Grade Level

8th Grade

Subject

Entrepreneurship / Business

Duration

4 Days

Key Concept

Design your own non-profit organization

Materials

4 items included

Includes the Lesson Plan, slideshow, and printable student worksheets.

Lesson Overview

In this capstone project, students learn that business isn’t just about money—it’s about impact. Using Alina Morse’s Million Smiles Initiative as a model, students will design their own non-profit organization.

Learning Objectives

✔ Define the difference between for-profit and non-profit organizations.

✔ Analyze a real-world social problem and identify a root cause.

✔ Create a non-profit business plan covering Mission, Funding, and Operations.

✔ Pitch a social-impact idea to an audience.

Activity Overview

Day 1:

Direct Instruction: Teach the Non-Profit Lab Slideshow. Introduce A Million Smiles.

Day 2:

Foundation: Teams choose their mission and complete the first half of the Student Packet.

Day 3:

Operations: Teams complete their business plan and design their impact strategy.

Day 4:

Final Pitch: Teams pitch their non-profit to the class for “funding” points.

Materials

  • Non-Profit Lab Slideshow (11 Slides)
  • Business Plan (2 pages)
  • Non-Profit Lab Rubric (for assessment)

Ready to teach?

Download all lesson materials in one convenient package.

The downloadable lesson plan includes detailed state standards alignment to help educators connect this lesson to curriculum requirements.

Download Individual Plans Separately 

Provided by Zolli® Candy as a free classroom resource.

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