Case Study: Harvard Business School Community Partners

Community Partners provides Harvard Business School alumni the opportunity to apply their business and management skills as pro bono consultants working on strategic projects in the nonprofit sector.  The projects involve key business issues such as organizational development, strategic planning, marketing plans and board governance.

The Opportunity

The Bay Area is home to one of the highest concentrations of nonprofits in the country with over 25,000 nonprofits in the region.  There are approximately 3,800 HBS alumni in the area with professional expertise greatly needed by these nonprofits.

HBSCP’s Pro Bono Investment

Community Partners was established in 1986 by the Harvard Business School Alumni Association of Northern California to leverage the expertise of the Bay Area alumni to bring more business skills to the nonprofit community.  The program is organized and managed as a consulting firm to which nonprofits apply through a detailed project application. Projects are screened by the Community Partners Steering Committee and once they are accepted, the project Director and a member of the Steering Committee review the project scope in detail with the nonprofit.  Every project begins with an Engagement Letter signed by both the client and a member of Community Partners to clarify the pro bono consulting relationship and to confirm the scope of the work to be done.  Projects are then announced to HBS alumni via the website, the monthly club newsletter and direct mailings and alumni choose a project of interest join the team.

A team of between 4 to 8 alumni consultants is placed on a project that lasts approximately 3 to 4 months.  They work with a diverse group of Bay Area nonprofits including museums, performing arts, social service and community development agencies.  Every project has a final presentation to the management and Board of the nonprofit, and concludes with a survey sent to both the team and the client to assess the value of the work done and suggestions for improvements..  Over 70 alumni are involved in projects each year.

The Impact

Since the start of the program, over 600 HBS alumni have worked on Community Partners projects for over 300 diverse nonprofit organizations throughout the Bay Area, including the Commonwealth Club of California, Hiller Aviation Museum, Coral Reef Alliance and the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.. HBS Community Partners provides more than $1.5 million in pro bono consulting services annually and continues to serve as a model for other HBS club’s community service programs, including those in Boston, New York, DC, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon.  In 2006, Community Partners celebrated its 20th anniversary and in 2008 the Community Partners program was honored by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation for its commitment to providing volunteer business consulting services to nonprofits in various regions throughout the United States.

One of the most consistently compelling reasons HBS alumni compete for work on Community Partners projects is because of the networking opportunity.  Peer driven to perform their best, alumni are given the opportunity to apply management and business skills to address their community’s greatest needs.  Many Community Partners have become CEOs, COOs and CFOs of nonprofits and foundations, and over 90% serve or have served on a nonprofit board.

Pro bono in action

  • Goodwill Industries of San Francisco & Marin approached HBS Community Partners in need of business consulting and financial management.  A five member team of CEOs, investment bankers, and a senior VP of marketing worked together to generate business plans and financial models for Goodwill.  The team worked with an experienced COO who knew how to accept and make the most of HBS alumni business skills.  The recommendations were all implemented, and the team members continue to stay in touch and have all volunteered separately for other Community Partners projects.
  • HBS Community Partners team worked with the Oakland Museum on a 10-week project to increase their earned revenue approach.  By assessing the property rent value, the museum store and conservation facilities, the team developed a financial plan to better leverage their resources.  The museum responded so receptively that some of the team members continued to help the museum in constructing a branding strategy, ultimately renaming the institution the Museum of California.

For more information on HBSCP’s program, please visit their website at http://www.hbsanc.org/cp_home.html or read their 2008 Annual Report at http://216.247.61.214/files/2008_annual_report.pdf.