Board Fellows Program
Connecting Top MBA Candidates with the Bay Area's Best Nonprofit Organizations
Our mission is to prepare Stanford MBAs for responsible community leadership by providing quality apprenticeships with the Bay Area's nonprofit boards.
Founded by students in 1997, the Board Fellows Program matches Stanford MBA candidates with the boards of directors of Bay Area nonprofit organizations for six month apprenticeships. The program benefits both parties: students gain unmatched experience as non-voting board members, while the nonprofits benefit from a consulting project, access to future business leaders with fresh perspectives, and affiliation with the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Each year nearly 90 students are placed on the boards of approximately 50 different organizations.
Fellows serve as non-voting board members, gaining an understanding of the challenges and roles of nonprofit organizations as well as the complexities of nonprofit management. Fellows work closely with trustees and executive directors, attending board meetings, serving on committees, and working on special projects with the board and staff. Students are supported throughout the process by training and discussion sessions sponsored by the Public Management Program.
Participating Fellows should expect a time commitment of about 4-6 hours per month for committee meetings and approximately 20-30 hours throughout the year on a project to benefit the host organization. Boards typically contribute 10-15 hours to the program throughout the year. The program has been most successful when a member of the organization's board acts as a mentor to enhance the Fellow's learning and facilitate integration with the organization.
Stanford Board Fellows participants share thoughts in the November-December 2007
edition of Board Member, a periodical of Board Source
Read the article here 
Contact Us
Email the Board Fellows Leadership Team
