This course was very informative and quite interesting. We spent a lot of time learning about how we can appeal to potential customers in a business setting and what we can do to draw their interest in. I learned a lot about how to present myself and my potential future company in a way that gains people's trust. We discussed a lot about analyzing companies and finding out what their strengths and weaknesses are through a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis and coming up with ways that the company can improve and surpass their competing companies.
For my term project in this class, we were assigned to volunteer at a non-profit organization and help promote their cause. My group decided to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. They are based out of Salt Lake City, Utah and they use the money that they raise to help build homes for those who can't afford it. They raise money through selling home building/remodeling supplies and a discounted rate in their "ReStore". This project really helped open my eyes to the importance of non-profit organizations and the impact that they have on society. I was a little stressed as I was assigned this project but once I got into it, I didn't want it to end. I loved feeling like I was making a difference and helping to change people's lives. While completing this project, I feel like I developed more organizational skills and communication skills. It was difficult to find a time that worked for all 5 of the group members and the founders of the organization. It required a lot of organizing and communicating between everyone involved and once we got it figured out, the rest fell right into place! I feel like this will be very beneficial for me as a future business owner. These things also fulfilled some of the learning outcomes listed in the course syllabus. One is listed as "communicate effectively". This project definitely helped me develop that trait due to the circumstances listed above. This project was very helpful in allowing me to achieve some personal goals. I love to do service. I find a lot of joy and stress relief from it, plus other people are able to benefit from it as well. I always try to encourage myself to get more involved in the community and this project reminded me of just how easy it can be. It can be as simple as donating some items to a local thrift store or as complex as volunteering 2+ hours of your time to the organization. Either way, there are plenty of opportunities all around. My thoughts have changed since my initial response to receiving the project. Like I mentioned earlier, I was a little stressed when this first started out due to scheduling conflicts and it kind of put a sour taste in my mouth about the whole thing but once we got started, it all changed. I was always excited to go spend time volunteering at the ReStore and helping the organization spread awareness of their cause. I hope our efforts made a difference in the community. When we posted about this organization when we were finished with our hours, we got a flood of responses. They ranged anywhere from experiences that other people have had with the organization to people asking how they can get involved and asking for details. It was so exciting to see other people getting excited about service just from a simple post on social media! I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. On the right, I have uploaded the collage of pictures that my group made and posted to our social media accounts using several hashtags to spread awareness. They were: #humanityneedsahome #givinghumanityahome #humanityneedsyourlove. I also included a couple of the group pictures in a bigger size so they are easier to see. Below, I have posted my reflection of the entire project as a whole. Please feel free to scroll through the document to learn more. |