Net Impact Board Fellows Program

Audience members engaged in a discussion

The Net Impact Board Fellows Program is run in conjunction with the Net Impact Booth student group.

It matches Chicago Booth students with local nonprofit organizations, bringing valuable pro bono business skills to nonprofits while giving students hands-on experience with nonprofit management and governance.

Nonprofit applications for the 2021-22 Net Impact Board Fellows program are now open. Apply by Monday, September 13, 2021 at 5 p.m. CST.

Nonprofit Application
Student applications will open in fall 2021. Check back for updates.

Not sure which nonprofit strategy and governance program is a right fit for your organization? Check out a side-by-side comparison of Net Impact Board Fellows and Alumni Board Connect programs here.

Board fellows are matched in teams of two or three with partner organizations on the basis of area of interest.

With training and mentoring from the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation, they serve as nonvoting board members for a seven-month term (October through April) and complete a strategic consulting project of the nonprofit organization’s choosing.

By the Numbers

400+

Number of Booth students who participated in the Net Impact Board Fellows Program

120+

Number of nonprofits that have collaborated with the program since 2015

Participate as a Booth Student

The program is designed to encourage Booth students to pursue nonprofit board service and involvement throughout their lives. As a Net Impact Board fellow, you’ll receive coaching from Booth alumni, support from the Rustandy Center and Net Impact, and training and workshops on topics such as board governance and project scoping.

The program is open to:

Rising second-year Full-Time MBA students
Evening and Weekend MBA students who have completed at least eight courses and do not graduate before June 2022
Rising first-year Full-Time MBA and Evening and Weekend MBA students with less than eight courses (but priority will be given to rising second-year and Evening and Weekend students

Student applications for the 2021-22 Net Impact Board Fellows program will open in fall 2021. Check back for updates.

Participate as a Nonprofit

To host a fellow, nonprofits must be located in the Chicago region and be in good standing with the State of Illinois. They must also have a formal, established governing board and capacity to provide students with the support and mentorship necessary to assimilate to the board and complete the strategic project.

When you apply to the program, you’ll outline a project for your fellows to complete during the program timeframe. A project should be significant and specific enough to achieve in four months with approximately five to 10 hours of work per month. Projects can focus on anything from cost/benefit analysis and marketing plan development to strategic planning and evaluation of funding opportunities and revenue sources.

Learn more and apply

Get Involved

Nonprofit applications for the 2021-22 Net Impact Board Fellows program are open now through Monday, September 13, 2021 at 5 p.m. CST. Learn more and apply.

Student applications will open in fall 2021.

Questions? Email Prentiss Smith

“It gives you time to feel like you’re embedded in the organization and to gain the exposure that you need to nonprofit organizations that are doing good for their communities.”
–Michael Kovach, ’20, who served on the board of GCE Lab School

Meet Our Nonprofit Engagement Executive in Residence

Learn from industry experts in the Rustandy Center’s network, who work closely with students as mentors and advisors and share insights from their experience in the social sector. Learn more about opportunities to engage with Dorri McWhorter.

Dorri McWhorter, Nonprofit Engagement

Dorri McWhorter is president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. Most recently, McWhorter was CEO of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, leading the 140-year-old social service agency's expansion of digital services and helped develop an exchange-traded fund (ETF) for women’s empowerment. A winner of innovation awards and a 20-year veteran in large-scale change management consulting, McWhorter was a partner at Crowe Horwath LLP and a senior leader at Snap-on Incorporated and Booz Allen Hamilton.