The Net Impact Club at Fuqua is dedicated to helping students develop and pursue their passions for making an impact through the use of business skills and expertise.  Many groups at Fuqua and within the larger Duke/Durham community spend a significant amount of time running programs that provide such opportunities.  Below, we have made an effort to compile the most up-to-date information we can find, and synthesize it in a way that helps you determine which activities best fit your goals, motivations, and time availability.  

Still committed to making a difference in the community, but don’t have the time to invest in a large business-related program right now?  We’ve tried to provide some ideas and direction towards organizations and volunteer opportunities that students historically have found of value.

Using Business Skills to Make an Impact: For-Credit Opportunities

Global Consulting Practicum
Engages student teams in consulting projects with social entrepreneurs and businesses serving base-of-the-pyramid markets in India, Nicaragua, and South
Africa.

Mentored Study in Entrepreneurship
Places students into part-time internships during the school year with local entrepreneurial start-up and early stage companies, nonprofit organizations,
real estate developers, venture capital firms, and other entrepreneurial ventures.

Practicum in Strategic Planning
Offers students an opportunity to develop a strategic plan for a midsize company or local nonprofit organization.

Practicum in Marketing
Allows students to leverage their knowledge in a marketing consulting project for an ongoing business. It is very intensive, culminates in a presentation to upper level management.

Small Business Consulting Program
Provides businesses and students the opportunity to work together in solving real-life business problems. Each year, about 20% of the Small Business Consulting program is composed of nonprofit organizations.

Independent Study
Designed to allow the student an opportunity to pursue academic interests that are currently unavailable in any academic course. The operating assumption is that a student has a particular problem or project in mind before a semester begins, and that arrangements will be made with a faculty member as to the mechanisms for pursuing this interest.

Using Business Skills to Make an Impact: Volunteer Opportunities

Fuqua On Board
Program matches pairs of Duke MBA students with Durham area nonprofits to serve as non-voting board members. Over the course of a seven-month apprenticeship, students work closely with a board mentor, participate regularly in board meetings and attend relevant committee meetings. Students serve as "board associates," gaining valuable insight into the governance and inner workings of nonprofit organizations while providing the nonprofits with fresh perspectives and critical business skills.

STEP
Launched in 1991, STEP is a partnership between Duke's Fuqua School of Business and local high schools to enrich the business learning experience for at-risk students. The program provide meaningful hands-on business learning experiences and increases awareness of entrepreneurial career options. The program partners Duke MBA students with high school juniors and seniors, who must formulate business plans and “pitch” them to panels of judges.

Junior Achievement
Do you have two hours available per week for six to eight weeks to make difference in the lives of Durham youth? Are you interested in impacting today's youth by teaching them about business, economics, and free enterprise? Fuqua’s Junior Achievement team needs volunteers who are passionate about helping bring the real world to elementary and middle school students, opening their minds to their potential. Junior Achievement uses hands-on experiences to help young people understand the economics of life.

Prison Entrepreneurship
In a time when many businessmen become prisoners, why not help prisoners become businessmen? Your skill-set and education will allow you to make big money and wield heavy influence upon graduation. Here’s your opportunity to do something with both that will make a positive difference in someone’s life.
MBA Business Plan Advisors work one-on-one with a participant to increase the quality of his business plan. You will receive sections of an inmate’s business plan each week via email from PEP staff (your contact information remains confidential). You will spend an average of one hour per week over a three-month period editing the business plan documents for grammar and content, and providing market research on your inmate’s business concept.

Other Volunteer Consulting Opportunities
Throughout the year, CASE, the Net Impact Club, and Fuqua faculty receive a number of requests for teams of students to volunteer on a consulting project for local or distant nonprofits or small businesses.  Projects vary in focus from business planning, strategy, market research, operations, etc.  Many of these opportunities are advertised through the Net Impact Club’s weekly newsletter.

Traditional Service Opportunities: Fuqua-sponsored

Habitat for Humanity: The House that Fuqua Built
The House has regularly scheduled build days on Wednesdays and Saturdays through mid-October. The morning build session is from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and the afternoon session runs from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm. If you are interested in volunteering as an individual or arranging a group outing for your club or organization, please contact the MBAA Service Chair. We ask that each volunteer fill out the Habitat Liability Waiver prior to participating.  Habitat also invites your participation in build sessions on other houses throughout the year at the same times listed above.

Special Olympics of North Carolina
Fuqua actively supports the Special Olympics of North Carolina through The Duke MBA Games, a student-run organization that raises over $100,000 annually for Special Olympians. Please visit the MBA Games web site to learn how to get involved.

Other MBAA Community Service Activities
Check the MBAA Community Service page on Fuquapedia for the latest updates on other activities throughout the year, including section-specific service opportunities.

Other Service Opportunities within the Greater Triangle Community

Duke Community Service Center – Volunteer Opportunities
The Community Service Center has information on a wide variety of opportunities for community involvement. Most positions require a weekly commitment of 1-5 hours. Volunteer training is provided by most agencies. Stop by the annual Community Service Fair on Friday, September 12, 2008 from 12:00-3:00 p.m. in the Bryan Center, or search for current opportunities on the CSC website.

Other Community Volunteering Resources
Check out the CASE website for other local resources for volunteering, such as The Volunteer Center of Durham, Triangle Impact, North Carolina Center for Nonprofits, and more.