IMPACT CONSULTING FELLOWSHIP HANDBOOK
https://ter.ps/icfellowship
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
1
WELCOME
2
PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
3
THE PLANNING PROCESS
4
PHASE 1: PRE-WORK
5
PHASE 2: PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
6
PHASE 3: PROGRAM ANALYSIS
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CONCLUSION
8
APPENDICES
WELCOME Thank you for volunteering your time, energy and resources to create an impact driven consulting program! There are a number of ways to engage the topic of “business for good” with your students and an Impact Consulting Fellowship (ICF) is just one of the many courses of action you may take to do so. In May of 2020, after news that the COVID-19 pandemic would countermand many internships, students were left with open summer schedules. Local impact driven organizations, on the other hand, had new challenges and limited capacity to complete underpinning business tasks. The Center for Social Value Creation (CSVC) recognized this as an opportunity to offer students a hands on experience supporting organizations which operate to create long-term value for both people and planet. In keeping with the CSVC’s mission to educate, engage and empower Smith students to create a better world through business, the ICF focused on a few key areas: professional development to educate, hands on work to engage and lifelong skills to empower participating students. ICF’s working model which pairs student consultants with impact driven organizations and had been used previously by CSVC for a consulting program called Change the World program. In 2020, with the capacity to run a scaled and updated version of Change the World, the center brought back the consulting opportunity remotely for students. “A challenge to organize and execute, but a feat worthwhile,” said the Center for Social Value Creation’s Director Nima Farshchi. Over the course of 8 weeks the Impact Consulting Fellowship offered a summer learning experience for 145 students, supported 23 different organizations, touched all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and totaled over 12,000 hours of pro bono consulting services total; 500 to 600 hours for each organization.
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PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS Cross Functional Teams Students across all classifications, organizations spanning different industries and consultant advisors with diverse occupational backgrounds were put together to discover their own recipe for client success.
“I want to take our university to thenext level in every area: community engagement, academic excellence, high scholarly research and things that do public good for all humans�
President Darryl Pines
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- University of Maryland President Darryll Pines (Source: Baltimore Sun)
STUDENTS MBA, masters and undergraduate students were all encouraged to participate in the Impact Consulting Fellowship. Most of the students who participated in ICF were business school students, however, ICF was not limited to just business majors. To further our diverse teams there was representation from the A. James Clark School of Engineering, College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, College of Arts & Humanities, Behavior & Social Sciences College, and other majors. The level of experience and education variation on cross-level teams promoted thought diversity and learning opportunities. Student consultants spent roughly 10-15 hours per week working on their project.
Team Breakdown
MBA
1-2 MBA Students
Masters 2-3 Masters Students
Undergraduate 3-4 Undergraduate Students
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CONSULTANT ADVISORS University of Maryland Alumni with industry consulting experience mentored a student group throughout the course of the project. Consultant Advisors supported their team by answering questions, serving as an extra set of ears on client calls and helping to look over deliverables. Advisors spent roughly 2-3 hours per week supporting their team through specialized coaching sessions and ensuring quality control.
“Helping students through the ICF Program was an amazing opportunity for me to give back to the Maryland community. It was extremely rewarding to see students learn the consulting processes and take on the challenges posed by their clients. I was always there to answer questions, but it was nice to see them gain confidence in their abilities over time� - Meghan Doherty, Professional Services Consultant at FIS
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COMPANIES Nonprofit organizations, B-Corporations and Impact-Driven For-Profit organizations qualified to be a client of the Impact Consulting Fellowship.
“CEOs work to generate profits and return value to shareholders, but thebest-run companies do more. They put thecustomer first and invest in their employees and communities. In theend, it’s themost promising way to build long-term value.” -Tricia Griffith, President and CEO of Progressive Corporation
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THE PROCESS Phases to creating and implementing ICF 1
Planning
2
Management
3
Analysis
Each phase requires a different number of tasks which fall underneath it ranging in size from half an hour to thirty hours per task. Regardless of the time it takes to complete each task, each is equally important to the success of the program and experience you are able to provide to your constituents so be as proactive as possible.
In each phase there are a number of tasks to complete, ranging in size from half an hour to thirty hours per responsibility. Regardless of the time it takes, each piece of work is equally important to the success of the program and experience you are able to provide to your constituents. Tip: Be as proactive as possible. We recommend starting your planning 8 weeks in advance from when youwant to start your program.
