Now Recruiting for Fall 2013!

SCNO has moved it's consultant recruitment to the end-of the semester. Currently, we are taking applications for consultants on projects beginning in the Fall 2013 semester. The application and details can be found here: http://illiniscno.org/apply/

C-U at Home’s “One Winter Night”–Join the movement today!

SCNO is excited to present an opportunity to give back to our community in a new and unique way. This past semester, we had an opportunity to work with a young, but quickly growing organization named C-U at Home. The organization uses a survey to identify the most vulnerable members of the community and provide housing for them. Their work has received substantial attention locally and beyond for its innovative approach to solving a key issue: homelessness. 

C-U at Home is hosting a unique opportunity on February 1. That night, hundreds will sleep outside–in downtown Champaign and on the Quad–in an effort to educate the community about the impact of homelessness and raise money to help fund the organization's mission. Seeking 300 or more students to participate and help spread the word, C-U at Home invited you to join the movement and help give back to the local school community today.

You can find the requirements and sign up at http://www.cuathome.us/one-winter-night-2013/one-winter-night-2013-campus/. C-U at Home relies on the support of students and members of this community to exist and continue moving forward with their important mission. Without it, they may not be able to house the people who need it most. Join today and spend One Winter Night outside to show your support for this community.

Consultant Recruitment for Spring 2013

Nonprofits: Apply today!

SCNO at the University of Illinois is accepting client applications for the Spring '13 consulting cycle–apply today to be considered! We've received a number of applications already and are excited about the opportunities we have to work with new organizations across our community, the country and even the world around. As we expand our skill set and gain experience in different areas–from nonprofit management and financial sustainability to social venture development and marketing communication strategies–we're able to help more organizations overcome their biggest hurdles to success.

Apply today via the "Services" tab of the site and be considered for a project launching in late January and lasting through early May. Applications are due by end of day January 11, 2013. Email HR@illiniscno.org with any questions. We look forward to your applications!

Spring 2013 Client Application Live

Nonprofit organizations can officially complete and submit a client application to be considered for SCNO's Spring 2013 consulting cycle. Applications are due December 21 via email to HR@illiniscno.org. Projects will begin in January and last until May. You can access the application here. 

Once an application is received, the primary contact at the organization should receive a confirmation email within several days. The application is then reviewed by the SCNO leadership team and evaluated in order to collect feedback. Should your organization be selected to move forward in the application process, the primary contact will then receive a set of follow-up questions that allow us to better hone in on the potential issues our project can tackle and get a better feel for the organization culture as a whole. Finally, an interview is scheduled in order to facilitate discussion and enable both sides to ask necessary questions.

There are no specific requirements in order to apply. We have worked with nonprofits old and new, well-developed and loosely-structured, local to Central Illinois and as far away as Africa. If you are a nonprofit or social organization, SCNO is here to help.

Important Dates: Join SCNO Fall 2012

The Fall 2012 semester has arrived and a lineup of new SCNO projects and clients awaits our consultants. This semester brings exciting opportunities for top students across campus to gain real world experience with projects focused on Strategy, Finance & Accounting, Marketing, and HR Management among other areas of study. Below, you'll find a list of key dates to consider in the application process, with the new consultant hiring process getting underway this week. 

Information Session: Wednesday, August 29 at 7:30 PM in Wohlers Room 241

Case Interviewing Workshop: Thursday, August 30 at 7:30 PM in Wohlers Room 241

Application Deadline: Submitted to HR@illiniscno.org by Monday, September 3 at 7 PM 

Interview Dates: September 5 (Wednesday) & September 6 (Thursday) from 5-10 PM

Final Decisions: Sunday, September 9 at 7 PM

There are no application requirements surrounding year in school, major, or level of experience. Furthermore, neither the information session or case interviewing workshop are required in order to submit an application, though they are encouraged as they provide interested candidates an opportunity to learn more about SCNO, meet our leaders, and ask questions that will help interview preparations.

Thank you for your interest in SCNO and taking the time to learn more about our efforts! With any questions, contact HR@illiniscno.org for more details and assistance.

