Impact

Pay it Forward program has been a tremendous success for students, faculty and nonprofits. Pay it Forward has been implemented in a variety of disciplines including: psychology, sociology, education, criminal justice, business, marketing, communications, accounting, art, English, medicine, public relations, urban studies, nursing, social work, and economics.

A student survey pre- and post-tested participating students about the Pay it Forward courses with results measuring the percentage of student who were “more likely to” participate in an action or belief as a result of taking the course, including:

Volunteer after graduation: (Before: 56%; After: 74%)
Give money to area non-profits: (Before: 41%; After: 64%)
Believe they can make a difference in the community: (Before: 60%; After: 86%)
Plan to volunteer/engage in philanthropic activities throughout lifetime: (Before: 48%; After: 73%)

In a time when Ohio is concerned with college graduates leaving the state, this study found that as a result of taking the course, Pay it Forward participants are now 18.3% more likely to stay within Ohio following graduation then at the beginning of the course. The student survey also assessed knowledge and ability outcomes and found significant gains in critical thinking and group decision making.

The faculty survey asked faculty to compare the course taught with the Pay it Forward component against the same course taught without the Pay it Forward initiative. The survey found that: 84% of faculty felt that students were more personally/academically invested in the philanthropy infused course; 68% felt that students worked harder in the Pay it Forward course; 74% of faculty felt that the philanthropy component allowed students to develop more as leaders. Additionally, 42% of faculty felt when comparing the same course with the philanthropy component to the same course without the philanthropy component, that students who took the Pay it Forward course understood the discipline specific course content better. None of the faculty felt students understood the course content better without the philanthropy component.

Finally, the community partner survey looked at efficacy and capacity as a result of the Pay it Forward program. As a result of this program, 99% of community partners stated their organization was able to meet community needs; 87% felt their organization was able to grow their capacity to better serve clients; and 97% stated that funding from this program will help to effectively address a real community problem.