dso pitch deck

Client Logo

Washington, DCJanuary 2011

Pitch Deck

Development Solutions OrganizationScaling pro-bono consulting services in the international development market

2

Development Solutions Organization (DSO) provides consulting services to international development clients through a student apprenticeship program

DSO links students (undergraduate and graduate) and corporate professionals to form consulting teams that tackle client problems within the international development sector

DSO provides student participants with exposure to the consulting industry, insight into corporate partners, and opportunities for post-graduate employment

DSO provides professional participants with an opportunity to impact the development realm, a wealth of networking possibilities, and management/recruiting experience

DSO provides corporate partners with a pool of potential new hires, who have been tested and vetted during the course of DSO-sponsored client engagements

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Table of Contents

Engagement Model (1 slide)– Explains basic student/professional/client relationship

Stakeholder Incentives (6 slides)– Explains why stakeholders are motivated to participate in DSO– This section is key to understanding why DSO will succeed and scale

Plan, Status, Needs (3 slides)– Fall 2010 goals, roster of participants– Immediate needs: how you can help

Appendix (15 slides)– More detailed analysis of DSO’s model and impact

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Provide Deliverable Guidance

Students

Wor

k on C

onsu

lting E

ngag

emen

t

We combine the reliability of professionals with the scalability of students to maximize impact

Set Expectations and Manage Work

Professionals Clients

Contributor Accountability ScalabilityProfessionals High: directly responsible for deliverables Medium: provides career incentives (see following

slides)

Students High: connects high performers with prestigious jobs V. High: provides career incentives (see following slides)

In our model, professionals gain additional leverage by managing students who actually do most of the work

Engagement Model

Stakeholder Incentives

Plan, Status, Needs

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DSO

ProfessorsUniversities

CorporationsStrategic Recruiting

Partnerships

Professionals

Clients

Advisory Services

Source of Engagements

Manage Engagements and Students

Compete for

Apprenticeships

Appre

ntice

ship

Joint

-Ven

tures

Students

Incentives

Receive high-quality services for free or very low cost

<̶ Professional management<̶ Scalable labor from students

Forge bridges to the private, academic, and civil sector

<̶ Learn about and apply cross-realm best practices

<̶ Expose partnership opportunities

Cost: Time spent talking with professionalsRisk: Failed engagement

<̶ We have placed much thought into mitigating and preventing this risk

<̶ High bar for professionals and students: quality over quantity

<̶ Professionals act as “buck-stops-here” quality control and manager

Costs and R

isksDSO will source engagements from non-profits and social entrepreneurs working in the international development market

Engagement Model


Plan, Status, Needs

Before: Students are plentiful and free but quality and consistency are a concernAfter: DSO finds the best and brightest; professionals provide institutional consistency and continuity

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Students compete for apprenticeships under professionals with desirable corporate affiliation, experience, and connections

DSO



Partnerships

Professionals

Clients

Advisory Services


Manage Engagements and StudentsApp

renti

cesh

ip

Joint

-Ven

tures

Incentives

Create impact in development realm Form a tight and lasting network Convert development passion into a

career<̶ Work experience including

portfolio-building deliverables<̶ References and referrals from

clients and professionals<̶ Corporate partnerships provide

explicit interview possibilitiesCost: Large amount of time as an individual

contributor during an engagement<̶ Projects are semester-long; may

receive course credit<̶ Apprenticeship length determined

by the professional and studentRisk: Failure to deliver high-quality work

may result in loss of benefits

Costs and R

isks

Students

Compete for

Apprenticeships

Engagement Model


Plan, Status, Needs

Before: Many opportunities to volunteer but few directly contribute to job searchAfter: DSO provides a direct path from passion (volunteer work) to prestigious post-graduation job

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Professionals act as engagement leads and “hubs” that recruit students and other professionals

DSO



Partnerships

Clients

Advisory Services


Appre

ntice

ship

Joint

-Ven

tures

Incentives

Create increased impact Gain leadership, management,

recruiting, work experience Potentially use DSO contacts to

advance personal career Network with like-minded

professionals and professors, up-and-coming students

Costs: Small amount of time as an

engagement lead to create the statement of work

Small amount of time as an engagement lead during an engagement

Small amount of time as a trusted mentor at all times

Costs and R

isks

Compete for

Apprenticeships

Students

Professionals Manage Engagements and Students

Engagement Model


Plan, Status, Needs

Before: Many opportunities to volunteer but low ROI in terms of impact and day careerAfter: Increased impact (leverage students), higher ROI on career (management experience, networking)

