Each year, approximately 30 MBA students and alumni participate in this program. Students are selected through a rigorous application process and matched with an alumnus based on experience and interest. Project topics have included:
- Community Development: Develop a business plan to create new revenues relating to a business involving labor from assisted program participants.
- Education: Rebuild the organization’s financial model to reflect changes in the way they provide services to charter schools; conduct competitive mapping to determine primary competitors and how to measure success.
- Public Radio: Assist a brand development project and a customer experience comparison across five key markets to determine differentiating aspects and what works in each area.
- Young Women: Conduct thorough board of directors evaluation on effectiveness and underlying metrics used to judge success; Recommend more effective ways to communicate and simplify evaluation metrics.
- Healthcare: Conduct an ROI analysis of all fundraising activity including gala events, mailings, phone drives, etc; benchmark against comparable organizations.
Check out past projects here.
2021–22 Projects for Nonprofit Boards
Joud Hadi ’23 and Emma Waugh ’23 worked with Sara Green ’01, founder and executive director of Art for Refugees in Transition (A.R.T.), to develop a marketing strategy that aims at finding the right partners for the organization and actively communicating with potential donors. A.R.T. has completed projects that support refugees across the globe and aims to continue supporting refugee communities in preserving and sharing their culture.
Richard Garcia ’23, Lauren Leonard ’23, and Mary Myles ’22 worked with Brooklyn Urban Garden School (BUGS) to research the peer landscape of sustainability-and-specialty-focused charter schools to create a proposal for their cutting-edge classroom differentiation model. BUGS is a nonprofit charter school based in New York City that provides a hands-on, interdisciplinary education to young adolescents of all abilities and backgrounds, with a focus on real-world problem solving and the exploration of environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
Shirin Ahmed ’23 and Hilary Price ’23 worked with CaringKind to identify new donors and current high engagement donors via a variety of analyses such as donor cohort analysis and geofencing technology analysis. For over thirty years, CaringKind’s mission has been to create and promote comprehensive and compassionate care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Kathryn Benvenuti ’23 and Lucy Bian ’22 worked with CIANA to utilize the organization’s existing data to effectively communicate the organization’s impact to both improve community outreach and increase fundraising. CIANA is a social services organization that focuses on providing new immigrants and their families in New York City with cultural, language, legal, and educational services to assist with their cultural integration, as well as professional and personal advancement.
Wilburt Carpenter '23, Michelle Morand '22, and Levi Palmer '23 worked with Creative Art Works to source and evaluate quantitative and qualitative research of art and its positive impact on youth development. The research supported Creative Art Works’ outreach efforts with partner programs, potential donors, and grant applications. Creative Art Works is a youth development organization that empowers and develops young people through visual and multimedia arts.
Becca Richman ’23 and Emily Serwer ’23 worked with Dancing Classrooms to evaluate transitioning their organizational structure away from working with affiliates who are all separate 501(c)(3) entities. Instead, Dancing Classrooms was exploring the opportunity to provide training for a network of teaching professions to who could become Dancing Classrooms certified instructors.
Anke Ehlert ’23 and Brenna Sargent ’22 worked with Harlem Wellness Center to create a streamlined process for recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding junior board members. The mission of the Harlem Wellness Center is to close the racial health gap by providing access to innovative and holistic wellness programs that empower individuals, strengthen communities, and create spaces where all can connect, heal, and thrive.
John Hill ’23 and Gee Mi Jordan ’23 worked with Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) to perform a compensation analysis focusing on their Justice Fellows Program. The compensation analysis will allow IJC to remain competitive in hiring promising and passionate lawyers across labor markets. IJC is a nonprofit focused on recruiting, training, and mobilizing lawyers and advocates to provide legal assistance to immigrants in need.
Callie Estreicher ’22 and Catherine Tong ’22 worked with Fighting Pretty to explore potential corporate fundraising partnerships for the organization. Fighting Pretty is a nonprofit that helps women feel strong and beautiful during and after cancer treatments.
Heather Knight ’22 and Jane Richards ’22 worked with Film at Lincoln Center to evaluate the existing membership program tier structure and trends in membership counts over the last four years. Film at Lincoln Center was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international cinema, to recognize and support new filmmakers, and to enhance awareness, accessibility, and understanding of the art among a broad and diverse filmgoing audience.
Alexander Coulard ’23 worked with Job Path to conduct an analysis of existing donor prospecting software and systems to better engage individual donors. Job Path supports people with developmental disabilities as they make choices about their lives and play valued roles in their communities. Job Path encourages people to explore what they want out of life and to chart their own journeys. Whether it’s finding a job, contributing as a volunteer, establishing a home, or joining a community group, the goal is to assist people to lead full and active lives. In other words, to lead the same kind of life everyone wants.
Paige Gindi ’23 and Edward Patterson ’23 worked with mentor Clare Premo Perez ’16 at Literary Inc. (LINC) to present data and research supporting innovative ways to measure the organization's impact as it works to ensure that children in New York City are reading at grade level by third grade. LINC seeks to improve childhood literacy by engaging with children when it matters most, empowering parents to unlock children's potential, and leveraging the power of community.
Emily Gemp ’23 and Yaneli Rubio ’23 worked with Qualitas of Life Foundation to create a strategic marketing plan. Qualitas of Life Foundation is a nonprofit that provides financial education to Hispanic individuals and their families to foster financial security and improve standards of living. Qualitas works to advance the economic prosperity of Hispanic individuals and their families through a comprehensive financial education and asset building program.
Aakash Budhiraja ’23 and Karsten McVay ’22 worked with Red Balloon to review and assess their board structure and identify new governance models. Red Balloon is a nonprofit daycare and preschool that focuses on development of the whole child, empowering children to be confident, creative, and compassionate as individuals and members of a community.
Watson Leffel ’23 and Hudson Hoyle, ’23BUS ’24SIPA, worked with Tomorrow’s Leaders to analyze their current financials and operating model and make targeted recommendations to (1) improve operational sustainability, (2) scale growth of the organization, and (3) develop a strategic partnership with the City of New York’s Department of Education. Tomorrow’s Leaders is an education nonprofit in New York City that helps over-age students overcome social, emotional, and academic challenges so they can complete their education and become positive and productive leaders of their community.
Zach Fredman ’23 and Lucy Goldberg ’23 worked with mentor Lindsay Kruse ’06 at Uncommon Schools: Camden Prep to conduct market research and prepare a competitive analysis of student enrollment in Camden, NJ with the goal of providing more students access to a high-quality education while improving financial sustainability. Camden Prep has transformed academic outcomes for more than 1,000 students in grades K-10. Since taking over the former Bonsall Family School in 2015, Camden Prep has increased student proficiency by more than 13 times in English and 15 times in math — the greatest academic gains of any school in the city.
Christmas Marquez-Correa ’21 and Daniella Young ’22 worked with Washington Heights and Inwood Development Corporation (WHIDC) to research and identify grant opportunities as well as develop a comprehensive strategic plan to effectively support its mission and programs. WHIDC promotes the development and retention of businesses and jobs in Upper Manhattan and the Western Bronx and spreads awareness of the cultural diversity and vitality of the communities to businesses, investors, and the public.