Run Jordy Run: A Campaign to Support the Nonprofit Community

With ambitious, far-reaching goals, it was always a central question how SCNO would fund its progress. Providing pro-bono services forms a fundamental component of our mission and will always remain so. However, as we look to expand our services and do more with the community around us, the question became clear–how do we reach further and build capacity with few resources?

To answer this question, at least in the short term, SCNO is looking internally. Our president, Jordy McNamara, is running the 2012 Illinois Marathon April 28 in Champaign, IL, using the campaign and his website as a base to raise awareness and resources for the Champaign County (IL) nonprofit community through support for SCNO and its biggest initiatives.The purpose of this campaign aligns with the mission of SCNO–to attempt to minimize the enormous gap between the support necessary for the nonprofit community and the amount of aid provided by the county's largest, most valuable resource–the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

However, to expand on the services and support we provide to this community, your help is needed. The campaign is an opportunity to learn about the Champaign County nonprofit community, develop an understanding of SCNO's potential to reshape the national nonprofit landscape, and give back by making a donation to the cause. As SCNO and its ten current chapters across the country looks to expand onto new campuses and build a national network of elite students, it maintains the goal of developing not just a local nonprofit community, but one that spans the country.

Start your support here, with a marathon campaign in Champaign at the University of Illinois, and enable our organization to continue forward in our push for a better nonprofit environment. Visit Jordy's fundraiser page to make a contribution today and create true impact on the community around you.

The Prairie Center: Project Summary

The Prairie Center is a rehabilitation center that deals with drug and alcohol abuse. Every year they put on a Walk for Recovery, but attendance has not been up to their standards yet. As a result, they asked SCNO to form a marketing and business plan in order to make the Walk for Recovery a more successful and recognized event. So far our team has spoken with other rehabilitation centers that host walks, updated the nonprofit’s social media presence, researched large walks and events for charity, and distributed a survey about the Walk for Recovery and The Prairie Center. Our clients have been very pleased with our work.

This team consists of the following members:
Senior Manager Annie Wang, Project Manager Jeff Lewin, and Consultants Jennifer Bossman, Cole Deloye, Steve Ditman, and Danny Serrano.

Social Entrepreneurship Institute: Project Summary

Social Entrepreneurship Institute (SEI) is a nonprofit organization within the College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that seeks to provide support and opportunities to students interested in social entrepreneurship. Our team of SCNO consultants is working with SEI to develop and implement a business plan for a food truck which will serve as a revenue-generating entity for SEI as well as for the C-U Foundation. The food truck will also serve as an opportunity for students to run a business while considering its responsibility to the Champaign-Urbana community.

Throughout the semester, our team has provided SEI with crucial research that will have a large impact on the implementation of the food truck. Our deliverables have included research on health regulations; recommendations of potential trailers, parking locations, suppliers, equipment, and base of operations; guidelines to form an L3C: Limited Profit Taking Corporation; necessary employee training and relations; market research; menu development; development of company values and business structure, marketing strategy, and a break-even analysis.

This team consists of the following members:
Senior Manager Jordy McNamara, Project Manager Korinne Talbot, and Consultants Taylor Behrman, Ryan Brown, Colin Korst, Adam Lawler, and Lindsey Morrow.

Eastern Illinois Parrot Heat Club: Project Summary

The Eastern Illinois Parrot Heat Club is an organization that celebrates the Jimmy Buffett tropical lifestyle. It is composed of full time professionals and does not have any person that is dedicated full time to running the organization.

SCNO is helping EIPHC through providing a foundation for its largest annual fundraiser, C-U in the Prairibean. So far, we have decided that the project is communications focused, and we are addressing communication both internally and externally. Internally, we are creating a Gantt Chart to streamline planning and preparation for the event. We are also looking at various donor tracking systems to help them track businesses that they’ve reached out to. Externally, we are providing information on social media use and creating surveys.

This team consisted of the following members:
Senior Manager Ryan Singh, Project Manager Kathy Chen, and Consultants Elizabeth Balkan, Nick Cantieri, Connor Dillon, Vera Wang, and Andrew Wong.