Resource Development Center
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"Make A Difference" Program

The "Make A Difference" program provides funding for MSSU Service Learning projects.

To apply, the Service Learning student or student group must complete the Application Package:

  • "Make A Difference" Application
  • Service Learning Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
  • Service Learning Project Summary (complete through the "Project Planning Stage" section)

These three documents should be submitted together to the Service Learning Coordinator in the MSSU Resource Development Center by March 13.. The complete application package can be emailed or delivered in person to the Resource Development Center in Room 329a of MSSU's Spiva Library.

For more Information

Please contact Rikki Smith, MSSU Service Learning Coordinator, with any questions you may have about the program. Email or Phone: 417-625-3521.

Program Rules

1)    The project must be managed by a current MSSU student or student group with faculty conducting a Service Learning Course or Project in coordination with the Resource Development Center.

2)    The MSSU faculty teaching the Service Learning Course or overseeing the Service Learning Project must sign the "Make A Difference" Application indicating his/her belief that the students can, in good faith, execute the project described.

3)    The MSSU Service Learning Coordinator must sign the "Make A Difference" Application before it will be reviewed by the "Make A Difference" Committee. The Service Learning Coordinator may contact the faculty or student/student group for clarification or expansion of the application.

4)    The project can not be a fundraiser for any organization, nor can funds be donated to any organization. Service Learning project fundraising efforts and "Make A Difference" program funds can only support the purchase of materials or services necessary for the project, not for items to donate to an organization or for any other uses. Any fundraising efforts in a Service Learning Project must be approved by the Course Faculty and Service Learning Coordinator. Funds raised beyond the project requirements will be returned to the "Make A Difference" Program.

5)    Campus projects and formation of Registered Student Organizations are not considered Service Learning and are therefore ineligible for funding. Each Service Learning project must be carried out in the community and have at least one non-profit, government or equivalent Community Partner.

6)    Awareness campaigns, while extremely valuable social change agents, prove to be difficult to measure. Awareness campaigns are ineligible for funding unless they incorporate clearly-defined, measurable outputs and outcomes. These must be pre-approved by the Course Faculty and Service Learning Coordinator.

7)    The "Make A Difference" Program does not guarantee that the whole amount of the request to help fund a project budget will be approved. Awards for partial requests will be considered by the "Make A Difference" Committee.

8)    If your project is funded, the student or at least one member of the group must attend a brief training session to review the application and reporting materials to help ensure your project success.

9)    "Make A Difference" reporting will include student/volunteer time logs, receipts for services or items purchased, tracking of in-kind donation, etc. Sample forms are available on the MSSU Resource Center's "Make A Difference" webpage.

10)Photographs and videos are strongly encouraged with the final report. Any materials produced by the project should also be submitted. This includes copies of brochures, prototypes, forms, etc.

11)The student or student group must submit the completed "Make A Difference" Project Report and Service Learning Project Summary "Final Project Report" section by the date of the course final exam or project end date.

12)Projects receiving funding from the "Make A Difference" program are strongly encouraged to submit the completed Service Learning Project Report for the semester's Spirit of Service Award. This opportunity is above and beyond those applications accepted from faculty nominations.

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