters said. \u201cOnce you are involved, you make connections.\u201d His particular passion is giving back to FIU through the Malcolm Butters Real Estate Scholarship Award, given at the end of each school year to unburden one or two Master of Science in Real Estate students of their student debt. \u201cI\u2019m so happy when we present these checks and change their lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For Perez, giving back was a culmination of the immigrant journey undertaken by her parents, with a father who insisted on education for his offspring. \u201cWe didn\u2019t get taught philanthropy,\u201d she said. \u201cI learned about philanthropy from my mentors.\u201d<\/p>\n

She started out giving to United Way, and now supports various charitable organizations, including the FIU First Generation Scholarship Fund, a cause she relates to as a first-gen student herself. \u201cThe money sure makes a difference in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Career and passion meet.<\/em><\/p>\n

Giving is also a way to infuse one\u2019s career with a larger purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiving back is important \u2013 and it\u2019s not just your wealth, it\u2019s your skills, your experience, your contacts,\u201d said Zaldivar. It also builds a reputation and creates opportunities, while strengthening one\u2019s own values and ethical standards, she said.<\/p>\n

Student attendees had practical questions, including how to balance philanthropy with lives already bursting with work and family.<\/p>\n

Peters, a mother to four children who sits on three boards, found that her professional and philanthropic interests often blend, enabling her to spend time on causes she cares about and network with potential clients who share her concerns. Perez noted that her time became more limited once she had children, but expanded again as they got older.<\/p>\n

While FIU students may be new to the giving tradition, they are catching up. The Business Student Philanthropy Council was organized in the fall semester of 2014. One of its inaugural members was business undergrad van der Eijk, who chairs the group. The council has already promoted a successful Class Gift campaign and is planning others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been great to cultivate an attitude of giving,\u201d she said. \u201cMy message is, you are not only giving to this generation, you are contributing to those that come after.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Those who can fund a hospital wing or museum are not the only ones filling the ranks of philanthropists. Volunteers who paint seniors\u2019 homes, tutor children, or give a few dollars a week through employer giving programs are just as important. What\u2019s more, establishing the giving-back habit early is good for both spirit and career. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":26866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[4043,349,3793,4046,4044,1652,4045],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26862"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26862"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36225,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26862\/revisions\/36225"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}