Gustavson’s Fundraising for Social Purpose course shapes next generation of community leaders
For Kyle Empringham, teaching fundraising isn’t just about explaining how charities raise money, it’s about sharing decades of experience to prepare the next generation of leaders to create social impact in communities.
That vision led him to develop the Fundraising for Social Purpose course offered to fourth-year BCom students at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business. It’s designed to give students practical experience working with non-profit organizations while learning the fundamentals of fundraising strategy.
The inaugural class last fall earned rave reviews from a diverse range of participating non-profits from across Vancouver Island and the country, who partnered with student teams through a consulting project.
“It was very much like the students were fundraising consultants,” explains Paige Hunter, co-lead at sword fern collective, a non-profit organization that bridges arts, culture and climate action with community engagement.
They were very professional and knowledgeable throughout the entire process. After an initial meeting where they asked a lot of great questions, we opened the ‘books’ and let them see how we operate. They identified four key areas where we could improve and build a more consistent fundraising strategy.”
—Paige Hunter, sword fern collective co-lead
Sword fern collective was one of seven non-profits that participated in the course. The organization adopted nearly every recommendation the students made, tailoring the ideas to fit its needs. Word about the course is spreading: this fall, the number of non-profit partners interested has more than doubled to 29 with six from Victoria, underscoring the value of community led innovation.
“Students are making tangible contributions to our community through this course,” says Empringham. “For those pursuing careers with non-profits and charities, I want them to develop the skills to fundraise effectively, understand the non-profit ecosystem, and create strategies grounded in data and context. For those who plan to work with charities, it’s equally important to understand how they operate. Bringing both groups together in one course helps build stronger collaboration between funders and organizations delivering programs.”
Turning knowledge into action
“The consulting project was one of the most valuable assignments of my undergraduate degree,” shares Daniel Lecourt, who was a student in the class last fall. “It offered meaningful professional exposure and created networking opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in the social impact sector.”
For their final project, students worked in teams to address real fundraising and organizational challenges from the non-profits. Their recommendations covered a range of areas, including fee-for-service models, impact investing, crowdfunding and marketing and communications strategies—strengthening their work as community builders.
For non-profit partners, the experience created the opportunity to make impactful changes.
“We received a fantastic 30-page report filled with practical ideas to strengthen our fundraising and communications, while giving students an inside look at what it takes to run a social impact organization.”
—Paige Hunter, sword fern collective co-lead
“Working with the students was like having an extra set of eyes. They helped us see our organization from the public’s perspective and identified opportunities to improve everything from our website to our brand communications. We reorganized several areas to make our messaging clearer and more accessible and even launched a direct mail club to reach more supporters.”
For students, the learning extended well beyond the consulting project, challenging them to get comfortable with rejection, while highlighting the tangible community benefits.
“One exercise in particular stands out as both memorable and impactful,” says fourth-year student Rain Yeung.
Kyle encouraged us to go out and try things people would not normally ask for. The purpose was to become comfortable with rejection and to understand that hearing ‘no’ is simply part of putting yourself out there, whether in fundraising, business or any other pursuit. The exercise was not only fun, but also deeply valuable for me.”
—Rain Yeung, fourth-year student
Experience meets the classroom
Empringham brings decades of non-profit leadership experience to the classroom. A leader in alumni social impact, he founded The Starfish Canada in 2010, one of Canada’s longest-standing, youth-serving climate charities. Today, the national organization has supported more than 50,000 youth directly and reached over one million educators globally through programs focused on climate justice, ocean conservation and leadership. In 2026, Empringham was a recipient of UVic’s Emerging Alumni Award.
After completing his MBA in Sustainable Innovation in 2024, Empringham joined Gustavson as a sessional instructor, where he also teaches entrepreneurship and marketing.
Designing this course has been one of the most rewarding experiences. I structured the course as a series of masterclasses covering topics like grants, sponsorships, fee-for-service and charitable assets, giving students a foundation in different strategies before they apply those lessons through a consulting project with a non-profit.”
—Kyle Empringham, Gustavson sessional instructor
Each week, practitioners from across the sector join the class to share their experiences, helping students connect theory with current industry practice.
For Empringham, the course fills a gap in business education by empowering students to have a positive impact on their communities with the goal of creating more local leaders educated at UVic.
“Many people working in non-profits learn fundraising by doing,” he says. “That experience is valuable, but having a strong foundation in strategy and understanding the non-profit ecosystem gives students a head start—whether they build careers in the sector or collaborate with charities throughout their professional lives.”
