The Schulich Nonprofit Management Association (NMA) has donated $3,000 to the Schulich School of Business to create a new, annually funded award to benefit future MBA students in the Nonprofit Management and Leadership Program. The gift will fund three awards worth $1,000 over three academic years starting in September.
“The aim of the donation is to encourage and support students to be future leaders in the nonprofit sector,” said Laurie Fox (MBA ’12), vice-president of the Schulich NMA. “Students completing the Nonprofit Management and Leadership 
diploma program must complete a three to four month work placement in a nonprofit organization. This award will support students while they get the experience they need to break into the sector, because nonprofit internships are often unpaid.”
Laurie Fox (left), MBA class of 2012 and vice-president of the Schulich Nonprofit Management Association, presents Mark Rittinger, executive director of Development and Alumni Relations, with a donation of $3,000 to fund a new award at Schulich, named in honour of the Schulich Nonprofit Management Association
The Schulich NMA aims to engage students in the social sector and connect them to social purpose business and nonprofit organizations. It hosts a number of events throughout the academic year to provide its members, as well as the wider Schulich and nonprofit communities, with learning opportunities and career outlets.
“We hosted several different initiatives this year,” said Fox. “The Board Governance & Leadership Conference – our premier event of the year – featured Bill Young, president and founder of Social Capital Partners, as the keynote speaker. We also hold two professional one-day workshops each year for graduate students at Schulich, York University and the wider community. The first was a course in nonprofit program evaluation, taught by Amanuel Melles, director of capacity building at United Way, and the second focused on grant-writing skills.”
The NMA sold out all of their events this year. The proceeds from the events, as well as from membership fees and activities, contributed to the NMA’s revenues – the largest any club at Schulich has ever raised.
“When we were deciding what to do with the money we raised, we thought there was no better way to give back to the school than to create a scholarship for students in the program,” said Fox. “We wanted to establish an award to support those students who want to complete a nonprofit internship, but may need financial help to do so. We just wanted to make any contribution we could to help future leaders in the sector.”
The Schulich Nonprofit Management Association Internship Award will be presented to an MBA/IMBA student who has completed a minimum of 30 credit hours and is specializing in the Nonprofit Management and Leadership Program. The recipient must demonstrate financial need and have completed an internship in the nonprofit sector.
“There is a huge demand for business skills in the social sector, particularly with the recent explosion of social enterprise and impact investing in Toronto and around the world,” said Daryl J. Edwards, Schulich MBA candidate 2013, and incoming Schulich NMA president (2012-2013).
“The aim of the Schulich Nonprofit Management Association Internship Award is to enable more students to accept volunteer internships so that they graduate with the experience they need to get a job in the sector. We’re hoping to contribute even more to the scholarship this year.”
The Schulich Nonprofit Management Association Internship Awardwas made possible by the hard work and dedication of the 2011-2012 NMA executive team: Ryan Mosher, Laurie Fox, Susan Thomas, Yvonne Chang, Satsuko VanAntwerp, Karen Mann, Jon French, Llorene Agmata, Steve Reiss and Rohit Saxena.