For students more concerned about helping out than cashing in, the nonprofit minor is helping bridge the gap between volunteering and making ends meet.

“We have a saying here in the nonprofit minor,” Barbara Metelsky, the director for the Institute of Nonprofits, said. “And that is, Ômaking a living, making a difference.'”

The young minor — offered only since January 2006 — has grown in size and popularity each semester and has also drawn attention at the national level.

“This program has really broken ground in terms of the way nonprofit leadership is taught at other universities, and people have begun to look closely at what we are doing here,” Metelsky said. “We really developed something new.”

Faculty developed the program in response to a growing demand by students interested in the sector, such as Rushil Patel, a freshman in biochemistry.

“Based on my experience with two nonprofits, I feel that the organizations are more committed to achieving their goals and purpose than businesses and the government,” Patel said.

In addition, the organizers hoped it would draw attention from students who had not considered a career in nonprofits and think “nonprofit equals no pay,” Metelsky said.

The 16-hour requirement draws from classes such as History of Nonprofits and Community Social Services, and in each class a “threaded service learning” program is employed to involve students in the real world of nonprofits.

“My junior year I started interning with the American Lung Association of North Carolina and became very interested in the nonprofit sector,” Heather Gill, a senior in communication, said. “I found out that there was a minor and decided to look into it and take a few classes. It has now really become a passion of mine.”

The minor places heavy emphasis on advising, course selection and even job placement for each student.

For Gill, the minor’s attention to detail will hopefully pay off as she begins searching for a job in the field.

“The minor has set me up better for a job than my major. The structure and individual attention you receive through the minor is very beneficial and unlike any other,” she said. “The staff at the Institute for Nonprofits really cares about the students and is invested in making nonprofit leaders of the future. I wish it were a major, and I hope it gets there one day.”

In addition to listening to its students, the program keeps an ear to the ground in the local nonprofit world, considering current leaders in the field’s desire in future employees and volunteers.

“When designing the program, we received consultation from nonprofit leaders,” Metelsky said. “In every class, the students will work in a nonprofit environment in order to apply what they are learning. We are committed to this one-on-one work.”

The minor focuses on developing the nonprofit leaders of tomorrow, rather than nonprofit managers. Metelskly believes the sector is in need of leaders who can think critically in a variety of ways.

“In terms of ethics, there will be an increased demand for accountability and transparency of these young men and women as our country grows more and more diverse,” Metelsky said.

Although the program is housed in CHASS and is meant to complement majors such as the communication, English, and social work courses of study, Metelsky said the diversity of the program is one of its major draws.

“Nonprofit organizations encompass every sector of society — the environment, animals, the arts, recreation, tourism — and that is why it is so appealing,” she said. “We have students from the College of Management, Agriculture and Life Sciences and Engineering.”

Carolyn Steele, a junior in communication, is proof of the diversity on which the minor thrives.

“As a public relations major, I always wanted to work in media relations with the NFL,” she said. “I’ve learned that the league is committed to its charitable foundations, and I think that would be a great way to tie together my two interests.”

For Patel, his choice to take the introduction class his first semester at college also paid off.

“It definitely gave me a broad outlook of the different characteristics that set nonprofits apart from the private section, like the staunch dedication of an organization’s members to its cause,” Patel said.

The minor’s strong commitment to its five leadership challenges, which guide each class’s curriculum, serves students looking for a career in nonprofits as well as those who simply want to volunteer.

In both cases, the student in the nonprofit minor value the nonprofit sector’s prevalence and passion in everyday life.

“Based on my experience with two nonprofits, I feel that the organizations are more committed to achieving their goals and purpose than businesses and the government,” Patel said. “Sure, there are abuses here and there, but for the most part, I think nonprofit organizations are the key to solving some of society’s greatest problems … since they focus on specific problems that a large, cumbersome federal government can’t address with sweeping legislation.”