Joel Bashevkin

Executive Director West Coast

Pro Bono 101Pro Bono 101

The Taproot Foundation strengthens nonprofits

by engaging business professionals in service.

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Taproot Foundation Overview

Founded in 2001 by entrepreneur Aaron Hurst Strong need in nonprofit community for capacity building services Modeled after the Peace Corps “Pro Bono 2020”

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Taproot Overview: Our Delivery

Demand: >2,500 grant applications to date

855 pro bono consulting projects awarded

~220 projects under way at one time

Value: > $34 million

Supply: >15,000 professionals have applied to volunteer>5,000 are currently Active

Each volunteer donates about $8,000 worth of time/project

Impact: 97% of grantees agree project will strengthen infrastructure

Satisfaction: 92% of grantees are satisfied with final deliverables

The Pro Bono Action Tank

PBAT Mission:

Ensure organizations serving the public good have access to the high-quality professional services they need to achieve their

missions in addressing the social, economic, and environmental issues of society.

Goals for Today

By end of session, you will be able to…

1. Understand the types of pro bono work happening across the country

2. Appreciate the challenges associated with using pro bono consultants and common solutions to overcome those challenges

3. Know more about how to access pro bono consulting services and some best practices

Community Engagement Spectrum

Most common nonprofit needs:

Making Budget

Extra Hands Infrastructure and Capacity

• Cash grants

• Dollars for Doers

• Matching gifts

• Beach clean up

• Soup kitchen

• Habitat for Humanity

• Mentoring

• Junior Achievement

• Science fair judge

• Collateral design

• IT assistance

• HR consulting

• Board placement

• Board member training

Financial Support

Hands On Volunteering

Skills-Based Volunteering

‘Non Core’ skills Pro Bono Work Board Service

What is “pro bono” service?

Professional services made accessible to organizations serving the public good.

Pro bono services can be rendered by a company, professional services firm,

intermediary, association or individual professional, but must leverage the

core competencies and expertise of the professional(s) engaged to meet the

client’s need. These services are typically provided without the expectation of

a fee or at such a nominal fee as to make them accessible to the client. The

client (the organization serving the public good) includes charitable, religious,

community, governmental, educational and civic organizations.

Common Types of Pro Bono Consulting

• Strategic and Business Planning

• Human Resources/Professional Development

• Marketing and Communications

• Finance and Accounting

• Information Technology

• Logistics / Operations

Target – Redesigning Libraries

Local school library makeovers utilizing the design and instruction expertise of Target’s property development team

“The new library is beautiful. It makes me cry.”Teacher at Washington Elementary School

“As a designer, it’s easy to take for granted what we do day in and day out. All I did was a sketch not realizing the impact on the whole community. It makes me proud to work at a company that values the community and my contributions.” --Reggie Reyes, Senior Design Lead, Target

Deloitte – College Summit

Data warehouse developed by Deloitte’s IT consultants tracks college placement rates.

600% increase in staff productivity related to improved reporting capabilities.

Wells Fargo – School District Branding

Positioning for entire school district completed by Wells Fargo branding teamthrough a Taproot Foundation Service Grant

Enabled all stakeholders to participate increasing citizens’ confidence in the school district

Parents Leadership Institute

• Launched new name and logo in 2006

• Within five months: 450 more people reached than ever before

• In 2007: org provided10,000+ hours of assistance to parents, or double the number of hours of assistance provided before Taproot’s support

BEFORE AFTER

Breakout Session: Consulting Challenges

1.Identify 10 challenges you have experienced working with paid consultants?

2.How would using pro bono consultants impact these challenges?

Five Most Common Pro Bono Challenges

1. Projects aren’t completed in a timely manner.

2. Expectations aren’t met.

3. The project recommendations can’t be implemented, or can’t be implemented without continual assistance.

4. The project doesn’t actually help the client.

5. Neither party is satisfied with the experience.

Breakout Session: Overcoming Challenges

How can you structure pro bono work to address each of these

challenges?

Ten Solutions to Challenges

1. Know what your needs are and be prepared to explain them thoroughly. Have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish.

2. Ensure project scope is based on an alignment of the needs and the competencies of the pro bono team.

3. Ensure the pro bono team has the skills needed to ensure a high quality outcome.

4. Ensure the project is a win-win before committing —

it’s okay to say “no”.

5. Document the scope and expectations up front and receive a formal commitment (i.e. signatures) from both the nonprofit and the pro bono team.

Ten Solutions to Challenges

6. Develop a communication plan for the project to ensure that both parties are accessible and continued alignment is reinforced.

7. Set regular milestones to formally check in on progress and solicit feedback.

8. Define clear metrics based on the above indicators to measure the success of the engagement.

9. Include an implementation and sustainability plan as the final deliverable for all projects.

10. Formally close the project with the pro bono team and celebrate the collective contribution.

Asking for support

• While pro bono services has been happening for a long time on an ad hoc basis; it is nascent to the corporate community engagement umbrella.

• Understand the core competencies of the organizations you want to partner with and what you need from them.

• Variations between:– Intermediaries– Consulting Firms– Corporations

– Other

Sources of Pro Bono Support

NPO Experience

Consulting Experience

Management Support

Staffing

Support

Intermediaries(Taproot Foundation)

Consulting Firms(Deloitte)

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Corporations(Target, Capital One)

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Informal Network(Craigslist, Board, friends)

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Tips: Professional Service Firms

• Making contact– Some firms have a community involvement manager

– Will need a Partner to sponsor your request

– Use your Board to find a Partner in your network

• Making the request– Be clear about your challenge / opportunity

– Ask for their help to determine the scope and solution = core competencies

– Come prepared to explain why it will increase their visibility in the community and be a rewarding learning experience for their consultants

Tips: Corporations

• Making contact– Currently, few community involvement departments have the ability

to deliver a pro bono team

– You need a senior contact in the functional department to sponsor the project (e.g. SVP Marketing) = core competencies

• Making the request– Be as crisp as you can be about the exact work you need done

and why

– Come prepared to explain why it will be a rewarding learning experience for their team

Checking In – Questions?

Do you now…

1. Understand the types of pro bono work done across the country?

2. Appreciate the challenges associated with using pro bono consultants and common solutions to overcome those challenges?

3. Know different ways to access pro bono and some best practices?

Potential Next Steps

• Access www.doitprobono.org or www.taprootfoundation.org

– Review the online Pro Bono Case Study Showcase

– Subscribe for latest trends and updates

– PBAT Activities:

• Conduct an internal audit of your own needs to understand how you can best leverage pro bono services

• Contact a local intermediary (such as Taproot Foundation)

• Definition• Dollar valuation• Key metrics

• Best practices• Communications Toolkit• Nonprofit Readiness tools

• Skills Map Toolkit 1.0• Advocacy plan