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DSO acts as a boutique recruiting firm to corporations, offering access to screened, trained, passionate students

DSO


Clients

Advisory Services


Appre

ntice

ship

Joint

-Ven

tures

Incentives

Better entry-level recruiting<̶ “Pre-release” access to portfolio of

highly-qualified new graduates tailored to team/company needs

<̶ More data points (referrals, recommendations, deliverables) to accurately judge a candidate

Expose employees to management training and recruiting functions

Low-cost, high-benefit CSR

Costs: Potential sponsorship or recruitment

fee to participate Potentially allow key employees to

volunteer on company time

Costs and R

isks

Compete for

Apprenticeships

Students



Partnerships

Engagement Model


Plan, Status, Needs

Before: Traditional recruiting has high rate of false positives and false negativesAfter: DSO decreases rate of error by providing multi-faceted insight into candidate abilities

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Many universities realize apprenticeships are effective career instruments and will pay for a turn-key solution

DSO

Professors

Clients

Advisory Services


Incentives

Provide students with relevant work experience opportunities

Provide students with learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom

Increase effectiveness of career center

Costs: Potential sponsorship fee to

participate Resources to assist DSO in

communicating the apprenticeship opportunity to students & professors

Costs and R

isks

Compete for

Apprenticeships

Students



Partnerships

Universities

Appre

ntice

ship

Joint

-Ven

tures

Engagement Model


Plan, Status, Needs

Before: Traditional career center caters mainly to “jumps-through-hoops” studentsAfter: DSO reaches “under radar” segment who also excel in their area of passion

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Professors convert their knowledge and research into concrete impact by acting as executive advisors and influencers

DSO

Clients


Incentives

Help top students and advisees with career

Network with private and non-profit sector

Advance development agenda Gain access to case practices in

international development

Costs: Small amount of time as a mentor Small amount of time as an

engagement key advisor (as needed)

Costs and R

isks

Compete for

Apprenticeships

Students



Partnerships

Universities

Appre

ntice

ship

Joint

-Ven

tures

Professors

Advisory Services

Engagement Model


Plan, Status, Needs

Before: Research does not reach field practitioners who could best utilize itAfter: DSO builds bridges between professors and NGO/student/corporate/entrepreneurial practitioners

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Clients were sourced through , a leading network of social entrepreneurs– Engagements (1 paid) are expected to conclude at the end of the Spring semester– Functional areas are strategy/marketing, prototype creation (web app), usability analysis

Students were recruited during a weekend-long kick-off event at – 140 applicants were evaluated for cultural fit, entrepreneurial spirit, and clarity of thought– Selected students possess a broad range of skills (MBAs, HCI, engineers, policy)– Collective work experience includes

Professionals span a gamut of industries, skills, and years of work experience– Collective work experience includes

Recruiters from several corporations were engaged to gauge interest– In addition to accepted students, companies have also expressed interest in applicant pool– Recruiters from have committed funds or are in approval process

DSO is currently finishing its pilot semester, encompassing 3 clients, 13 students, 7 professionals, and 13 directors

Engagement Model


Plan, Status, Needs

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Core Contributors (Vice President)1 [~10-20 hrs/week] 2

– Manages at least one major part of DSO in addition to acting as a hub.– Example: Manage Carnegie Mellon relationships, kick-off event, student recruiting– Example: Manage all corporate relationships including professional recruiting and

partnership strategy

Hubs (Principal) [~10-15 hrs/week]– Completely understands DSO and evangelizes to others– Recruits and manages one or more engagement leads; optionally, recruits students– May or may not act as engagement lead depending on number of ELs recruited

Engagement Leads (Associate) [~10 hrs/week]– Manages at least one client relationship and 1-3 students– If possible, recruits other engagement leads and (optionally) students

Strategic Advisors and Board of Directors– Includes professors, experienced non-profit leaders, accountants, lawyers, etc.– Board membership depends on expected level of effort

Immediate Needs (in order of priority)

Engagement Model


Plan, Status, Needs

1) Position titles and responsibilities will change after Fall 2010 pilot based on performance and future needs.2) All commitment estimates are estimates and may vary drastically based on skills, involvement, and network.