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PHASE 1: PLANNING
W E E K LY D E L I V E R A B L E S
The planning phase includes everything that needs to be done before teams have a kickoff meeting with their client. Start your planning as early as possible so that you have time to build some cushion into your schedule. This will be important, especially in a program’s first iteration, as many last minute tasks and external delays can arise.
1
Define program goals, finalize dates, choose a program management platform, contact office for international students
2 Create a university resources document, plan and schedule development sessions
3
Finalize marketing materials, start client outreach
4
Start consultant advisor outreach, start student outreach
5
Finalize participating clients, hold client session
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Finalize participating consultant advisors & students, pair team leads & consultant advisors with projects, hold consultant advisor session, hold team lead session
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Finalize all student teams
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Send email introducing the team to each other, add a session 2 for consultant advisors if needed, hold sessions 2 & 3 for students
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PHASE 1: PRE-WORK Choose Your Platform The Impact Consulting Fellowship used EduSourced, a software platform for industry projects and remote teamwork. On EduSourced, program administrators were able to track the progress of each project and upload universal documents for the students. Any platform like EduSourced may work for running a program like ICF, however, here are some things you may want to keep in mind when choosing your program’s platform: - Ability to upload documents for all students in the program to see - Ability to match students to teams, ability to track progress of projects - Ability to organize all contact information by team, and ability for each team to upload documents.
You may find one platform which can do all or most of the above, like EduSourced, but you also may find that using resources like Google surveys and Google documents is best for your specific program.
TIP: Once you choose your platform, include an introduction to the resources for each of the program participants during their development sessions
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WEEK 2 Define Goals For theProgram Goals for the Impact Consulting Fellowship were simple; CSVC wanted to create an opportunity for cross thought, offer students professional development and grow a community relationship between impact driven organizations and students. Before beginning your own program, decide on what your organization wants to achieve from pouring hours of effort and energy into this planning process.
Contact Office for International Students Every university has different procedures when it comes to international students participating in what may be classified as an internship or extracurricular activity. Before starting your program and offering participation to international students, be sure to clarify what paperwork and documentation needs to be done for these students to participate.
University Resources Document Have a document with resources from your university which span all of the departments for which a project could need assistance. Examples include a professor from each business major and a contact for the marketing department at your school. This list should serve as another pillar of support for the students as they look to educate themselves with the help of others throughout their project.
Development Sessions Many of the participating students will not have had an opportunity to participate on a consulting team before, so prior to the start of the program it is important to develop the student’s professional consulting skills.
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DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS Team Lead Session Have 1 session just for the Team Leads during the month before the program begins, but after the team leads are placed on teams. During this session, explain the steps Team Leads need to take to choose their team members and offer them the opportunity to ask any pressing questions about this. In this session, also give an overview on how to lead a team, organize the project and delegate tasks. It is important to understand your demographic here. Incoming MBA students may know less about leading a team than other students who have been in the MBA program prior to their participation, so structure this conversation appropriately for your audience. Some topics to cover: - The differences between leadership and management, - How to lead a meeting with your client. - How to effectively communicate with your client - How to lead a meeting with your team - How to give constructive feedback to team members - Where to look for internal resoures
All Student Sessions Create 3 sessions focused on what it means to be a consultant and what the role of a consultant is. In these sessions also include the role of impact in the consulting program. Some topics to cover: - Understanding your client and their needs - Narrowing down the problem - How to create a deck to present to a client - How to scope a project - How to communicate in different situations (client, internal)
Consultant Advisor Sessions Host 1-2 sessions for consultant advisors to norm their role and explain the expectations for each project group. During this conversation it is important to norm what a “good� deliverable looks like and teach how to give actionable feedback. Keep in mind that the consultant advisors are not the consultants; they are the set of eyes and ears on your students ensuring quality control in each client interaction. Some topics to cover include: What good feedback looks like, norming advisor responsibilities, expectations for communicating with Team Lead and team members.
Client Sessions Host 1 development session for all clients to norm expectations for the scope of work students are doing and explain the platform which will be used to execute the program (i.e. EduSourced). Some topics to cover: - Platform basics - Defining the role of student consultants - Renorming expectations for client interactions with students
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WEEK 3 Marketing Materials You should have three sets of marketing materials, each targeted towards one of the programs participants. All three of the participant groups should have an application process to vet who actually partakes. TIP: For companies, create a two page informational sheet with everything organizations need to know to participate. Looking for consulting experience this summer?
