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 Xiaohan Du '12, Holly Donaldson '11 (front), and Michael Harris.
Xiaohan Du '12, Holly Donaldson '11 (front), and Michael Harris.
Hamilton’s HANSA nonprofit management program enters its third year with three Student Fellows: Holly Donaldson '11, Michael "Dayne" Harris '11, and Xiaohan Du '12. The HANSA program, launched in 2008, partners with non-profit agencies in the Mohawk Valley on specific projects and staffs the agencies with student fellows interested in pursuing non-profit leadership roles.

HANSA, The Hamilton Alliance for Nonprofit Strategic Advancement is staffed by William Billiter and Amy Lindner and operated through Hamilton’s Foundation, Corporate and Government Relations Office. The program allows students to work directly under a nonprofit organization’s CEO on advanced and challenging semester-long projects.

According to Billiter, this experience “will enable them to pursue a graduate-level education in nonprofit management,” advancing their career goals. The students’ work also strengthens the community and provides local organizations with hands-on trained and mentored administrative and management support.

Donaldson will be working with the Rome Humane Society, a local animal shelter that cares for hundreds of animals in need. She will work with the Society’s board and executive director on a fundraising plan for their campaign for a new facility. According to Donaldson, a new facility is needed quite badly to create more space for the animals and continue the shelter’s “no-kill” policy for dogs.

Donaldson, a public policy major with a minor in environmental studies, looks forward to spending time with the dogs and helping to care for them. On the other hand, she states, “I anticipate fundraising to be difficult in the current economy.” As somebody who hopes to go into nonprofit management while working with animals, she believes “the HANSA Fellowship should be exceedingly helpful in reaching that goal.”

Harris’s HANSA Fellowship takes him to Thea Bowman House in Utica. He will be working on developing a manual for the board of trustees and associated board development materials. Harris, a communication major with art and philosophy minors, relates that he has always wanted “more than a paycheck” out of his career, and that he is passionate about helping underprivileged youth. He looks forward to spending time with the children in the program and seeing the results of the organization’s efforts. Thea Bowman House has helped low-income, at-risk families and children of the Utica area since 1986. The goal of Thea Bowman House is to break the cycle of poverty through education and social enrichment for children and teenagers, and Harris hopes to contribute to this goal on a managerial level.

Du’s fellowship is with The Kirkland Art Center, or KAC, based in Clinton, where she will be working under the supervision of the board president on creating an amendment to the current board manual and a strategic plan for the organization. The Center offers classes and workshops and promotes fine arts in Clinton. Du looks forward to learning more about the inner-workings of a nonprofit organization and the effects of public arts on the community. As an art history major who has “always been interested in the non-profit sector, especially the public arts organizations,” Du anticipates an enriching learning experience that will help advance her goals, despite the potential challenges involved in communicating effectively with people of different beliefs.

Billiter and Lindner will continue to work closely with the students in weekly lectures, providing tutoring and mentoring, helping ensure that the students enter their position confidently and have the tools they need to succeed. Du explains, “As a fellow I would attend weekly lunch lectures given by Amy and William, as well as one-on-one meetings for trouble-shooting.”

HANSA Fellows each prepare a public presentation about their experience at the end of their fellowship. The HANSA program provides a valuable experience for its Fellows, as they not only advance their careers, but leave their mark on Clinton and Utica’s communities.

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