News

Alum profile: Tony Bowen ‘05

Tony Bowen ’05 is considering a career in helping others. That’s not too much of a stretch. He’s a lifelong volunteer with a passion for connecting people with the organizations that need them most. In June he graduated summa cum laude from William Jewell College in Kansas City; today he is pursuing a master’s degree in philanthropic studies on a full scholarship to Indiana University-Purdue University.

He took a few minutes from his busy schedule, which includes his studies, founding a center for LGBT youth, and training his new Jack Russell terrier, to talk with Development Director Jayne Iafrate.

Tell me about why you have chosen to study philanthropy. What is it about this field that excites you?
Throughout the stages of my life, I have had so many interactions with the nonprofit sector. When I was younger, my father introduced me to a lot of different youth development programs, like Cape Cod Child Development, 4-H, Boy Scouts, YMCA and Little League. While attending FA, I volunteered every week at Mullen-Hall, tutoring fourth-graders, and during my senior year I helped run the “Chase the Turkey” race to raise money for The 300 Committee. With volunteering opportunities and the Annual Gala, FA naturally exposes students to the basics of philanthropy. Kristin Jochems and I took Peter Conzett out to lunch right before we left for college in 2005 and asked for a prediction on what we would end up doing with our lives. Mr. Conzett said I would end up working in NGOs (nongovernmental organizations)—I didn’t know what an NGO was at the time, but he was right. My “tipping point” though came after a trip to New Orleans to support Katrina victims, when I learned I could use business skills to improve the lives of others as a profession.

Now as a graduate student, I am excited to delve deeper into a field that has been studied for only 20 years. It’s one thing to understand how to run nonprofits—the purpose of my undergraduate degree—it is another to comprehend why nonprofits are necessary in the first place and why people voluntarily give resources to support their communities. There is still so much that hasn’t been researched and I look forward to looking more into the role foundations have in society. 

Your work last summer at Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) came at a particularly unsettled time in the nonprofit world. What sort of change or trends did you witness in the way nonprofits and grantmakers work?
Despite the persistent press about the negative effects of the economic climate on the nonprofit sector, I am still convinced that there will be some very positive long-term outcomes from the recession. For instance, nonprofits are realizing that they need to institute strong management and fiscal practices in order to meet the increased needs of their communities. Some nonprofits that were once too stubborn to merge with like-minded organizations now see the value in doing so. Grantmakers, I hope, are realizing the importance of general operating support and investments in capacity building. As GEO’s President and CEO Kathleen Enright recently pointed out to our foundation members, the influx of government stimulus funding could have some grave long-term effects because government grants rarely allow expenses to cover administrative and overhead costs. I think we’ll realize that many nonprofits don’t have the capacity to meet the requirements of these grants, but limited financial resources means nonprofits are desperate for this government funding. It’s critical that grantmakers talk to their grantees to best understand their needs in order to get through these challenging times. 

Do you know yet what sort of career path you’re following?
Right now I’m pointed in the direction of running a foundation within 15 years. Once I finish my studies, I intend on joining a foundation as a program officer and going from there. But I am also aware of where life could take me, particularly given my passions for certain causes, like lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) equality, and other public-interest lobbying. In addition to my grant writing at GEO, I’m also the development officer for Indiana University’s School of Health and Rehabilitative Sciences. So, I very well could end up in development work or even getting my Ph.D. in philanthropic studies and teaching. 

What qualities are essential to a nonprofit leader?
Despite having worked at 10 different nonprofits, it is still very difficult to answer that question. But I certainly have asked that question of much wiser, successful leaders. The president of William Jewell College, for instance, told me the most important quality is integrity—essential for working with others towards a common mission. That’s stuck with me since he explained it four years ago. It’s also essential to bring “love” to your work, for that love helps you get through a difficult day seeing the tribulations some people face. 

You’ve had several big honors recently: Faculty and Business Faculty Awards at William Jewell, as well as a full scholarship to IUPUI. You must be working pretty hard. What advice would you give to FA seniors as they consider college?
When I was at FA and during my first year in college, I tried a lot of different activities out to see what I really liked. I ended up succeeding in college because I honed in on a couple things—in my case the nonprofit sector, LGBT activism, and arts and culture. Instead of spreading myself too thin, I got deeply engaged in those three areas so that by the time I graduated college I knew what I was good at and what I wanted to do. During my senior year, I pulled two of these areas into a senior thesis.

I certainly worked hard in college, but I also used my free time wisely. When I wasn’t in class, I was probably at a nonprofit internship or volunteering. By my senior year, I made a promise to go to an arts event three times a month and expanded my interest in photography. But I think the one thing that made college so great for me was studying overseas. My seven months in Oxford were just amazing and there is great value in being a minority; this may sound odd, but it really changed my perspective as a United States citizen. It’s important to step outside your bubble because there is a bigger world out there.