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If you like this initiative you can support it or contribute by:

Volunteering as a core contributor, hub, engagement lead, strategic advisor, or director – If you are passionate about this idea, I am sure we can use you– See previous slide for role descriptions

Promoting DSO by telling potentially interested friends and acquaintances– Feel free to circulate this deck– We are looking to talk with professionals, students, and companies

Feedback is always appreciated

Thank you!

I am always happy to talk. Please contact me at: Edwin Shao <[email protected]>

917.463.9978

Engagement Model


Plan, Status, Needs

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Appendix

DSO’s Innovative Approach

Key Benefits

Common Concerns

Miscellanea– Positioning– Funding Model– Sample Engagement– Engagement Timeline

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DSO’s Innovative Approach

The Professional-Driven Approach High Reliability

The Student-Driven ApproachHigh Scalability

The DSO ApproachHigh Reliability, High Scalability

DSO blends the best features of current volunteer brokering models

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Contributor Accountability ScalabilityProfessionals High: take personal responsibility for all deliverables Low: depends on sense of altruism, low professional ROI

Taproot

The traditional pro-bono consulting model enables business professional to donate their skills to help nonprofits

The Taproot approach delivers reliable results, but suffers from low scalability.

Clients

Apply to Volunteer Apply for Services

ProfessionalsWork on Consulting Engagement

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Contributor Accountability ScalabilityProfessionals Low: not responsible for deliverables Low: depends on sense of altruism, low professional ROI

Students Low: schoolwork and career tend to come first High: this model has appeared on dozens of campuses

Apply to Mentor Apply for Services

Apply to Volunteer

Provide Mentorship

CC

Another successful model is student-driven and utilizes professionals as mentors

The campusCATALYST (CC) approach is very popular but delivers unreliable results


Students

Wor

k on C

onsu

lting E

ngag

emen

t

This professional componentis optional: in some cases, the entire organization is student-driven.

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Apply to Mentor Apply for Services

Apply to Volunteer

Provide Deliverable Guidance

Students

Wor

k on C

onsu

lting E

ngag

emen

tDSO

In our model, professionals gain additional leverage by managing students who actually do most of the work

We combine the reliability of professionals with the scalability of students to maximize impact

Set Expectations and Manage Work


Contributor Accountability ScalabilityProfessionals High: directly responsible for deliverables Medium: provides career incentives (see following

slides)

Students High: connects high performers with prestigious jobs V. High: previous model scalability + additional incentives

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Key Benefits

Corporate Partnerships

Academic Partnerships

Stakeholder Analysis

Benefits of this model are increasingly obvious when viewed from a stakeholder perspective

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DSO

We will attract top students by incentivizing outstanding work with recruiting opportunities at prestigious corporations

Students

Corporations

Recruit T

rained Students

Strategic Partnerships

DSO-Corporate Partnerships Corporations gain cream-of-

crop students DSO gains recruiting channel

to incentivize students DSO potentially gains

sponsorship grant or recruiting fee

DSO potentially gains access to additional professionals

Apply to Lead

Professionals

Provide Recommendations for Excellent Work Compete for

Apprenticeship

Provide Referrals for Exceptional Candidates

Clients

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DSO

We will work with professors and universities to reward course credit and source quality candidates

Students

Corporations

DSO-University Partnerships Universities increase effectiveness of career center DSO gains on-campus promotion channels DSO potentially gains sponsorship grant

Compete for Apprenticeship

Clients

Universities

Professors Provide Recommendations, Course Credit, Mentoring

Recruit P

rofessors

Strategic Partnerships

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Stakeholder Analysis

Stakeholder Benefits CostsClients Receive professional services – for free

Transfer private and academic best practices to non-profit sector

Time spent talking with professionals Risk of failed engagement

Professionals Create increased impact Gain management, recruiting, work experience Potentially use DSO contacts to advance

personal career Network with like-minded professionals,

professors, and up-and-coming students

Small amount of time as an engagement lead to create the statement of work

Small amount of time as an engagement lead during an engagement

Small amount of time as a trusted mentor at all times

Students Create impact Gain work experience Network with established professionals, like-

minded students, and professors Explicit path to convert development passion

into career; helps focus career goals

Large amount of time as an individual contributor during an engagement

Failure to deliver high-quality work may result in loss of benefits

Corporations Gain cream-of-crop, trained entry level hires Employee participation in DSO is low-cost way

to fulfill CSR while training employees

Potential sponsorship or recruitment fee to participate

Professors Help top students and advisees with career Network with private and non-profit sector Advance development agenda

