Map Legend

All good maps need to have a legend to help you find your destination. The following terms are used throughout the map – here is what they mean in this context and how to use them.

Project Types

There are 76 common projects included in the Map identified as needed by nonprofit organizations. Each project includes a description that explains what a typical project would include. The descriptions provide a general definition; the scope and approach will vary by nonprofit based on their specific needs, and by the pro bono team delivering their expertise. These project types should be used as a starting place for planning and not as hard guidelines. For a complete listing, please reference the Projects Appendices.

Nonprofit Project Demand

What projects do nonprofits need the most? Naturally, certain projects are in greater demand by the nonprofit sector depending on relevant economic conditions and trends in the sector. The Demand rating provided in this Map provides a general sense of the relative demand based on our nonprofit survey. This rating should help organizations delivering pro bono service to focus their efforts on delivering projects that are truly needed by the nonprofit. Projects with a medium demand rating should not be overlooked as it depends on the specific nonprofit partner’s needs; a donor segmentation project, for example, would be in high demand at a newer organization beginning to track donors but less effectual for a larger, well funded nonprofit.

Pro Bono Project Viability

How “reasonable” is it to take on this project? Each project has been assigned a relative pro bono Viability rating. These designations were informed by experts in their respective fields and take into account the three most common reasons for suboptimal outcomes in pro bono service projects: time sensitivity, project scope creep and required sector knowledge (see risk descriptions below). Each project is assigned a general viability rating as well as specific risk assessments for these three areas of concern. These ratings should be used to determine the likely success of a project and to inform the team’s work in designing a proper project scope to minimize that potential risk(s). A medium viability rating requires a close look at the associated risks. An event planning project, for example, does not require sector knowledge and is not likely to grow in project scope but is extremely time sensitive.

A low viability rating does not mean this is not a viable pro bono project, it indicates that the risks should be very carefully considered when scoping the work for that project. Depending on the associated risks, that project may require a high level of sector knowledge; it; and/or very reliable, quick turnaround time; and/or it may tend towards a higher probability of scope creep. These are all attributes that tend to make projects riskier when delivered on a pro bono basis.

Relative Pro Bono Risks

Each project has been assessed for potential risk in the following three categories:

Scope Creep

One of the greatest challenges in any project (paid or pro bono) is the potential for the project to shift in goals and expansion in the scope of work. In paid engagements, this is addressed by charging the client for any extra time required.

Additionally, the original scope of work is better defined by both parties as there is an understanding of the economic consequences of not having it well defined. In pro bono service projects there is less incentive to accurately nail down the project scope and once it is defined, there is a tendency for it to change as the service team wants to help and the nonprofit has a large appetite for their support. This is well intentioned but often leads to resentment by both parties and for projects to never reach completion due to burn out. Certain projects tend to suffer from this problem more than others. Projects like web sites can have such a wide range of options as to lead to significant scope creep. On the other hand, the filing for legal incorporation is petty well defined and is not likely to grow in scope.

Time Sensitivity

Some projects are tied to specific concrete deadlines. Given the nature of pro bono service, delivering on a specific and tight deadline can be challenging. Pro bono service is best used for projects where a potential slip of 25-50% on the timeline will not put the nonprofit client in jeopardy. For example, event planning and financial audits tend to be riskier than creating a board reporting dashboard.

Please note: time sensitivity does not indicate the amount of time required by the pro bono team. Each project should be scoped as appropriate to the need of the nonprofit and the ability of the pro bono team to address that need.

Sector Knowledge

For many business professionals engaged in pro bono service, it is their first time working in the nonprofit sector. Certain projects are almost identical to the corporate counterparts like designing a logo or conducting a lease review. Others, such as nonprofit financial audits and program evaluation use standard business skills but require significant nonprofit sector knowledge. In general, projects that require a lot of sector knowledge should be avoided or the client will need to invest significant time in providing the knowledge transfer to the pro bono team.

Fields

Following the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) taxonomy, occupations were grouped into fields to make them easier to categorize. The occupations in one department at a specific company may be used across multiple fields in the BLS taxonomy. Therefore, these fields should be used as a starting place for planning and not as hard guidelines. For more information on the BLS taxonomy, please visit their site at http://www.bls.gov.

Occupations

Occupations listed in the BLS taxonomy were selected based on common roles used in delivering the pro bono projects identified in the Competencies Map 1.0. The occupations selected were based on the most common title and description from the BLS taxonomy. These roles and titles will not be consistent for all organizations. That is why we have provided the BLS description for that occupation. For a complete listing please reference the Occupations Appendices.

Not all professions represented will be of equal fit with all projects. For an occupation to be associated with a profession it was determined that at least 50% of the professionals that would associate with the occupation would be a good fit. This was a subjective assessment by field experts.

Lead Pro Bono