Passion was very present throughout our final board meeting. Several board members spoke up boldly while others processed more internally. By voting, we ensured all voices were heard to a certain extent. Ultimately we can’t all walk away 100 percent satisfied. However, we can all walk away 100% confident we are going to have a positive and sustainable impact on the Brazos Valley.

We will witness the fruits of some of this impact when we return in a year to follow-up with the organizations. However, these funds will have a multitude of effects we may never see. While we can’t measure the full extent of the impact, we know in our hearts we made our decision with pure intentions and thorough determination.

We can find comfort and joy in knowing this is only the beginning. I am confident we are only the first of many Mays Strategic Philanthropy Board’s to serve at Texas A&M University. Future courses will expand on strategies we found successful, and learn from our mistakes. If I had one piece of advice to pass on to future classes it would be this: Throughout this course it’s easy to slip into the mindset that this is our money to give away. Remember this opportunity is a gift in and of itself. Giving, by nature, isn’t even really about us anyway.

I believe we are better philanthropists and stronger individuals because of this process. We have challenged ourselves and expanded our view on philanthropy and the world at-large. We have changed our minds on certain issues a dozen times. We have experienced excitement and we have experienced frustration. We have grown in community and we have grown individually. We have listened to the hearts of one another, and we have been heard by each other. Our mission statement may read “We empower Brazos Valley nonprofits…” but over the past few months these nonprofits have empowered us.

by Ashley Adair ’17