Service Corps: Net Impact Chicago Serves Local Nonprofits

Net Impact's 300+ chapters provide a variety of ways for Net Impacters around the globe to put their skills to work at the local level. Today's guest post from Nicole Lynn, the Action Projects chair for Net Impact Chicago, takes a closer at Service Corps, our Impact Program that connects Net Impacters to nonprofits in need of strategic planning.

Service Corps is an important program to our chapter, allowing our members to work closely with local organizations to create a positive social impact. As a chapter, we place a high value on this program because it offers us an opportunity to engage with the nonprofit community in a direct way, and it furthers our goal of being widely viewed as an organization that is synonymous with social impact in Chicago.

This year, sixteen Net Impact Chicago members and eleven local organizations applied to participate. Organizations were asked to provide a general project scope during the application process, and five organizations were selected based on the ability to compile project teams that matched the organizations' needs.

Participating organizations included Future of Fish, LC3, Local First Chicago, Supplies for Dreams, and New Leaf Urban Gardens. The projects tackled were varied in scope. Local First Chicago, for example, was in the process of changing their legal status to a 501(c)3 nonprofit. We knew we needed to look at our branding and outreach, but had limited capacity to do the work ourselves, said Suzanne Keers, Co-founder and Executive Director, in a follow-up email. Suzanne tells Net Impact that she was struck by the willingness of our professional members to take on such pro bono work.

Positive Impact Requires Realistic Expectations

Members and participating organizations were brought together in the spring to kick off the program and get to know each other. We all started out with grand ideas. The team working with Supplies for Dreams, for example, was tasked with helping the organization recruit schools into their three programs designed to enhance the educational experience for Chicago Public Schools students.

When we came together for a mid-point check-in (in which members provided an update on their progress, shared what they'd learned so far, and shared any resources or contacts other teams could benefit from), I was amazed to discover that every team was sharing a similar experience as my own. We quickly learned we had to narrow our project scopes, and set realistic expectations and goals due to time restraints.

One of my favorite moments of that meeting was witnessing everyone's willingness to share resources, from people they knew who could offer advice to other organizations that could be contacted, and their willingness to brainstorm ideas for other teams.

Representatives of each of the participating organizations were invited to attend our final meeting, and our Net Impact members were asked to prepare a presentation for the group to share the impact the teams were able to make on their organizations. I was impressed by the caliber of the presentations, deliverables, and the work each team put into their projects (the Supplies for Dreams team, for example, went through a mock pitch they created to help their organization build partnerships with Chicago public schools). Their effort and passion shone through that evening.

Ensuring a Mutually Beneficial Partnership

Service Corps is a rewarding experience, and a unique way to explore the world of consulting. Unfortunately, a few members withdrew during the course of the program. Losing members is both disappointing and regrettable, but the remaining team members continued to move their projects forward. Because of the commitments made to participating nonprofits, I recommend to anyone contemplating taking part in their chapter's Service Corps to ensure they have the time to give before applying.

I am proud to have played a role in Service Corps - the organizations we served were grateful for our work and excited to be a part of the program. And it was a fun way to meet and work with fellow Net Impact members. I encourage all Net Impacters to get involved in the program - and if your chapter doesn't offer Service Corps, I advocate starting one!