Looking to help students in consulting? Give back to Smith and support student experiences by becoming a mentor in the Impact Consulting Fellowship!
The summer Impact Consulting Fellowship is aimed to help strengthen skills & help value driven organizations make sustainable business choices
Who: Teams of Undergraduate, MBA, & Masters students
Cross functional teams will be comprised of MBA, Masters, & Undergraduate Students
What: A summer fellowship with regional nonprofits to help teams address challenges through consulting
10-15 hour weekly commitment
Where: Virtual with a 5 Hour weekly commitment for check-ins & feedback!
May 24: Deadline to apply! May 27: Teams, project managers, & clients announced June 3: Kickoff Meeting July 6: Midterm Meetings July 27: Final Meetings August 5: Celebration Event
May 17: Deadline to volunteer! May 27: Teams, project managers, & clients announced June 3: Project Begins July 27: Final Team Meetings July 31: Closeout Projects August 5: Impact Fellowship Huddle
Apply at ter.ps/meeplink
Please email nfarshchi@rhsmith.umd.edu for more information on how to get involved!
If you have questions, please email nfarshchi@rhsmith.umd.edu
Student Facing marketing can
Client Facing marketing,
Consult and Advising Facing
be shared with the admissions
unlike client and consulting
marketing can be shared with
office for incoming MBA
facing, can be sent as an
program organizers personal
students, all newsletters in your
attachment directly to
LinkedIn network, the school’s
school, the dean’s office, the
companies in outreach emails.
LinkedIn, Alumni Association
University hiring site,
Send the document to Alumni
Newsletter, and given to
and social media.
Association for outreach to
corporate partners
Alumni companies.
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WEEK 3 Organizational Outreach 1 2 3
1. Make a list of organizations to reach Make a list of organizations out to
to reach out to
Email the organizations on your list The company application
2. Email the organizations on your list In your email, include the company facing marketing materials and applications you have created. Be clear about the expectations for companies who are selected to your program in terms of the time they need to be able to dedicate and resources they need to be able to provide to their student consultants. TIP: In this email, emphasize if your university has any restrictions on students signing company nondisclosure agreements as companies may ask their consultants to sign these.
There are a few places you may want to start when searching for clients: • B Corporation Directory • Alumni • Professors • Other campus centers and resources Make a document to reference with each company’s name, location, contact information, and a brief business description.
Tip: Make an effort to have a variety of thetypes of clients and the industries covered so that students have options when selecting the type of organizationthey want to work on.
Example Email: Hi _____________, Introduction to yourself, the administering school and center. The Impact Consilting Fellowship is a two month long remote project open to all undergraduate, MBA, and masters students at the University of Maryland. Over the course of the fellowship students will work in teams to help solve pressing businesss challenges for real impact driven organizations. This is a pro-bono consulting opportunity for your organization. There will be approximately 500 student hours of student support and Interest Forms at the link attatched are due ___. The program runs _____ to _____. There will be approximately a ___ hour weekly commitment from the companies to engage with the students on the proect. If you hae any questions please contact __________ at __________.
3. The Company Application
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In your email, include a link for the company to apply to be a part of the program. You can use a Google Form or any other survey tool. Have a deadline for companies to submit this survey so that your program stays on track with timing for selecting organizations and assigning teams.
WEEK 3 Student Outreach The Student Application On each flier there should be a link to an application for students to apply to be part of the program.
See the application here.
Consultant Advisor Outreach Consultant Advisor Application On each flier and each post, there should be a link to an application for alumni or corpo rate partner employees to apply to be part of the program.
See the application here.
Finalizing Companies Expect that not every company you reach out to will fill out your application. Of the companies that did complete an application, be sure to read their responses carefully. Make sure they are not under the misinterpretation that this program is pro-bono internships, but rather that these are student consultants there to provide recommendations for a business problem. Choose however many organizations that your program wants to have projects. You may also want to have 2 projects for one organization. Once you decide on the companies whose projects you want to accept, send an email to all company letting them know the result of their application to your program.
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WEEKS 5 THROUGH 8 Determine Teams 1
Match a Team Leader with every project.
