Pershing Fellowship Program Evaluation

Written By SLU PRiME

By Deanna Childress, Ph.D.

The Pershing Fellowship in Nonprofit Leadership Program (Pershing Fellowship) is a paid internship program intended to inspire rising college Juniors and Seniors to pursue a career working in nonprofit social justice organizations in St. Louis after graduation.  This report serves as an evaluation of the Pershing Fellowship Program

Key Points:

  • There is considerable racial/ethnic diversity among 2024 Pershing Fellowship participants, suggesting that the program reaches and impacts students from varying backgrounds. 

  • One hundred percent of Pershing Fellows agreed or very much agreed that they were satisfied with the program and that they would recommend the program to a friend. 

  • One hundred percent of the Pershing Fellows agreed or very much agreed that they learned a lot about nonprofit organizations during the program.  This is clearly a strength of the Pershing Fellowship Program.

  • Ninety-five percent of Fellows indicated agreement with the statement “I feel connected to my cohort of Pershing Fellows,” and 100 percent of the Fellows plan to stay connected to people they met during the Fellowship. These are indicators of the strong networking opportunities provided by the Pershing Fellowship Program.

  • Compared to 2023, several areas had higher percentage of agreement among the 2024 cohort:

    • Would participate again (96% agreed in 2024; 93% agreed in 2023),

    • Clear expectations (70% agreed in 2024; 57% agreed in 2023),

    • Would choose site again (85% agreed in 2024; 79% agreed in 2023),

    • Feel connected to cohort (95% agreed in 2024; 86% agreed in 2023), and

    • Plans to stay connected (100% agreed in 2024; 93% agreed in 2023).

Site Leader Survey Key Highlights:

  • One hundred percent of responding site leaders “Very much agreed” with the statement “We would recommend this program to other organizations.” This is a strong testament to the overall impact of the program on partner organizations.

  • One hundred percent of site leaders agreed or very much agreed that the student placed was valuable to the organization and that the organization was valuable to the student.  

  • One hundred percent of site leaders agreed or very much agreed that expectations were clear and that the program activities were effective for their organization.

  • Every site leader had positive comments about their experiences with the Fellowship, highlighting the lasting positive impact that the summer 2024 Fellows’ work will have on their organizations. 

  • Compared to 2023, several areas had higher percentage of agreement among 2024 leaders:

    • Student was valuable to org. (100% agreed in 2024; 92% agreed in 2023),

    • Clear expectations (100% agreed in 2024; 92% agreed in 2023), and

    • Program effective for org. (100% agreed in 2024; 85% agreed in 2023).

Please Cite As: Childress, D. (2025). Pershing Fellowship in Nonprofit Leadership Program Evaluation Report. Policy Research in Missouri Education, 7(7). Saint Louis University. www.primecenter.org/education-reports-database/pershing

SLU PRiME
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