Business Learning Through Service
Learn While Giving Back
All undergraduate business students will take Business 200 (BUSN 200) during their time at the Opus College of Business. In this course, students will complete 40 hours of volunteer service with a community nonprofit of their choice, based on their interests. Students set their own learning objectives, and reflect on what they’ve learned during in-class discussions led by peer facilitators.
Through this real-world experience, students put their valuable business skills to work at a nonprofit, see first-hand the impact of their contribution, and increase their understanding of social needs in our community—all to strengthen their development as an effective and principled business leader.
Contact
Julie Reiter
Our students provide over 25,000 hours of volunteer service to over 300 nonprofit community partners annually. Since 1991, over 18,000 BUSN 200 students have provided work valued at over $6.34 million.
This course will deepen students’ understanding of systemic social issues in our community. They’ll learn about some of the unique challenges that nonprofits face, and ways that business professionals partner with nonprofits to increase their effectiveness. It’s our goal that all our graduates find ways to be actively engaged in meaningful contribution to nonprofits, supporting the health of our communities.
Many students apply skills learned in the classroom at their nonprofit—such as creating marketing plans and social media posts, analyzing accounting data, drafting human resources handbooks, managing projects, and preparing taxes for low-income residents.
Students also gain important, transferable professional skills like problem solving, self-motivation, and interpersonal communications.
Business 200 is a zero-credit, tuition-free graduation requirement for business students.The course content is designed to support 40 hours of volunteer work. In four small-group class meetings, students learn about nonprofits as businesses through engaging videos and activities. Students also learn about the work of specific nonprofits in our community from peers, who will share about their volunteer experiences.
Through short assignments, students will learn more about the nonprofit they're serving, and will have the opportunity to interview someone in a leadership position at the organization. The experience culminates in a final presentation, where students discuss the skills they developed and reflect on the impact they made.
Our goal is to work in partnership with community nonprofits to meet their needs, as they work on fulfilling their mission. Nonprofits find that they benefit from the energy, enthusiasm, and fresh ideas of our student volunteers.
Our students choose their own nonprofits for their volunteer experiences. While some students sign up for volunteer roles an organization has already established, other students seek experiences where they use their developing business knowledge in areas like social media marketing, accounting, human resources, and more.
We offer our students a list of nonprofits in the community that are often seeking volunteers. If you’re a nonprofit that’s interested in being listed, please contact our Program Director, Julie Reiter, at julie.reiter@stthomas.edu.
Students who are majoring or minoring in business at St. Thomas need to incorporate BUSN 200 into their course planning. We strongly encourage students to complete BUSN 200 before their third year.
Students should review our One St. Thomas page, which includes resources for finding a nonprofit volunteer site, example student experiences, and helpful FAQs.
Keeley was such a valuable volunteer. She jumped in and helped in any way that she could, and connected with our staff very well. I believe Keeley will do great things. Her business mentality is strong. She was always professional yet warm. We will miss her!
Student Volunteer with Seeds Feeds
Elyse Zeswitz
I volunteered with Seeds Feeds - a local nonprofit focused on addressing food deserts in the Twin Cities and helping people with barriers get good, natural, healthy food - where I joined their marketing meetings and played a large role in their rebranding efforts.
They posted content I made for their social media, and we saw an increase in followers. I also created a handbook for future volunteers working with the organization, which helped me develop in the operational side of business practices.
I learned to be a leader, put myself out there, and ask for projects I was interested in. I felt I was able to make a lasting impact in the community by supporting their work in creating a long-term, sustainable food solution.
Student Volunteer with AccessAbility
Tyler Evenson
I volunteered with AccessAbility, a nonprofit in Minneapolis that connects individuals with disabilities and other barriers to paid work opportunities.
During this experience, I applied a number of very specific skills I've acquired in accounting and finance, and learned some new accounting systems. I helped with their reconcilliation process, and was able to help streamline their process in order to ensure a more effective accounting system.
In this role, I developed my ability to work with people with different backgrounds, experiences, and skills. This has helped me become a more well-rounded individual who is better prepared to understand the experiences of others.
Liam was amazing. I did not want his hours to ever finish. He came in with a great attitude willing to do anything we asked all of him. Actually, all the students we have had volunteer from St Thomas have always been awesome and we greatly appreciate the chance to work with them.
BUSN 200 with London Business Semester
Students participating in the London Business Semester can complete BUSN 200 while in London. Enjoy all the benefits of the BUSN 200 experience with the added opportunity to learn about a new culture while volunteering!
BUSN 200 with VISION
If you complete a service trip, through a program like VISION, you can use that experience for your BUSN 200 volunteer hours. During the course component, you’ll reflect with others who have participated on service trips, and connect your trip experience to the work of nonprofits in our local community.