2
Match a Consultant Advisor with every project.
3
Match Masters & Undergraduates with every project.
1. Match a Team Leader with every project The impact consulting fellowship used MBA students as the team leads. Team leads were matched with projects first, before the rest of the team members. Steps to match team leaders with projects: 1. Share a document with your final list of organizations, their websites, a brief description of the organization and the project scope of work. 2. Ask the MBA students to, on that document, rank each project using the following Ranking System: 1 - I am strongly against the idea of working on this project 2 - I do not wish to work on this project 3 - I am indifferent about working on this project 4 - I would like to work on this project 5 - I would love to work on this project 3. Once all MBA students have ranked the projects, match the students with the projects using their rankings. Not every student can get their top choice, but try to give as many students as possible their preferred project (ranked 3-5). Another option is to have team lead’s apply to be a part of one specific client’s project, rather than ranking every opportunity. There are merits for both systems, but ultimately it is your choice depending on which system your students and you prefer.
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TIP: Be sure to review each MBA’s resume and LinkedIn thoroughly before making them a project lead to besure they are qualified to lead a group and if they are not, make changes as necessary.
WEEKS 5 THROUGH 8 Determine Teams 2. Match a Consultant Advisor with each project Place a Consultant Advisor on each team right after you place a Team Lead. Advisors did not have a ranking process like the MBA students in the Impact Consulting Fellowship. Instead, using the applications submitted by consultant advisors, place consultant advisors on teams where their field of expertise and experience can be of optimal use. Introduce the team leads and the consultant advisors right after both have been placed on a team so they can begin to develop chemistry and a relationship before the rest of the project team is placed.
3. Match masters and undergraduates with each project Steps to match team members with projects: 1. Once you have received all student’s applications, share the results with the team leaders. 2. Give team leaders 1 week to conduct interviews with whomever they want. 3. Ask team leaders to submit a list of their top 7 candidates that they would like to have on their team and pair students with teams accordingly. Again, you know your school and students better than anyone else. This is how the Impact Consulting Fellowship matches students on teams, however, if there is a way that works best for you, gear your process towards your particular student body.
Introduce theTeam to Each Other Once all Team leaders, Consultant Advisors and team members are placed on a team send an email introducing everyone to one another so that the team can begin building chemistry before being introduced to their client during the first week of the project.
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PHASE 2: PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
W E E K LY D E L I V E R A B L E S
The program management phase includes everything that occurs while the program is taking place and students are working with their assigned clients. This phase is much less predictable than the planning phase. Unexpected problems may arise on teams, students may resign and concerns may arise.
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0
Initial introduction email to all clients and teams, kickoff meeting with client
1
Plan presentation meeting, office hours Client meetings taking place, office hours, send midterm
2 feedback survey in weekly email
3 Client meetings taking place, no more additions to teams, office hours, midterm feedback surveys completed
4
Client meetings taking place, office hours, midterm feedback survey results email
5
Client meetings taking place, office hours
6
Client meetings taking place, office hours
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Closing client meetings, final presentations
WEEK 0 Initial IntroductionEmail To kickoff the program, on the programs start date, send an email to each client and each member on their team to introduce them. Make the structure of the team clear in this email and be sure to emphasize each person’s role on the team. Also in this email offer a deadline for when students and their clients should have had their kickoff meeting to keep their work on schedule. Below is an example email. Hi all! Thank you so much again for your interest in the Impact Consulting Fellowship. We truly appreciate your team being a part of this program and are thrilled to offer you an experience to keep you learning and engaged over these next few months. Below you can find a breakdown of your team members: Project Manager: Student 1, MBA Masters Students: Student 2 (Marketing Analytics) Student 3 (Information Systems) Undergraduate Students: Student 4 (Accounting and Finance) Student 5 (Finance and Operations Management and Business Analytics) Student 6 (Finance and Information Systems) Your teams client is Dashboard.earth. Your point of contact at Dashboard.earth is Gayatri Roshan, cc’d here. All of the information you should need to begin moving forward as a team is in EduSourced. We also have a phenomenal Terp Alumn, Meghan Doherty, also cc’d on this email, who will be your group’s consultant advisor. Meghan is here for to guide you in the right direction for your project and assist wherever you need mentoring. Please be cognizant that your advisor is a working professional with other commitments, through, so we advise that you schedule conversations in advance and be respectful of her time. Just a reminder, we have four trainings coming up (one specifically for our Project Managers and three that are open to everyone). These are listed and hyperlinked below. Monday June 1: 10AM - 11AM: MBA Project Management Training Tuesday, June 2: 5PM - 6:30PM: Introduction to Consulting and Client Interactions Thursday, June 4: 5PM - 6:30PM: Client Storytelling/Effective Decks Tuesday, June 9: 5PM - 6:30PM: Project Implementation/Client Engagement Before Friday, June 12, please have a kickoff meeting with your client to introduce yourselves and finalize the scope of your work. Also, before having this meeting, ensure that you connect with your consultant advisor(s) for feedback. If you have any concerns regarding logistics of this program, please reach out to me and I will be here to help however I can. Excited to see the amazing work you all do over the course of this project! Best, X
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WEEK 0-1 The Kickoff Meeting The purpose of this meeting is for the client and all team constituents to introduce themselves face to face and find a mutual understanding about the scope of work expected. Before this meeting, students should have some understanding about the scope of work that the client expects based on what was already provided by the client in their survey responses. This is the student’s opportunity to ask further questions and the client’s opportunity to explain their vision so that the students can then design a plan of attack to present to the client in their next meeting.
