Temple University Students Raised More Than $260K for Social Causes

In the “10-10-10” Entrepreneurial Marketing class, undergrads get hands-on experience changing lives through socially-minded organizations.

Dr. Jean Wilcox, an assistant professor of marketing and supply chain management, at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, donates $10 of her own money — and occasionally that of other faculty members, or of the Sharks she’s invited to class — to groups of about five students, through a project called “10-10-10.”

Wilcox’s students are challenged to multiply $10 on behalf of a nonprofit or socially minded for-profit organization by applying marketing principles and social media strategies they’ve learned in class to real-world scenarios, and in turn, enact real-world change.

During her first semester doing the project, Wilcox expected to end up with $2,000. Instead, the teams collectively raised $5,000. The next semester, students raised $20,000.

Five students aspiring to become social entrepreneurs shared a story about pet therapy organization Paws for People: An 8-year-old boy with leukemia named Ethan was afraid to go through radiation, but his anxiety eased with the help of a therapy dog from the organization.

So, the student presenters shared their commitment to the Paws for People mission and its ability to impact lives. The students pledged to bolster the organization by promoting its online donations wish list, fundraising on its behalf and increasing its visibility via social media.

By Julie Zeglen @juliezeglen