CMST 340 Strategies of Persuasion

The Mayerson project has been another great and interesting experience this semester. Even with COVID and the changes to the delivery method for the class (we were completely asynchronous), we still made sure to rise to the occasion. With the generous support of the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project and our class sponsor, the Else Heisel Sule Foundation (thanks Ruth Klette); we awarded two $1000 grants to two deserving non-profit organizations: Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky and GO Pantry. Students reviewed application from eight organizations, watched each present their cause via a recorded presentation posted on the class Canvas page, argued the merits for each using discussion boards, and selected the top two. During the entire process, students learned and analyzed persuasive concepts learned in the class.

Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky is a life-saving and life-changing low barrier shelter with services for men and women in our community. The shelter believes homelessness is an emergency and that shelter is a basic necessity for human beings. We believe that only when this basic necessity is provided, do human beings have the ability to recover from homelessness.

View the video below with a few words from ESNKY's Executive Director, Kim Webb and some of the staff at the shelter. They explain that this grant will be used toward the creation of a staff lounge. http://emergencyshelternky.org/

 

GO Pantry is non-profit community outreach providing food for hungry kids in Northern Kentucky on days that schools are not open. View the video below with GO Pantry's Executive Director, Laura Dumancic as she explains how this grant will be used.

https://www.gopantry.org/

Professor Fox: This is the first time where the presentations were not live; they were recorded and students watched them later. Since I did not have them in groups and did the selection of the top 8 myself, I added an assignment where they had to review all 8 RFPs - and this is something I want to do moving forward...it worked out well. I do prefer the live component of the presentations though.