What We Do
Penn International Business Volunteers (PIBV) is a non-profit, student-run organization that promotes awareness of the need to use business skills to benefit those in need throughout the world. We organize and implement student trips to consult nonprofits and NGO's in developing countries, enhancing the infrastructure needed for sustainable growth and long-term development in the area. We believe our approach to fighting proverty will work long after we leave, because instead of going to build houses or irrigate wells, our team travels with the mission of giving the local citizens the tools and advice they need to build it themselves. In this manner, our club takes to heart the advice of the old adage "Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime."
Much of our year is spent researching NGO's all over the world, and we go through an extensive process of selecting the ones with which we will work in the summer. Things that we consider when selecting an NGO are saftey and security of the area, overall club interest in the project, and most importantly, how much of an impact we will be able to make in our little time abroad. We try especially to consider our trip participants' skill set when looking into projects that require a bit more advanced knowledge. After we select the NGO's, we maintain close ties with the executives in coordinating project goals and objectives. We then select the participants from a rigorous application pool (both internal and external to club members), assign trip leaders for each project, and set up the teams with a consulting professional or expert faculty member to guide them as they begin their pre-project planning. Most of our projects are 4-8 people in size and last about 3 weeks. Click here to see where we've been.
Another key component of our club is raising awareness among the student community about the importance of international economic development, showing them how they can help fight poverty as working professionals, socially concious investors, or otherwise globally-engaged citizens. To this end, we hold speaker events on measures to fight poverty, screen documentaries of various non-profits, organize conferences on corporate social responsibility, and throw social events aimed at raising transcultural appreciation. We also host fundraisers to subsidize a portion of the trip (the costs of which are incurred by the students).
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