What are the mission and activities of your club?
The Consulting for Impact Club (CFI) strives to provide students with the opportunity to develop and apply their MBA skillset by working on strategic projects with local non-profit organizations and serving on their boards as non-voting members. We match groups of 2-3 students with non-profits with a variety of missions (e.g. education, healthcare, immigration) to work on year-long consulting projects related to business areas such as marketing, financial planning, and strategy. Beyond project work, we offer check-in sessions, social activities for club members to connect, and events to provide insights on consulting and working with non-profits.
What are your backgrounds, and why did you decide to take leadership roles?
Francie: After college I moved to Boston and worked in IT consulting, including on a project with the American Red Cross. Prior to attending HBS I worked in operations at athenahealth for two years. Working with non-profits has always been a passion of mine. I have spent the last 12 years as a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters and was immediately drawn to CFI as a means of leveraging the business skills I’ve learned at HBS to give back to the greater Boston community. I wanted to take on a leadership role because I profoundly believe in the mission of our club and have found it to be among the most meaningful experiences I’ve had at HBS.
Andrea: Before HBS, I worked at Marriott International in customer and digital analytics. Outside of work, I’ve been heavily involved in volunteering at non-profits. I served on the board of a non-profit focused on economic empowerment and have volunteered for several education organizations. I was excited to join CFI last year to put the skills I’m developing in the MBA program to work in a consulting role. As co-president of CFI, I’m excited to help HBS students connect with local Boston non-profits and to give back to the community.
What do you want to accomplish this year?
We want to build on the success of last year by further exploring opportunities to support our members through events and club activities. We’re also always searching for new non-profits to partner with, though we’re lucky to have a core group of organizations we have worked with over multiple years.
How do you hope this club will add to the HBS experience and to the broader community?
CFI offers a unique opportunity for MBAs to get hands-on consulting experience, gain exposure to how non-profits work, and apply skills they’ve learned in the classroom. It is a great way to get out of the HBS bubble, gain a deeper perspective on the Boston area, and provide valuable services to organizations who otherwise would not be able to afford them.