Plan PresentationMeeting In this second meeting with the client, the consulting team should have a deck prepared to present how they will move forward and ultimately deliver on client requests. Slides in this deck should include: • Problem statement • Initial research • Project plan and assigned team member tasks • Explanation or reasoning for each part of the pan
Ongoing Meetings Throughout the program teams are expected to meet with their client frequently to attain information to help them with the project and maintain a relationship as they solve the business’s problem. These meetings will look different for every client and team, but ultimately your training sessions should leave you feeling confident that your students and their consultant advisors have the skills necessary to execute these meetings efficiently and without requiring an excessive amount from the client.
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WEEK 1 Late Students & Students Leaving theProgram The Impact Consulting Fellowship took students who applied after the program had already begun. Unlike students who joined on time, these students had less of a choice in the team and client they would be working on and rather were placed on a team that needed extra support. Some students who had joined the program decided that it was no longer a good fit for them after the program had begun due to other commitments and the nature of the work they were doing. If students could be kept and transferred to other teams to make their experience better, it was done. Students who left the program were replaced immediately if possible, but no replacements were made following week four of the program.
Client Management Once the program begins, it is the job of the team leader and their team to consult with the client frequently. Program organizers will have less contact with the client at this point, however, it is still important to maintain a relationship with the organizations participating just in case a problem does arise on a team. TIP: Ensure that teams and clients are completely in agreement about thetype of work being done. Ensure agreed uponscope of work and alterations are approved by all parties.
Consultant Advisor Management Consultant Advisors are busy working professionals and therefore they may put this pro bono work as a low priority. It is important to ensure that this does not put their team at a disadvantage. To manage the consultant advisors, keep a checks and balances system between yourself and each team lead so you can touch base that the Consultant Advisor has not unexpectedly left their advising duties untouched. The Impact Consulting Fellowship used weekly office hours as a touchpoint between the faculty running the program and the team leads.
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WEEKS 2-4 Weekly Office Hours Your team should hold weekly office hours on Fridays to give students the opportunity to come forward and ask for help after each week of work as challenges arise. One of the main goals of the Impact Consulting Fellowship was to offer students a development opportunity through their experience and office hours are just one of the tactics used to ensure our students are getting the attention and advice that they need to develop. TIP: Offer a separate time for Team Leads to have office hours from theregular time for all students. This allows Team Leads and students to come forward with issues within theteam without discomfort.
Weekly Update Emails On Thursday of each week, send an email to all students with important information for the program and things coming up. Every week this email should include a reminder about Friday office hours, upcoming professional development opportunities and tasks relevant to the fellowship program. Utilize the 8 week guide to ensure you are scaffolding upcoming deliverables in each email.
Midterm FeedbackSurveys Halfway through the program, the Impact Consulting Fellowship issued a feedback survey to all students and consultant advisors. ICF did not include clients in this survey, however, you may want to include them.
