MBA Consulting Impacts Community
May 01, 2008
MBA students spend ten weeks advising non-profit organizations on basic business applications ranging from accounting and financial planning to supporting human resource and marketing functions. They receive a stipend for their work as well as the satisfaction of seeing their labor have tangible effects almost immediately.
More than 20 students and 20 non-profits apply each year. The four organizations selected for summer 2008 are the Family Counseling Services of Greater Miami Inc., Switchboard of Miami Inc., The Parent Academy of Miami-Dade Public Schools, and the Coconut Grove Collaborative Inc.
While students are working they also have the opportunity to network and learn with members of each organization’s board of directors. A required component of the program is participating in board meetings. The School hopes this will inspire students to become members of a board in the future, instilling a focus on corporate responsibility.
In early fall, at the conclusion of the internship, students present their summer projects and business plans to the organization’s directors and a panel of corporate executives. This formal event offers students another opportunity to build their network and develop their presentation skills.
The program is the kind of “win-win-win” the School emphasizes in its mission to engage with the community. Students get experience as “true consultants,” non-profits get needed practical assistance, and the School promotes connections between the two.
If you or your organization is interested in sponsoring a student for this program, please contact Linda Rump at lrump@miami.edu or Anita Cava at acava@miami.edu .
