To expose students to the history and philosophy of generosity in order to better understand why and how we should be generous.

To help students understand that not all organizations spend their philanthropic dollars wisely and to teach them effective ways to assess the different approaches. 

To discuss the wisdom of giving and receiving gifts. What makes a gift or giver wise or foolish? How should you decide what you should give?

To give students time to reflect on the course of study each week and to encourage them to begin thinking of how to best make a monetary donation to an effective organization.

To learn how to conduct research and dedicate time to learning about nonprofit organizations, philanthropists, assessment of nonprofit effectiveness, social causes and issues, and related topics. Research time is scheduled periodically. 

To introduce students to examples of the major types of nonprofit organization: arts, education, environment, health, religion, and social services.  Each site is representative of a nonprofit category and the visit is to give students an example of opportunities for giving.

To understand the workings of a large foundation that distributes major capital gifts and programmatic gifts like scholarships for higher education.

To introduce students to grantmaking and the work of community foundations. 

To introduce students to volunteering through a local nonprofit or the service program at their school so that they understand the importance of giving their time to make a difference in the greater community.

To continue the study of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie’s influence on American culture.