Existing Update on CBS Boston Gives Back Program - February 2010
Please read below for an update on our Gives Back Program. Highlights include our search for new non-profit clients, as well as us formalizing the program through a newly-created advisory board
We Are Expanding (a newly-created advisory board)
After completing 3 successful pro-bono consulting projects to non-profits in the Boston area, it is time to formalize this valuable initiative of the CBS Alumni Club of Boston. We are the only CBS alumni club in the world to have instituted pro-bono consulting services to non-profits. We are proud to be the first, and hope other clubs around the world will follow suit and use their MBA skills for volunteering in the communities in which they live while fostering closer ties amongst their fellow CBS alumni. In order to institutionalize our services, we have created a CBS Gives Back to Boston Advisory Board consisting of former alumni volunteers who have been champions of this initiative. Together, they will vote on the selection of future projects, choose the project managers responsible for the success of each project, and provide advice and help solve large issues if they come up. We will also continue to count on the board of the CBS Club of Boston for their continued advice and sponsorship.
The new advisory board members are all former participants of CBS Gives Back to Boston:
1. Supriyo Dey '07
2. Vincent Fung '09
3. Rusty Hartley '94
4. Evan Jacobs '07
5. Cathy McCarthy '79
6. Lei-Choon Ong '97
7. Yvonne Tai '04
8. Gary Westermark '91
9. Barbara Wipf '00
How We Started
I started the CBS Gives Back to Boston pro-bono management consulting to non-profits initiative in the Fall of 2008. As a a wealth advisor at Merrill Lynch and former management consultant at Booz Allen, I felt like it was the perfect time to launch the program. I was a board member of the YWCA Boston, there was so much uncertainty in the economy, and they had some strategic planning needs but no budget for it. I had consulting and project management skills, but needed talented people to work with me on this. I was also on the board of the CBS Alumni Club of Boston, and club president Ben Grossman '06 and I decided to send out a mass email to alumni to see if they would be interested in participating in a pro-bono consulting project specifically for the YWCA Boston. We had a terrific response from volunteers, and internal support from the club as well.
Evan Jacobs '07, a CBS Boston Club board member and management consultant at Capgemini, was the first to sign up, and it turned out to be a successful initial project, with many lessons learned. I was proud and impressed by the caliber of the alumni volunteers and how everyone worked as a team. I thought it would be the only project, but within weeks, 2 more project opportunities were presented to us by Columbia alums. Once again, we sent out feelers to the CBS Boston community and got a great group of people together, and 2 more projects were completed in 2009. In total, these CBS alumni (and some spouses) have donated over 1,000 hours in management consulting services since 2008, and we hope to keep this going. It will depend entirely on the dedicated participation of the small number of alums here in the greater Boston area who are willing to use their MBA skills to help local charities in a meaningful way beyond opening their wallets. Some are already consulting practitioners, and some are repeat volunteers, which speaks very highly to the value of the program in terms of what they feel they get in return for their efforts.
There is a lot of camaraderie and friendship building as you can imagine from working in a team setting. It is also a fantastic way for alums looking to try consulting to see what it is like and to participate in thought-provoking activities well past graduating from CBS. Finally, by working on projects near and dear to the hearts of Columbia alums, we are strengthening our alumni community as well.
New Projects:
We are looking for new non-profit clients who need our help. The requirements are simple: 1) Ideally, it is a non-profit in which a CBS alum is strongly involved, 2) All projects should last up to 12 weeks only and have a clear and agreed upon scope and deliverable, 3) All projects should culminate in a final presentation to the FULL board of directors on a pre-determined date at the start of the project, 4) Our key client contact must be a key board member and the CEO or COO of the organization. Please send us your requests to: [email protected]
Former Projects:
Once again, our deepest gratitude and thanks to the following 14 individuals who participated in the first 3 projects with intelligence, dedication and respect for the clients they served. The alums are listed below along with the clients they served. Details of each project can be found on our website - see below.
1. Hamid Benbrahim '07 - YWCA Boston
2. Niki Brinkman (spouse of Todd Ofenloch '07) - YWCA Boston
3. Victor Chin '94 - Kwong Kow Chinese School
4. Supriyo Dey '07 - YWCA Boston & Aspergers Association of New England
5. Vincent Fung '09 - Aspergers Association of New England
6. John F. Hartley Jr. (Rusty) '92 - Kwong Kow Chinese School
7. Evan Jacobs '07 - YWCA Boston & Aspergers Association of New England
8. Cathy McCarthy '79 - Aspergers Association of New England
9. Greta Meszoely (spouse of Hamid Benbrahim '07): YWCA Boston
10. Naomi Nuta (spouse of Evan Jacobs '07 and Columbia B.A. '01) - Aspergers Association of New England
11. Lei-Choon Ong '97 - YWCA Boston, Kwong Kow Chinese School, Aspergers Association of New England
12. Yvonne Tai '04 - Kwong Kow Chinese School
13. Gary Westermark '91 - YWCA Boston
14. Barbara Wipf '00 - Aspergers Association of New England
Many thanks for your encouragement and support. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Lei-Choon Ong '97
VP of Philanthropy, Columbia Business School Alumni Club of Boston
Chair, Columbia Business School Gives Back to Boston Advisory Board
We Are Expanding (a newly-created advisory board)
After completing 3 successful pro-bono consulting projects to non-profits in the Boston area, it is time to formalize this valuable initiative of the CBS Alumni Club of Boston. We are the only CBS alumni club in the world to have instituted pro-bono consulting services to non-profits. We are proud to be the first, and hope other clubs around the world will follow suit and use their MBA skills for volunteering in the communities in which they live while fostering closer ties amongst their fellow CBS alumni. In order to institutionalize our services, we have created a CBS Gives Back to Boston Advisory Board consisting of former alumni volunteers who have been champions of this initiative. Together, they will vote on the selection of future projects, choose the project managers responsible for the success of each project, and provide advice and help solve large issues if they come up. We will also continue to count on the board of the CBS Club of Boston for their continued advice and sponsorship.