Surveys used are on the following pages
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CONSULTANT SURVEY Consultant Advisor Facing
Name ________ project _________
- What systems would you like in place to help the students grow for future iterations? Open ended - What documents and/or other information would you like to have access to in order to remove obstacles you may have encountered so far as a CA? Open ended - How appropriate is the level of your project for your student team? 1-3 Scale 1. 2. 3.
Too easy, students are not being challenged Appropriate, students are being challenged to their ability Difficult, students are being challenged way beyond their knowledge
How do you feel about the composition of your team members? 1-3 Scale
do
1. 2. 3.
I have an appropriate number of masters, MBAs and undergraduates for this project I have a doable team composition, but it could have been better My team composition does not cover expertise in many of the tasks my team needs to
How frequently have you been in contact with your team lead? Drop down 1. 2. 3. 4.
Less than once a week Once a week Twice a week 3+ Times a week
How frequently have you been in contact with your whole team? Drop down 1. 2. 3. 4.
Less than once a week Once a week Twice a week 3+ Times a week
What could the UMD Impact Consulting Fellowship team (University Faculty/Staff) have done to help your experience go more smoothly? Open ended Other thoughts? Open feedback Open ended
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TEAM LEADER SURVEY Team Leader Facing Name ________ project _________ How satisfied are you with the organization you are working for? 1-5 scale How satisfied are you with the project you are working on? 1-5 scale How satisfied are you with the actual work you are conducting for your organization? 1-5 scale How much of the project should be scoped for you by the university team to ensure a balance of consulting learning and concrete direction for the project? 1 - Fully scoped project – team needs to do very minor scoping in addition to implementation 2 - Somewhat scoped project – we do half implementation half scoping 3 - Not scoped – all scoping and implementation done by the team How can we improve the team member ranking process for project leads to select their teams? Open ended What feedback do you have on the project ranking process? Open ended How frequently does your team utilize the EduSourced platform and what improvements would you like to see made to the platform? Open ended Rank the cohesiveness of your team 1-5 scale How responsive is your client to your concerns? 1-5 Scale How useful were the zoom learning sessions? 1-5 Scale How responsive is your Consultant Advisor? 1-5 Scale What could the UMD Impact Consulting Fellowship team (University Faculty/Staff) have done to help your experience go more smoothly? Open ended Other thoughts? Open feedback Open ended
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TEAM MEMBER SURVEY Team Member Facing Name ________ project _________ How happy are you with your project placement based on your submitted preferences? 1-5 scale What feedback do you have on the project ranking process? Open ended How could we have improved the Zoom learning sessions? Open ended Rank the cohesiveness of your team 1-5 scale How responsive is your client to your concerns? 1-5 Scale Check the areas of growth necessary for your team leader Leadership Time management Communication Organization Client management Please add constructive feedback or examples Open ended How helpful has the EduSourced platform been in helping your team stay organized? 1-5 scale What could the UMD Impact Consulting Fellowship team (University Faculty/Staff) have done to help your experience go more smoothly? Open ended What other topics would have been helpful to cover in training sessions before this program began? Open ended Other thoughts? Open feedback Open ended
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MIDTERM EMAIL TO TEAMS Midterm Email to Teams Once everyone has filled out their midterm feedback survey, compile the results and look for trends. The purpose of this email is to give feedback to the teams immediately, not only at the end of the program when it is too late to change things. Once you have a few points you want to highlight, whether they are team specific or cross team applicable, write the midterm email. A example email is below. Hi X team, You are officially halfway through the Impact Consulting Fellowship - congrats! Thank you so much for your hard work. Moving forward, I have a few notes for you. If there are any red flags about your project or client, please direct your concerns to myself and Nima. We are here for you and want to make sure you relieve the learning experience you signed up for. Also, thank you for completing your feedback forms. You provided us with some great insight and some of the major trends we saw in responses are listed below. 1. Communication Systems - We understand there hasn’t been a standardized platform for the teams to communicate. Some teams have created their own Slack accounts to help solve this problem. In the future iteration of this program we plan to provide students with a Slack. In the meantime, if your team wants to make your own, please do so. To date, it is the best method of communicating that we have seen yet. 2. Smith Resources - If you need a subject matter expert for anything on your project, please reach out to me so that I can get you in touch with the right person at Smith. In the second iteration of the Impact Consulting Fellowship we are working on compiling a master document of professors and staff at Smith covering different topics. Also, if you had a Smith professor who you think can help you with your project, feel free to reach out to them. 3. Project and Team Selection - We understand your comments on the project and team ranking for this iteration of the program and are working on creating a new method using the feedback that many of you provided. If you have more to add on this, please email me and let me know. We love hearing what you have to say and plan to use all of the insight you have provided us with. Lastly, office hours will resume this week on Friday (4PM - 5PM for everyone, 5PM - 5:30PM just for team leads). If you have any questions, no matter how elementary or sophisticated, please hop on so we can get them answered for you. Also, just a reminder that all of the training sessions and decks remain on EduSourced for your reference. Please use them as you tackle new challenges in your project. Again, thank you all so much for your hard work and dedication. Excited to see what you accomplish throughout the rest of this program! All the best,
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X
PHASE 3: PROGRAM ANALYSIS A focus onOngoing Feedback Throughout the entire ICF process, the faculty and staff running the program were available for mentorship and coaching calls. Each team and project will have demands so different from one another, so it is important to provide individual attention when needed. The Impact Consulting Fellowship team included Professor Nicole Coomber who has taught management consulting courses for years and helped guide our Team leaders and members where support was necessary. Again, this type of support system was built with the purpose of professional development for students.
