CBS Boston Gives Back Program - ICA-Group Fall 2011
On behalf of the CBS Alumni Club of Boston and the CBS Gives Back to Boston Advisory Board, I would like to thank and recognize the following alumni volunteers for participating in the FIFTH pro bono consulting project of the CBS Gives Back to Boston initiative. Collectively, they dedicated 800+ hours of their time during this 12-week project in the Fall of 2011.
Please find attached a letter of appreciation from the Executive Director and Board Chair.
The Project
The ICA Group (www.ica-group.org) is a national not-for-profit consultancy focused on improving job quality and building economic security in low-income communities. Their clients include individuals, not-for-profits, public sector agencies, and for-profit firms that are working to create economic opportunity and effect positive change. Specific program areas include Alternative Staffing Organizations, social enterprise development, employee ownership consulting and planning and evaluation services. ICA's mission is to promote human and economic development through the creation of employee-owned and community based business that save and create jobs.
This CBS Gives Back project focused specifically on their Alternative Staffing initiative whose goals are to develop and provide technical assistance to alternative staffing organizations (ASOs) and manage the Alternative Staffing Alliance, a national trade association of ASOs managed by ICA Group. This Alternative Staffing Alliance (www.altstaffing.org) provides services and support to social enterprises that use a temporary staffing business model to connect low-income job seekers to employment opportunities. Combining the worker focus and support of a not-for-profit job developer with the market orientation of a conventional staffing firm, alternative staffing is an effective strategy to help individuals with barriers to employment achieve their job goals, while satisfying employer needs and generating fee income that leverages charitable support. In its four years of operation, the Alliance has accomplished a great deal but there is still tremendous untapped potential in this innovative, market-based approach to workforce development.
The Project
The 7-person volunteer team spent over 800 hours on this project over a 12-week period in the Fall of 2011. The objectives were to identify opportunities for the alliance to better meet the needs of its members, and to identify key success drivers for the alliance in fulfilling its role as a trade association for the alternative staffing sector. The CBS alumni team formulated and recommended strategies to extend the Alliance's reach and enhance the stature and prominence of its work and the Alliance brand.
"I am very appreciative of the opportunity to have worked on the project, and I am proud to be part of a CBS Club that is so visionary," said Marcia Guzy '82. Christian Collins '02 added, "I think the fact that we worked on a real situation with a specific focus and time frame helped us to feel that we made a difference."
"Our group got along famously and we were extremely supportive and encouraging of each other." said Ann Greenwalt '90.
The Gives Back volunteers performed an extensive set of interviews with a wide range of parties. They worked closely with ICA Group and dissected the current business model. Nearly 40 members of the Alternate Staffing Organization were surveyed online AND interviewed in person during the annual conference in Arizona (thanks to our fellow alumni Tony Battaglia '69 who resides in Arizona and was able to attend the conference - thanks Susan Teperow from CBS Alumni Relations in NYC for tracking him down for us!).
Additionally, various third parties were also interviewed such as non members, competitors, sector partners, etc. Based on this as well as primary research, findings were presented to the Board on December 6, and strategic and operational initiatives identified as well as strategic planning recommendations made. According to one of the ICA Group board members Joe Kriesberg, "I thought the team did a really outstanding job. As a director of a non-profit association myself, it was very helpful to me in both of my roles. I have seen many such projects by teams of volunteers and I don't think I have ever seen one as professional, high quality, on-point or as quick as this one. Well done! Go lions!"
In an update provided by the client in January 2012, the client has informed us that they have already begun to implement some of the team's recommendations. Based on the volunteer's findings, they have implemented a popular certification and training program for the members and have also begun to redesign the Alliance's website.
CBS Gives Back to Boston Moves Forward
We are proud that after 5 separate consulting projects since Fall 2008, CBS alumni in Boston have given over 3,000 hours of pro-bono consulting to non profits in the New England region. This excludes the hours spent by the CBS Gives Back to Boston Advisory Board who have continued to find new ways to improve this initiative and their process for both client and volunteer selection to ensure a successful experience for everyone.
Thank you to everyone involved and to the board of the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of Boston for their on-going support and encouragement!
