News and Music Discovery
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

MSU Dept. of Nonprofit Leadership Studies Hosts Nonprofit Connections Event on March 2

Murray State University's Nonprofit Leadership Studies program hosts "Nonprofit Connections" on Wednesday, September 14th, from 10 am to 1 pm in the Curris Center Ballroom.
MSU
Murray State University's Nonprofit Leadership Studies program hosts "Nonprofit Connections" on Wednesday, September 14th, from 10 am to 1 pm in the Curris Center Ballroom.

The Murray State University Department of Nonprofit Leadership Studies hosts a free, public Nonprofit Connections event on Thursday, March 2nd. Students, staff, and the local community are invited to attend and engage with various nonprofit organizations in the area. Austin Carter speaks to program director Dr. Elise Kieffer and senior student Luke Shultz about the event.

"Nonprofit Connections is an event that has been historically hosted by the Nonprofit Leadership Studies program to introduce students, faculty, staff, and the wider community to all the amazing nonprofits who work in our community. We get really wonderful reviews from the organizations and the people who go to the event," Kieffer begins.

Luke Shultz, a senior nonprofit leadership studies major and the event's coordinator, is from Murray, which means "a lot of these organizations that are going to attend, I've either worked with them before, or I know what they're doing," he says. "A lot of students that come here aren't from Murray, so they don't know a lot of these organizations and what they have to offer for each student and staff at Murray State." This includes learning about the organization's mission and pursuing internship and potential career opportunities.

"The nonprofits get a lot out of this," Shultz continues. "They love coming to this event because, a lot of times, nonprofits have issues getting their word out to people. This is a great way to connect with Murray State, the staff, students, and the faculty. It's very expensive and hard to get their message out to the community. This allows them not only to come to Murray State to talk about what they're doing and their impact on people, but also to get new volunteers and more people involved in their mission."

Shultz has first-hand experience when it comes to the opportunities Nonprofit Connections provides. "One of the nonprofits coming this year is Beyond Uganda, located out of Paducah," Shultz says. "I first met them at Nonprofit Connections last semester and fell in love with their mission. I had an internship with them last semester and was able to learn about what they're doing and the impact they were having. I was able to do great things with them. They get to come again this semester, so hopefully, they can find more volunteers."

The leadership studies program is more than just an undergraduate and graduate program, Kieffer adds. "We also house the Nonprofit Resource Center, a resource center for nonprofits throughout west Kentucky. We have a mandate to provide resources for the whole footprint of Murray State University, including all of our regional campuses. We serve as a connection for people—kind of a matchmaker, sometimes, when someone wants to find a certain organization or cause that's important to them. We do that for community members and organizations."

Nonprofit Connections will be held on March 2nd from 10 am to 1 pm in the Curris Center Ballroom, located on the third floor of the Curris Center. The Murray State and local community are invited to attend. For those interested in attending as a nonprofit organization, please contact Dr. Elise Kieffer at 270-809-3307 or ekieffer@murraystate.edu. To learn more about the department, visit its website.

Austin Carter is a Murray State grad and has been involved with WKMS since he was in high school. Over the years he has been a producer for WKMS and has hosted several music shows, but now calls Morning Edition his home each weekday morning.
Melanie Davis-McAfee graduated from Murray State University in 2018 with a BA in Music Business. She has been working for WKMS as a Music and Operations Assistant since 2017. Melanie hosts the late-night alternative show Alien Lanes, Fridays at 11 pm with co-host Tim Peyton. She also produces Rick Nance's Kitchen Sink and Datebook and writes Sounds Good stories for the web.
Related Content