WEEKS
Phase 3: Program Analysis 7
Closing Client Meetings, Final Presentations, Send Final Feedback Survey
8
Surveys completed by this week, Huddle Celebration
The last phase of the fellowship is short in relation to the other phases, but equally as important. During this phase the same focus on growth that was applied throughout the program for students is applied to the team organizing the fellowship. This is the time when you ask questions like what went well? What can we do better?
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FINAL FEEDBACK SURVEY Towards the end of week 8 send a final feedback survey to be completed by all constituents of the program. This survey should have one section with questions to be answered by everyone and also include individual sections for each group of program participants. Results from this survey should help you construct your next iteration. TIP: You may want to include a sectionfor participants to state their interest in participating again to get a head start onrecruiting participants! Survey examples are below.
All Program Constituents Facing See the survey here.
MBA Facing See the survey here.
Masters Facing See the survey here.
Undergraduate Facing See the survey here.
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WEEK 8 Client Facing In what ways did our students contribute to your organization? Open ended In what ways did our team meet/exceed/not reach your expectations on this project? Open ended What skills do our students need to grow in to be ready for future employment? Open ended On average how much time did you spend per week engaging with your team? Open ended
Consultant Advisor Facing How much time did you spend supporting your team each week? Open ended What facets of the project did your team need your assistance with the most? Open ended How would you shape this program differently to make it more similar to a consulting project in industry? We want to give our students the real world skills needed to be successful in their future careers. Open ended
Impact Consulting Fellowship Huddle This event is a final celebration of the work your students did throughout their fellowship. During this event, ask each team to put together a brief presentation on what they did, who their client was, and the relationship to impact. Length of each presentation depends on how many teams and clients you have and how long you want this event to be. The event for the Impact Consulting Fellowship was 2 hours and each team presented for roughly 3 minutes. ICF invited everyone to the huddle including all participating organizations, all business school faculty and staff and students. This is one final hoorah for the hard work your students put in and the professional growth they achieved!
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CONCLUSION Impact Consulting Fellowship Conclusion Organizing an impact driving consulting fellowship is no easy undertaking, however, the results are rewarding for everyone. Impactful organizations receive hours of support they desperately need, students get hands-on work experience and consultant advisors have the chance to mentor and give back to the next generation of business leaders. The overall key to a successful program is to remember the basics. - Make sure you take the time initially to organize for future road bumps. - Draft a strong application process to vet the organizations and students who participate in your program. - Prepare your program constituents for everything you can expect during their development sessions. - Prioritize development of everyone in your program. - Build a trusting relationship with every participant in the program to help mitigate situations as they arise. And above all, enjoy your work! You are making a great difference, not only for the clients involved, but for the lives of the many people they serve. Be proud of your accomplishments in this program!
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APPENDICES Company Application Student Applications Consultant Advisor Applications Program FeedbackSurvey MBA FeedbackSurvey Masters FeedbackSurvey Undergraduate FeedbackSurvey
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APPLICATIONS 1. The company application In your email, include a link for the company to apply to be a part of the program. You can use a Google Form or any other survey tool. Have a deadline for companies to submit this survey so that your program stays on track with timing for selecting organizations and assigning teams.
