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Board Fellows for Nonprofits

APPLY TODAY! DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 26, 2024

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, 2024

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: March 1, 2024

NONPROFIT ACCEPTANCE ANNOUCEMENT: March

  • Nonprofits selection announcement: March 6, 2024
  • STUDENT INFORMATION SESSIONS: February
  • Information sessions are available in-person and Zoom

STUDENT APPLICATION: March – April

  • Student application deadline: April 15, 2024
  • Application includes resume & cover letter

STUDENT APPLICATION REVIEW & SELECT: April

  • Board Fellows application sent to nonprofits: April 19, 2024
  • Nonprofits review & select top 6 students to interview: April 29, 2024

INTERVIEW ANNOUNCEMENT: May

  • Student selection announcement: May 1, 2024
  • Interview schedule available: May 3, 2024

MATCHING & PLACEMENT: May

  • Matching Day: May 10, 2024
  • Last day to turn in your ranking: May 15, 2024
  • Matching announcement: May 24, 2024
  • Last day to accept placement: May 31, 2024

Apply

Note: A Board member, the executive director or a designated staff member should complete the application.

Matching Process
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 Wells Fargo Bank, UPS and the Neil and Nancy McReynolds Endowment for support of the Board Fellows Program.

CONTACT
Vy Nguyen, [email protected], (206) 543-3681