Compassion by the Book’s Student Fellowship Program will offer funding and support to 10 emerging leaders across the United States to bring about positive social change on their campus and in their community.
Through the fellowship, students establish and run a branch of Compassion by the Book (CBTB) from their campus. This hands-on personal and professional development experience will prepare the fellow for a purposeful career and a lifetime of impact.
During the year, the CBTB fellow will recruit a team, implement the CBTB social enterprise model, find and coordinate volunteers, choose and research an area of need in their community, generate over $10,000, and award the funds to worthy causes. In addition to professional development opportunities and hands-on experience, the fellow is awarded with a stipend (estimated at $1,000) upon successful completion of the program.
We believe in investing in students with passion, purpose, and potential. We seek students who believe they can have a rewarding career and make an impact. Rather than looking for someone who is already perfect, we seek students who are hungry to learn about themselves and desire to grow into change agents regardless of their major or career path.
The Compassion by the Book Social Enterprise Model
Compassion by the Book is a social enterprise for college and university students. The concept is simple: collect and sell used textbooks online to generate funds to meet community needs.
Fellow Duties
Management of CBTB Branch
The fellow is the leader and executive manager of their campus branch of CBTB. The fellow will have a clear understanding and control of the business model and plan, timeline of activities, annual filings, and required resources and accounts. The fellow will recruit and build a team to carry out branch activities.
Governance of CBTB Branch
The fellow recruits an advisory board of at least five members, consisting of campus administrators, faculty, student organization leaders, and community leaders. The advisory board exists to govern the branch of CBTB and assist in the development of the organization.
Special Focus Area/Non-profit Partnership
The fellowship has two possible tracks: choose a special focus area to research during the year or work with a non-profit partner.
-Fellows pursuing a focus area track will choose and research a specific need in their community and become experts on the topic while working to raise funds to help meet the need. At the end of the fellowship, each fellow will award a significant portion of the funds generated by their branch to an organization of their choice within their special focus area.
-Fellows choosing a non-profit partner track will build a close relationship with the non-profit during the year, learn about their organization, mission, and an array of non-profit management topics. By choosing this track, the fellow agrees to give a significant portion of their funds raised to the partner non-profit.
Training
Training for the program takes place during the summer. The training is available in person (in Denver, CO) or via webinar. The training will prepare fellows to establish their branch of CBTB and make a plan for their year. The training will cover the start-up process, legal requirements, marketing, team-building, troubleshooting potential challenges, the CBTB business model, strategic planning, and goal setting.
Support
Fellows are supported with ongoing mentoring and a community to help them achieve their goals and overcome challenges. The fellows community will have a monthly professional development opportunity and regular check-ins to discuss their progress and challenges. CBTB National will provide key back-office support so the fellows can spend most of their time carrying out their mission.
Past Program Success
Compassion by the Book’s pilot program of the social enterprise model on 8 campuses in Colorado and Wyoming generated over $50,000 for 20 causes and developed emerging leaders into social change agents.
For more information and to apply visit http://compassionbythebook.com/
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