Sprint Consulting
We mobilize Harvard Business School volunteer alumni teams to help nonprofits address business management challenges. Sprint consulting projects are one-month targeted consulting engagements with a group of 3-5 alumni who provides focused strategic support to address a specific challenge or opportunity that a nonprofit is facing.
- Designed to create significant strategic impact on the organization.
- Scaled and focused, to be completed by a volunteer team of 3-5 consultants working 3-5/hrs per week individually over 4-5 weeks.
- Most background data for the team must be provided.
- Examples of typical projects include:
- What are some best practices from other markets on how to offer our service?
- How can we best integrate equity, diversity, and inclusion into the fabric of our organization?
- How can we more efficiently distribute our products to neighboring communities?
- Projects last one month.
- Nonprofit and Community Partners sign-off on a project template prior to kick-off.
- Project kick-off meeting and final meeting date/time are pre-set (with a mid-point check-in to be scheduled after kick-off).
- Volunteer Commitment – 3-5 volunteers dedicating 3-5 hours/week each for 4-5 weeks per volunteer (nonprofit receives a total of 60-100 pro bono hours).
- Most background data must be provided to the volunteer team to enable them to “sprint” during the month.
- Volunteers deliver output in the form of a document using the aligned project template.
- Step 1: Clients are encouraged to submit an Inquiry Form prior to an application. After an initial phone conversation confirming fit, organizations should submit a project application before the deadline.
- Step 2: Download the Consulting Project Application.
- Applications are accepted twice a year. Deadlines are July 31 for a Fall project and November 15 for a Winter/Spring project.
- Step 3: The Community Partners Steering Committee will review applications, meet with prospective clients, and select projects within 1 month post the application deadline.
- Be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission which benefits the community generally.
- Be in operation for over a year with a full-time Executive Director and at least 2 other paid staff members.
- Be a non-religious or political organization.
- Have an annual operating budget of at least $500,000.
- Step 1: View the list of current projects.
- Step 2: Click “Volunteer Now” below and indicate the specific project you’d like to join.
- Step 3: You will be contacted with next steps, which will include filling out a brief questionnaire and participating in a short phone interview.
- Step 4: Team assignments will be shared via email within a month of your submission. Project placement will not only be based on interest and volunteer experience, but also on matching skills for the project and matching team member schedules.