Stay tuned for our SIXTH pro-bono consulting project to begin in Fall of 2012. We will be seeking new client requests by late Spring, and new CBS alumni volunteers in the summer. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Best Regards,
Lei-Choon Ong '97
VP of Philanthropy, Columbia Business School Alumni Club of Boston
Founder & Chair, CBS Gives Back to Boston
- Tony Battaglia '69
- Alberto Chang '01
- Suzanne Cherenson '84
- L. Christian Collins '02
- Ayumi Furui '11
- Ann Greenwalt '90
- Marcia Guzy '82
Please find attached a letter of appreciation from the Executive Director and Board Chair.
The Project
The ICA Group (www.ica-group.org) is a national not-for-profit consultancy focused on improving job quality and building economic security in low-income communities. Their clients include individuals, not-for-profits, public sector agencies, and for-profit firms that are working to create economic opportunity and effect positive change. Specific program areas include Alternative Staffing Organizations, social enterprise development, employee ownership consulting and planning and evaluation services. ICA's mission is to promote human and economic development through the creation of employee-owned and community based business that save and create jobs.
This CBS Gives Back project focused specifically on their Alternative Staffing initiative whose goals are to develop and provide technical assistance to alternative staffing organizations (ASOs) and manage the Alternative Staffing Alliance, a national trade association of ASOs managed by ICA Group. This Alternative Staffing Alliance (www.altstaffing.org) provides services and support to social enterprises that use a temporary staffing business model to connect low-income job seekers to employment opportunities. Combining the worker focus and support of a not-for-profit job developer with the market orientation of a conventional staffing firm, alternative staffing is an effective strategy to help individuals with barriers to employment achieve their job goals, while satisfying employer needs and generating fee income that leverages charitable support. In its four years of operation, the Alliance has accomplished a great deal but there is still tremendous untapped potential in this innovative, market-based approach to workforce development.
The Project
The 7-person volunteer team spent over 800 hours on this project over a 12-week period in the Fall of 2011. The objectives were to identify opportunities for the alliance to better meet the needs of its members, and to identify key success drivers for the alliance in fulfilling its role as a trade association for the alternative staffing sector. The CBS alumni team formulated and recommended strategies to extend the Alliance's reach and enhance the stature and prominence of its work and the Alliance brand.
"I am very appreciative of the opportunity to have worked on the project, and I am proud to be part of a CBS Club that is so visionary," said Marcia Guzy '82. Christian Collins '02 added, "I think the fact that we worked on a real situation with a specific focus and time frame helped us to feel that we made a difference."
"Our group got along famously and we were extremely supportive and encouraging of each other." said Ann Greenwalt '90.
The Gives Back volunteers performed an extensive set of interviews with a wide range of parties. They worked closely with ICA Group and dissected the current business model. Nearly 40 members of the Alternate Staffing Organization were surveyed online AND interviewed in person during the annual conference in Arizona (thanks to our fellow alumni Tony Battaglia '69 who resides in Arizona and was able to attend the conference - thanks Susan Teperow from CBS Alumni Relations in NYC for tracking him down for us!).
Additionally, various third parties were also interviewed such as non members, competitors, sector partners, etc. Based on this as well as primary research, findings were presented to the Board on December 6, and strategic and operational initiatives identified as well as strategic planning recommendations made. According to one of the ICA Group board members Joe Kriesberg, "I thought the team did a really outstanding job. As a director of a non-profit association myself, it was very helpful to me in both of my roles. I have seen many such projects by teams of volunteers and I don't think I have ever seen one as professional, high quality, on-point or as quick as this one. Well done! Go lions!"
In an update provided by the client in January 2012, the client has informed us that they have already begun to implement some of the team's recommendations. Based on the volunteer's findings, they have implemented a popular certification and training program for the members and have also begun to redesign the Alliance's website.
CBS Gives Back to Boston Moves Forward
We are proud that after 5 separate consulting projects since Fall 2008, CBS alumni in Boston have given over 3,000 hours of pro-bono consulting to non profits in the New England region. This excludes the hours spent by the CBS Gives Back to Boston Advisory Board who have continued to find new ways to improve this initiative and their process for both client and volunteer selection to ensure a successful experience for everyone.
Thank you to everyone involved and to the board of the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of Boston for their on-going support and encouragement!
Stay tuned for our SIXTH pro-bono consulting project to begin in Fall of 2012. We will be seeking new client requests by late Spring, and new CBS alumni volunteers in the summer. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Best Regards,
Lei-Choon Ong '97
VP of Philanthropy, Columbia Business School Alumni Club of Boston
Founder & Chair, CBS Gives Back to Boston