Fellow Benefits:

• Mentorship - Each Board Fellow is paired with a mentor who serves on the board
• Leadership - Students gain valuable insight into board governance and skills for effective and thoughtful community leadership
• Classroom to Boardroom - Fellows have the opportunity to apply best practices in strategy, marketing, and finance to real-world issues facing partner non-profits.
• Network - Fellows get access to a community of Austin leaders who are passionate about a cause.
• Positive Impact - Opportunity to have a meaningful and significant impact on the community

Fellow Responsibilities:

• Board Participation - Attend all board meetings as a non-voting member of the board (one calendar year)
• Project Work - Complete a strategic project (avg. 10 hours per month)
• McCombs Board Fellows - Attend required trainings, education events, and serve on a McCombs Board Fellows committee

Student Selection:

Fellows are chosen through a rigorous selection process and matched with a partner non‐profit whose needs and mission align with their skills and interests. The selection process consists of 2 rounds: an online application with short answers and essay followed by an invitation to interview. Fellows will be selected based on leadership skills and passion for community impact.

Student Application:

Are you a current McCombs MBA interested in becoming a fellow? Please complete our interest form.

The online application is due at the end of September. For questions regarding the application process, please contact Anna Fabrizio (anna.fabrizio@mba.utexas.edu) or Greer Kann (greer.kann@mba.utexas.edu).

Partner Benefits:

• Project work - Board Fellows students donate up to 10 hours per month to complete a strategic project, drawing on work experience and McCombs MBA leading curriculum
• Future Leaders - Gain access to talented students leaders who can provide a fresh perspective to board decisions
• McCombs Network - Gain access to the McCombs network and non for profit training material
• Recruitment - Developing a relationship with potential candidates for future board and staff positions

Partner Responsibilities:

• Mentorship - Serve as a mentor to the Board Fellow as s/he develops as a business and community leader
• Integrate Board Fellows in your organization - Include Board Fellows in Board meetings and keep informed of organizational development
• Support the Board Fellows project - Agree on scope and timeline of project, allow time for Board Fellows to present findings

Partner Selection:

Partners must be based in Austin, have 501(c)3 status, and have Board meetings on at least a quarterly basis. Preference give to organizations with at least 6 board members, over $350,000 in operating budget, and at least three full-time employees.

Questions regarding becoming a partner organization should be directed to Barrett Loseke (barrett.loseke@mba.utexas.edu) or Stella Seeger (stella.seeger@mba.utexas.edu).

Applications for new organizations to be a Nonprofit Partner in 2025 are currently Open.

Application: Nonprofit Partner Application Link

Project Examples:

Accounting and Finance:

• Build a financial model to improve planning and tracking costs
• Evaluate funding opportunities and revenue sources
• Develop a model for earned revenue generation

Board Development:

• Design a dashboard to be used as a board and/or organizational evaluation tool
• Evaluate board recruitment and training
• Improve board processes and capacity
• Create a board manual
• Perform a board effectiveness audit

Marketing:

• Assess community perspectives of organization
• Design a process to assess customer satisfaction and needs
• Perform a social impact assessment
• Align communication strategy with mission
• Perform a needs assessment to improve marketing efforts
• Develop/enhance internal communication program
• Analyze current fundraising efforts to increase donations
• Benchmark best practices of similar nonprofits

Operations:

• Analyze costs and benefits of critical processes
• Identify potential organization efficiencies
• Develop a capacity-building plan
• Create volunteer management training for new programs

Organizational Strategy:

• Develop a business plan for expanding into new regions/services
• Evaluate the activities critical to your mission
• Create a five-year strategic plan

Examples of projects NOT appropriate for Board Fellows:

• Running the organization's annual fundraiser
• Actively managing the organization's online social media campaigns
• General staff or volunteer management, or administrative or volunteer tasks
• Leading a search for a new executive director
• Identifying/leading a project to merge with another nonprofit