Small amount of time as a mentor

Universities Increase effectiveness of career center Potential sponsorship fee to participate

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Apply for Services

Summary of Relationships

DSO

Students

Universities

Professors

Recruit P

rofessors

Strategic Partnerships CorporationsStrategic Partnerships


Compete for Apprenticeships

DSO is an organization that specializes in networking

Apply to Lead

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Common Concerns

Will enough professionals and students be interested?

Will professionals have enough time?

Will students have enough time?

How is this different from an internship program?

What is your revenue model?

Why are you uniquely qualified to do this?

Microsoft Office Word Document

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Miscellanea

Positioning

Funding Model

Sample Engagement

Engagement Timeline

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Non-profit strategic consulting is a $1.5bn untapped opportunity

High market demand but small and fragmented supply-side– Demand: 200,000 non-profits $1.5bn consulting services market– Supply: 3,000 providers $600m annual revenue

Statistics from Taproot Foundation, Pro Bono Strategic Consulting: The $1.5 Billion Opportunity (2008) and Harvard Business School, The Bridgespan Group (2000)

The value of corporate involvement lies as much in expertise as it does in monetary support. – Bill Gates

Large Business Consulting Firms• Smallest segment,

highest profile• Only ~100 annual

engagements per

Boutique Consulting• Fragmentation

• Local or regional presence

Solo Practitioners• Largest segment• 2,000+ providers• $180m revenue

Volunteer Brokers

• Fragmentation• Local or regional

presence

Large strategy firms possess tools and scale but lack sensitivity to the non-profit sector

Consulting firms with non-profit experience lack scale and strategic experienceSu

pply

Seg

men

tatio

n

Public Serving• 1,000,000 organizations

Direct Service• 500,000 organizations

Foundations• 54,000 organizations

Dem

and Segmentation

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Funding Model

In the beginning, costs will be extremely low due to volunteer-orientation– Travel, lodging, and meals for one kick-off weekend– All work will be done remotely with extensive use of tele/videoconferencing– For the Fall 2010 pilot, the kick-off weekend may be self-funded: we are working with CMU

to fund or subsidize a portion of expenses

As the program expands, multiple channels of funding will be tapped– Foundational grants– Student recruitment headhunter’s fee– Annual corporate membership fee to formalize relationship and allow recruiting– Flexible client fee structure; retrospective “pay-for-value” donation– Corporate donations and sponsorship– Corporate networking events, entrance fee

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Sample Engagement

Please see attached document:– Double click icon to open. Microsoft Office

Word 97 - 2003 Document

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Example Engagement Timeline (1 Semester)

Month .25 .5 1 3 4

Meet with leads to explain requirements and negotiate SOW

Scope Statement of Work (SOW)

Close

Client

Students

Professional:Engagement

Lead

2

= Specific Responsibilities= General Role

Engagement Progress

Meet with leads to provide feedback on deliverables and meet with engagement lead to ensure project is on track

Professional:Workstream

Lead

Coordinate with client and workstream leads to ensure successful SOW

Design SOW

Work with engagement lead to split work into discrete

workstreams

Provide Feedback on SOW

Project Management for Engagement

Deliverable Management for Engagement

Deliverable Creation for EngagementBackground Research

Work with workstream lead to determine appropriate background research and

training to undertakeAccomplish deliverables with periodic checkins with workstream lead

Work with students to understand SOW and needed deliverables

Manage workstream progress, reporting to engagement lead

Periodically meet with client to report on progress and ensure all workstreams are on right track

Provide Feedback

Assess Project Success

Assess Student Work

Close Out Work

Provide critical feedback and schedule follow-on

work if desired

Produce project report based on feedback from

all stakeholders

Provide feedback to engagement lead on workstream quality

Provide feedback to leads on difficulties

encountered

dso pitch deck

Documents

engagement

work set expectations

connects high

small amount

engagement

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corporate

model incentivesneedsdso