Questions for the application:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
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Organization Name Form Submitter Name Form Submitter Title Form Submitter Email Form Submitter Phone Number Website Link Who will be the point of contact for the students during this project? Organizations Classification (B Corp, non profit, impact driven for profit) Company overview/mission Describe Your Expectations For The Project? What Are Your Ideal Final Deliverables? Please Be As Specific As Possible How Would You Define Success For This Project? Please Explain The Specific Type(s) Of Expertise You Are Looking For In A Consultant. What Would Make Them A Great Fit Have you ever worked with students before (Yes/No) Clients and Consultants benefit from Virtual Meetings. Are you open to meeting with consultants in person 2-3 times throughout the summer? Will you require an Non Disclosure Agreement? Other university requirements? (EIN, Campus specific compliance documents, etc.)
2. The student application On each flier there should be a link to an application for students to apply to be part of the program. 1. First Name 2. Last Name 3. Email 4. University ID 5. What will your classification be at the start of the Fall 2020 Semester (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, FT MBA, PT MBA, Graduate Student - Masters, Online MBA) 6. What is your major? 7. Rank the following projects (1 = This project is uninteresting to me and I do not want to work on it, 5 = This project is super interesting to me and I would love to work on it) ***IF they select MBA Student (FT/PT/Online) and will be a team leader this question is not necessary to complete. 8. Why are you interested in participating in the Impact Consulting Fellowship? 9. Describe a time when you were part of a team. What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them? 10. What experiences have you previously had in consulting? 11. What takeaways are you hoping to get out of the Impact Consulting Fellowship? 12. How did you hear about this opportunity? (CSVC Newsletter, CSVC Social Media, From a 13. friend, From another newsletter, HireSmith, OCS, from a different social media) 14. Upload resume LinkedIn Link
3. The consultant advisor application On each flier and each post, there should be a link to an application for alumni or corporate partner employees to apply to be part of the program. Questions for the application: 1. Name 2. Email 3. Phone 4. Current Job Title 5. Company 6. Industry of Experience 7. Content Matter of Experience 8. Which of projects would you like to support?
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FINAL FEEDBACK SURVEY Program Facing Name ________ Project (Drop down menu with all projects) Classification (Check one: MBA, Masters, Undergraduate, Client, Consultant Advisor) What went well for this program for you? Please be as specific as possible. Open ended How can we improve the Impact Consulting Fellowship for future iterations? Open ended We are planning to run this program again with the feedback we received from October to December. Would you like us to contact you about participating in the next iteration of ICF? Yes/ No Would you like to subscribe to the Center for Social Value Creation’s weekly newsletter to learn about our other opportunities. Yes/ No/ Already Subscibed
MBA Facing What skills did you grow the most in this program? Open ended In what ways did this program not meet your expectations so we can enhance for future iterations? Open ended Tell us about your experience working with students in a different program (Undergraduates/Masters). Open ended Please give positive and constructive feedback on your consultant advisor. Elaborate on ways they supported you and how they could improve coaching in future iterations. Open ended Please give positive and constructive feedback on your engagements with your client. Open ended Please give positive and constructive feedback on your engagements with the Smith team (University Faculty/Staff). Open ended
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Masters Facing What skills did you grow the most in this program? Open ended In what ways did this program not meet your expectations so we can enhance for future iterations? Open ended Tell us about your experience working with students in a different program (MBA/Undergraduates). Open ended Please give positive and constructive feedback on your consultant advisor. Elaborate on ways they supported you and how they could improve coaching in future iterations. Open ended Please give positive and constructive feedback on your engagements with your client. Open ended Please give positive and constructive feedback on your engagements with the Smith team (University Faculty/Staff). Open ended
Undergraduate Facing What skills did you grow the most in this program? Open ended In what ways did this program not meet your expectations so we can enhance for future iterations? Open ended Tell us about your experience working with students in a different program (MBA/Masters) Open ended Please give positive and constructive feedback on your consultant advisor. Elaborate on ways they supported you and how they could improve coaching in future iterations. Open ended Please give positive and constructive feedback on your engagements with your client. Open ended Please give positive and constructive feedback on your engagements with the Smith team (University Faculty/Staff). Open ended
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I M PAC T CO N S U LT I N G F E L LOW S H I P HANDBOOK https://ter.ps/icfellowship