The new advisory board members are all former participants of CBS Gives Back to Boston:
1. Supriyo Dey '07
2. Vincent Fung '09
3. Rusty Hartley '94
4. Evan Jacobs '07
5. Cathy McCarthy '79
6. Lei-Choon Ong '97
7. Yvonne Tai '04
8. Gary Westermark '91
9. Barbara Wipf '00
How We Started
I started the CBS Gives Back to Boston pro-bono management consulting to non-profits initiative in the Fall of 2008. As a a wealth advisor at Merrill Lynch and former management consultant at Booz Allen, I felt like it was the perfect time to launch the program. I was a board member of the YWCA Boston, there was so much uncertainty in the economy, and they had some strategic planning needs but no budget for it. I had consulting and project management skills, but needed talented people to work with me on this. I was also on the board of the CBS Alumni Club of Boston, and club president Ben Grossman '06 and I decided to send out a mass email to alumni to see if they would be interested in participating in a pro-bono consulting project specifically for the YWCA Boston. We had a terrific response from volunteers, and internal support from the club as well.
Evan Jacobs '07, a CBS Boston Club board member and management consultant at Capgemini, was the first to sign up, and it turned out to be a successful initial project, with many lessons learned. I was proud and impressed by the caliber of the alumni volunteers and how everyone worked as a team. I thought it would be the only project, but within weeks, 2 more project opportunities were presented to us by Columbia alums. Once again, we sent out feelers to the CBS Boston community and got a great group of people together, and 2 more projects were completed in 2009. In total, these CBS alumni (and some spouses) have donated over 1,000 hours in management consulting services since 2008, and we hope to keep this going. It will depend entirely on the dedicated participation of the small number of alums here in the greater Boston area who are willing to use their MBA skills to help local charities in a meaningful way beyond opening their wallets. Some are already consulting practitioners, and some are repeat volunteers, which speaks very highly to the value of the program in terms of what they feel they get in return for their efforts.
There is a lot of camaraderie and friendship building as you can imagine from working in a team setting. It is also a fantastic way for alums looking to try consulting to see what it is like and to participate in thought-provoking activities well past graduating from CBS. Finally, by working on projects near and dear to the hearts of Columbia alums, we are strengthening our alumni community as well.
New Projects:
We are looking for new non-profit clients who need our help. The requirements are simple: 1) Ideally, it is a non-profit in which a CBS alum is strongly involved, 2) All projects should last up to 12 weeks only and have a clear and agreed upon scope and deliverable, 3) All projects should culminate in a final presentation to the FULL board of directors on a pre-determined date at the start of the project, 4) Our key client contact must be a key board member and the CEO or COO of the organization. Please send us your requests to: [email protected]
Former Projects:
Once again, our deepest gratitude and thanks to the following 14 individuals who participated in the first 3 projects with intelligence, dedication and respect for the clients they served. The alums are listed below along with the clients they served. Details of each project can be found on our website - see below.
1. Hamid Benbrahim '07 - YWCA Boston
2. Niki Brinkman (spouse of Todd Ofenloch '07) - YWCA Boston
3. Victor Chin '94 - Kwong Kow Chinese School
4. Supriyo Dey '07 - YWCA Boston & Aspergers Association of New England
5. Vincent Fung '09 - Aspergers Association of New England
6. John F. Hartley Jr. (Rusty) '92 - Kwong Kow Chinese School
7. Evan Jacobs '07 - YWCA Boston & Aspergers Association of New England
8. Cathy McCarthy '79 - Aspergers Association of New England
9. Greta Meszoely (spouse of Hamid Benbrahim '07): YWCA Boston
10. Naomi Nuta (spouse of Evan Jacobs '07 and Columbia B.A. '01) - Aspergers Association of New England
11. Lei-Choon Ong '97 - YWCA Boston, Kwong Kow Chinese School, Aspergers Association of New England
12. Yvonne Tai '04 - Kwong Kow Chinese School
13. Gary Westermark '91 - YWCA Boston
14. Barbara Wipf '00 - Aspergers Association of New England
Many thanks for your encouragement and support. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Lei-Choon Ong '97
VP of Philanthropy, Columbia Business School Alumni Club of Boston
Chair, Columbia Business School Gives Back to Boston Advisory Board
