NExT Fellowship

about neXt

Nonprofit Excellence and Transformation (NExT) is a for credit fellowship for students who are interested in learning more about the nonprofit world and/or students looking to bring Siena's social justice mission to life! Students work in teams of 3-4 on problem based consulting projects for nonprofits partners. NExT is a great opportunity for sophomores and juniors because they have the opportunity to build their own projects with community partners within their area of interest.

RELATIONSHIP → LEADERSHIP → ACTION

If you'd like to learn more about how our students and partner grow in our three pillars "Relationship, Leadership, Action" please read this article published in 2022 below!

WHY SHOULD A STUDENT APPLY?

Here's what you will gain:

Gain real world skills and experience from helping improve a local non-profit organization and the capital region community.
Engage with Organizations in a consultant role, diving deep into the operations and finding ways to help improve their capacity to help others.
Every Major or Minor is Welcome! Every student will find a suitable NExT Fellowship Project for them. We focus on policy research, program analysis, marketing and communications, and data analysis.
Tangible Outputs to Highlight on Your Resume and in Interviews! Each NExT Fellowship Project concludes with a project deliverable to the partner, but that doesn't mean the work stops. The work YOU start will continue for the nonprofit in many forms including, some projects turning into a SPIn project where your recommendations are followed through over the summer while others morph into a community engaged class, and finally some become a Bonner or VISTA project.

Requirements:

NExT Fellows receive 0-3 credits for participating. The hour requirements vary with your credit load. For example, if you take NExT for 0-1 credit, you must complete 40 hours in a semester, or about 6 hours a week. Students taking NExT for 3 credits (a typical course at Siena is 3 credit) will complete 120 hours, which equals 10 hours a week. All hour totals include a once a week, 2-hour class.

We are currently accepting applications, for more information please email aceinfo@siena.edu

Fall 2024 Projects
Community Investment Trust	The Community Investment Trust (CIT) project will work on designing and painting a mural in the South End of Albany through a partnership with the CIT Building. NExT fellows on this team will need to be able to attend events and listening sessions in the South End of Albany and work with city regulators, community members, and other nonprofits to produce a mural design that will be place on the wall in spring 2025. Students interested in local government, art, and community empowerment would all gain a lot of experience from this project!
Schenectady County Food Council	The Schenectady County Food Council project is a county-wide needs assessment on food insecurity, food access, and food justice. Students will analyze survey data to answer these questions and help the Schenectady County Food Council direct their organizing efforts using data-driven approaches. Students interested in honing their skills in quantitative data analysis, as well as students with an interest in food justice who want to help support the strategic planning initiatives of a community-based organization are encouraged to apply!
Girls on the Run Capital Region	The NExT team working with Girls on the Run Capital Region will help the nonprofit to expand into Warren and Washington Counties. Members of the team will develops strategic growth strategy for these service counties, which will include developing outreach materials, coordinating outreach events, and creating brand awareness in these counties. Students interested in communications, organization management, and gender inequality will be great fits for the project!
Rotterdam Community Center	The Rotterdam Community Center (RCC) project will be an analysis of a needs assessment of Rotterdam residents that was deployed in the summer of 2024. The project involves an analysis of results from three instruments: survey data, windshield assessments, and focus groups. There is potential for more data collection to continue into this semester as well, so students interested in community organizing, research experience, and data analysis experience would be tremendous assets to this team.

Former Projects
Francis Medical Transport	A student team led the creation of Francis Medical Transport, a non-profit organization that will provide on-emergency medical transportation, to seniors in the Capital District who otherwise would be limited in their capability to schedule and show up to their doctor's appointments. Students researched how to establish a nonprofit organization, developed plans for fundraising, and successfully founded the nonprofit in one semester. The Team Leader, who spearheaded this project as their Capstone, also created a legacy document to support future NExT Fellows who may want to also create nonprofits through our program.
Community Loan Fund	In spring 2022, NExT Fellows served with the Community Loan Fund to advocate for the development of a daycare business incubator in the South End of Albany. The project worked to address the child care desert in the area as well as improve employment opportunities by evaluating training documents previously used for the daycare incubator to make the training sessions more effective and efficient by researching and implementing best practices.
Friends Recovery NY	During the 2022-2023 school year, NExT Fellows worked with FOR-NY to advocate for the development of organizational wellness. Through this project, Fellows spread awareness for the PARSE Coalition and Recovery Friendly Workplace initiatives through the State of New York by advocating on behalf of RFW legislation. They also provided FOR-NY with research supporting the financial and personal advantages involved with organizational wellness to aid in their strategic planning as an organization.
The Food Pantries for the Capital District	NExT Fellows focused on the impact of the Food as Medicine program in the Capital Region through The Food Pantries for the Capital District during the 2022-2023 school year. This collaboration helped evaluate the effectiveness of the program to show the impacts of food insecurity as well as food improving individuals overall health. Members analyzed data for the partner and shared results with the partner as well as presented at a conference on their findings.