Program Overview
The Board Fellows Program places MBA and MPA students as non-voting board members of local nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits receive short and long-term benefits, gain new perspectives and ideas on key organizational issues, receive access to resources at the University of Washington, and build the next generation of business and civic leaders.
Student-Fellows attend monthly board meetings, join a board committee, complete a board-level project, and participate in seminars taught by UW Foster School of Business faculty.
Eligibility
- Nonprofit must have an established board of directors.
- Nonprofit must have at least one full-time paid staff member
- Board must hold monthly or bimonthly meetings*
- Board should have at least one standing committee
- Organizational stability – nonprofits that have not been operating for at least a year will not be considered.
- Capacity to support the Board Fellows project.
- Nonprofits agree to host two selected student Board Fellows
- Nonprofits must appoint a board mentor to guide and coach Board Fellows
*Boards who meet bimonthly (every other month) will be considered if they have active committees. Because students receive credit for this program, they must spend at least 6 hours per quarter attending board or committee meetings.
Download our Informational Flyer
Application Timeline and Notification Dates
NONPROFIT APPLICATION: December – February
- Nonprofit application deadline: February 26, 2025
NONPROFIT APPLICATION REVIEW & INTERVIEW: December – March
- Applications are reviewed rolling and individual calls are scheduled within two weeks of submission to discuss the application and proposed project.
- Last day to interview: February 28, 2025
NONPROFIT ACCEPTANCE ANNOUCEMENT: March
- Nonprofit selection announcement: March 7, 2025
- STUDENT INFORMATION SESSIONS: February
- Information sessions are available in-person and Zoom
STUDENT APPLICATION: March – April
- Student application deadline: April 18, 2025
- Application includes resume & cover letter
STUDENT APPLICATION REVIEW & SELECT: April
- Board Fellows application sent to nonprofits: April 21, 2025
- Nonprofits review & select top 6 students to interview: April 28, 2025
INTERVIEW ANNOUNCEMENT: May
- Student selection announcement: May 2, 2025
- Interview schedule available: May 5, 2025
MATCHING & PLACEMENT: May
- Matching Day: May 9, 2025
- Last day to turn in your ranking: May 16, 2025
- Matching announcement: May 26, 2025
- Last day to accept placement: May 30, 2025
Note: A Board member, the executive director or a designated staff member should complete the application.
Matching Process
Benefits
The program provides nonprofit boards:
- Gain new skills and a fresh perspective from MBA and MPA students.
- Experience recruiting and working with young leaders.
- Leverage student expertise to advance a special board project.
- A foundation for the next generation of board leadership.
Nonprofit organizations host two student Board Fellows who will serve as non-voting board members from September through May. The nonprofit board appoints a board mentor who should anticipate spending about one hour per month to guide and coach the Board Fellow. Often, the board mentor is a committee chair or other committee member who is working with the Fellow on their board project.
Sample Projects
| Financial Strategy & Analysis | Business planning Funding evaluation Benchmarking Pricing Analysis/Strategies |
| Fundraising analysis | Annual fund trends Planned giving best practices Fundraising innovation |
| Governance & Strategy | Dashboard development Junior/advisory board development Board evaluation Strategic Planning Enterprise Risk Management |
| Marketing & Insights | Brand audit Website and social media strategy Data analysis Customer evaluation and data analysis Market research Hiring practice evaluation Succession planning |
| Talent Management/Human Resources | Compensation analysis |
We appreciate the support of Bank of America and the Neil and Nancy McReynolds Endowment for support of the Board Fellows Program.
CONTACT
Vy Nguyen | [email protected] | (206) 543-3681
Wil Tutol | [email protected] | (206) 616-1216
Boni Thompson-Kurke | [email protected]