CBS Alumni Club of Boston Gives Back - Fall 2008

On behalf of the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of Boston, I would like to thank and recognize the following volunteers for participating in the first pro bono project of the CBS Boston Gives Back initiative this past fall:

Hamid Benbrahim, Class of 2007
Niki Brinkman (spouse of Todd Ofenloch, Class of 2007)
Supriyo Dey, Class of 2007
Evan Jacobs, Class of 2007
Greta Meszoely (spouse of Hamid Benbrahim, Class of 2007)
Lei-Choon Ong, Class of 1997
Gary Westermark, Class of 1991

Project:  The client was the YWCA of Boston (www.ywcaboston.org).  Faced with significant financial challenges in recent years, the organization’s leadership is planning to launch an extensive strategic planning process within the next twelve months.  In preparation and under the rubric of “you can’t know where you are going if you don’t know where you are,” the organization critically needed to document its current health education and youth development programs which have organically evolved over time.  Specifically the YWCA sought the support of the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of Boston in mapping the service delivery model of its two programmatic areas, articulating their underlying theories of change, identifying the intended and actual community impact of the programs, and making recommendations on how the programs could work more effectively to achieve their intended outcomes

“It's very satisfying knowing that I could put some of my skills developed at CBS to good use in the community helping an organization like the Boston YWCA.  The adage, 'it is better to give than to receive' was true here.  I got more in return as I was able to connect with fellow alums that cared to make a difference,” Gary Westermark, '91, said of the program.

Based on a typical billable hours measurement, each team member spent approximately 50-100  hours on this project.  Our pro-bono consultants took time off their full-time jobs to interview every staff member involved in social programs at the YWCA Boston.  A half dozen conference calls between the team members, a few after work meetings, and a couple of Sunday afternoons were spent preparing our report, and it culminated in a successful presentation to the CEO, COO, and some key board members. 

Here's a link to a letter of appreciation from the CEO of the YWCA Boston.
 
Sincerely,
Lei-Choon Ong '97
VP of Philanthropy, Columbia Business School Alumni Club of Boston