Thanh Hoang

Friends of GSA, we are back with the next story of the Grad Life Highlight series.

Today, we’ll share the story of Thanh Hoang, a PhD student in Public and Nonprofit Management at the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences.

“My name is Thanh Hoang. I am originally from Vietnam. I’m currently a second-year Ph.D. student in the Public and Nonprofit Management Program. Before coming to UTD, I spent almost two years in New Zealand to obtain my Master’s in Public Management, School of Government, at Victoria University of Wellington. My research focuses on public human resource management, leadership, nonprofit fundraising, and social media engagement. I am especially interested in studying nonprofits’ fundraising strategies and how these organizations use social media platforms during crisis.

Fundraising, in most forms, is crucial for any organization to sustain and fulfill its causes. The opportunities to work with dozens of nonprofit organizations in my country helped me to realize many fundraising challenges that these organizations are facing. Most nonprofit organizations, for example, use social media as a one-way communication with their donors, however, they do not have long-term fundraising strategies and do not know how to build up relationship with donors.

With the current pandemic, many organizations are also confronting severe budget and staff cutbacks. With that in mind, I am motivated to pursue higher education in public and nonprofit management. I feel strongly motivated, knowing that there is always room for my contribution to this sector.”

When we asked Thanh to share some advice for students who might be interested in graduate school: “To students that wish to obtain a graduate degree in public and nonprofit management, my advice would be: don’t be afraid to ask for help. Grad school can be stressful and challenging. Sometimes you may feel stuck and want to give up. But please keep in mind that you are not alone on this journey. There is always someone out there knowing something useful to you. A casual conversation with your friends and professors, for example, can give you an idea to improve your project. Also, the university is always full of resources such as libraries, social clubs and networks.”

Ph.D. Student,
Public and Nonprofit Management,
School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences.