Not-for Profit Project
Whether you are a small community group wanting help with a fundraising campaign, or a larger company looking at sustainability or CSR issues, the NFP project will give you the tangible, actionable results you need to develop your organisation - and, typically, you don't need to pay a penny.
You get free consultancy; they get a life-changing experience.
- More than 200 hours of intensive work from five MBAs
- An average of five days support by a world class tutor
- A consultancy project worth £10,000 in equivalent consultancy fees
- The opportunity to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with MBS in the future
- The chance to contribute to global business education.
In most cases absolutely nothing. NFP projects are usually completely free of charge.
Step 1 - Agreement in principle to undertake an NFP
Step 2 - Develop project brief
Whether you have clearly defined objectives and deliverables, or just a vague idea of the issue you need addressing, we can help you develop a brief that will give you the outcome you want.
Step 3 - Submit brief to MBS
We will choose the most appropriate student group for your particular business needs. Wherever possible we will try to match the students' professional and/or personal background to your organisation's aims and requirements.
Step 4 - Begin your project
It is up to you how much time you commit during the project but we recommend regular dialogue to check the team's progress and discuss any issues. The more time you put in, the better outcome you'll get.
Step 5 - Get the results
Your student team will present the outcomes of their research to you. This will be followed up with a formal report. You will be asked for your feedback on the project as part of our commitment to continually improving the NFP Project for future clients and students.
When
Early July
Early September
September-November
Mid November
December
|
What
Agree brief and submit to MBS
Meet/brief team
Project completed
Final presentations
Receive final report
|
Time commitment (approx)
4 hours
2 hours
1 hour per week
2 hours
|
Case studies
Case study - Not for Profit Project
Client: Rob White, Operations Director
Mines Advisory Group (MAG)
Business: A global humanitarian organisation that clears the remnants of conflict for the benefit of communities worldwide.
What was your business issue?
Due to the nature of our work, MAG has tended to focus on institutional support to date, for example from international governments, foundations and other charities. We are currently looking to improve our links with the corporate sector, not only to raise funds through corporate giving, but also to forge new, mutually beneficial partnerships with organisations that can help people affected by conflict rebuild their communities and their lives.
What were the project objectives?
To carry out a market analysis to identify potential corporate partners and demonstrate the best ways for MAG to engage more effectively with the private sector, including how we can help them meet their own CSR agendas.
How was the project carried out?
We gave the team an initial one-to-one briefing about the charity, which was followed by a desk-top study into the corporate giving marketplace, our competitors for corporate donations and potential partners. The team also looked at MAG’s USP to identify what would make MAG attractive as a charity partner and identified organisations whose corporate values or area of expertise matched our own objectives. The team produced a report and gave a presentation of their findings at the end of the project.
How has the project impacted on your business?
The findings were quite surprising and gave us real food for thought. They also raised important issues that we need to address if we want to build our links with the corporate sector, such as MAG’s recognition rate in the UK compared with overseas. The research also highlighted areas of our work that could be used to leverage support with particular sectors. Our work on contaminated land, for example, could make us ideal partners for agricultural companies in affected areas. It is already starting to inform our business development strategy.
What are the benefits of taking part in an MBA project?
Working with MBA students enabled us to quickly get an in-depth understanding of an area we wouldn’t have the time, money or research skills to investigate ourselves. The MBA team gave us a different perspective, as they approached the task from a business angle and came up with some fresh ideas that we probably wouldn’t have considered. We also benefited from an interesting mix of nationalities, some of whom came from countries with landmine problems so had a real connection with what we do.
What was the biggest challenge?
Finding the time to properly prepare and oversee the project. If we did it again we would put more time in before the project to make sure the team had the best quality information to do the job, and ensure they received more personal guidance throughout the project. I think we slightly underestimated our contribution.
How would you sum up your MBA project experience?
An extremely interesting and useful exercise. It was good to be able to access such talent and to know that as well as gaining something ourselves, we’ve also helped them by giving them a challenging project to develop their skills and an interesting name to put on their CV. We hope to continue working with MBS on similar projects in the future.
“We have learnt a lot from the process of working with the MBA students. The questions raised by their research has made us think hard about the way we operate and given us some interesting options for the future.”
Rob White, Operations Director
Mines Advisory Group (MAG)
Case study - Not-for-Profit Project
Client: David Ward, Director, Manchester Aid for Children (MAC)
Business: A registered charity providing support for vulnerable and orphaned children in Zambia through the creation of self-sufficient communities.
What was your business issue?
MAC has recently launched its biggest ever fundraising campaign, which aims to raise £500,000 to build a Children’s Village in Northern Zambia. The project will provide living accommodation and schooling for 36 young children who have lost both parents to HIV/AIDS. MAC is currently staffed entirely by volunteers with plenty of enthusiasm and commitment but no professional fundraising experience. We realised we needed external support not just with formulating a plan to raise money for this particular project, but to help us build capacity within the charity to support growth and provide more comprehensive aid to more children in the future.
What were the project objectives?
To gain a better understanding of what is involved in running a successful charity and to develop a plan for achieving this. The team were asked to consider all aspects of MAC’s operations including management, finance, business planning, organisational development, fundraising, PR and marketing.
How was the project carried out?
The students had a very structured approach to the research. They carried out desk research into MAC, our competitors and the charity marketplace in general. They also met with key individuals from MAC to really get under the skin of the organisation and develop a hypothesis. They presented this to us at the end of the project.
How has the project impacted on your business?
It has had a profound effect on the way MAC operates. The project helped us look at how we work and how we can use what we have more effectively. The team gave us a clear roadmap to achieving our fundraising goal by breaking the process down into a series of activities - this made it far more manageable and not quite so overwhelming. We also have a set of tools to develop the organisation and will be holding a series of development days to discuss how to take the team’s suggestions forward. This project has given everyone at MAC renewed drive to develop the organisation.
What are the benefits of taking part in an IBP?
We benefited from the professionalism that the team brought to the project, as well as their energy and commitment. It would have been impossible for us to achieve this level of research in-house, and we certainly could not have afforded to employ a consultancy firm. We also wouldn’t have got the objective ‘warts and all’ evaluation of the charity if we hadn’t looked externally.
What was the biggest challenge?
Allowing the team to ‘look under the stones’ of the organisation. We asked them to evaluate every aspect of MAC’s operations and sometimes the findings were quite uncomfortable for us. It’s never easy to face up to your shortcomings but the end result made it all worthwhile.
How would you sum up your MBA project experience?
It was a first class experience with an amazing group of people. The project has acted as a catalyst for change within MAC and there is a tremendous buzz about the place now. It has completely transformed the way we see ourselves as an organisation and given us a clear direction for the future.
“We are a very small organisation so trying to raise £500,000 was quite daunting. With the help of the MBAs we now have a clear route to achieving this, and have changed and improved our whole approach as a charity in the process.”
David Ward, Director, Manchester Aid for Children
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