The Stanford Alumni Consulting Team’s (ACT) mission is to drive lasting community impact by engaging teams of GSB alumni who apply their expertise and passion for strengthening social benefit organizations.
At Stanford ACT, alumni are our greatest resource. Since its founding in 1987, the ACT program has engaged over 1,750 graduates of the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) to support nearly 1,000 non-profit organizations. The program provides over $5 million in pro bono consulting services annually. Stanford GSB alumni contribute diverse business skill sets and executive management expertise to nonprofits facing unique challenges, including general management, strategy, business and market analysis, financial management, earned revenue, marketing, technology, and more. With a deep understanding of organizational dynamics, including the complexities of planning, decision-making, and change implementation, our alumni play a significant role in helping Stanford ACT clients achieve their most ambitious goals.
Stanford GSB is dedicated to making a lasting, positive change toward eliminating bias and racism both on campus and in the broader community. Stanford ACT’s mission is closely aligned with the University’s racial equity initiatives (REI) to empower underrepresented communities. To support this goal, Stanford ACT is committed to completing 50 consulting projects by the end of 2025 for organizations dedicated to fostering inclusion and racial equity.
Alumni Consulting Team Service Offerings
ACT offers two engagement pathways. Traditional ACT Consulting Projects convene a GSB alumni team for 3 to 6 months annually in the fall focusing on critical strategic issues. Springboard Sessions are 2-hour brainstorming sessions held annually in the spring, where a pre-briefed GSB alumni team works with the client to address specific strategic issues such as joining a new social media channel, marketing a program, identifying big questions for strategic planning, and more. These options are designed to accommodate our diverse alumni, providing flexibility in scope, team size, time commitment, and duration of service.
Traditional ACT Consulting Projects
Traditional ACT consulting projects bring a GSB alumni team together to address critical strategic issues over a 3 to 6-month time frame. Consulting Projects are conducted annually in the fall. Each project is staffed with an ACT Project Leader (or co-Leaders), and fits the size and resources of the client organization, sometimes providing a single consultant and other times a team of up to six.
Springboard Sessions
Springboard Sessions are two-hour brainstorming sessions with a GSB alumni team that is pre-briefed on the client’s specific strategic issue. Sessions are held annually in the spring. Each Springboard Session includes 4-6 volunteers who generate ideas for addressing a specific, focused challenge facing an organization.
January 9, 2024 | Springboard Sessions: Nonprofit application deadline |
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February 22, 2024 | Springboard Sessions: Volunteer sign up begins |
March 15, 2024 | Springboard Sessions: Volunteer sign up deadline |
April 2–25, 2024 | Springboards take place |
June 30, 2024 | Fast track and full team Projects: Nonprofit interest form deadline |
Our Impact
Created by Stanford GSB alumni in 1987, ACT is now one of the largest pro bono resource providers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since its inception, ACT has served nearly 1,000 clients for an estimated consulting value of over $100 million. For nonprofits advancing racial equity, ACT has broadened its geographic scope to all regions of the US. In a typical year, ACT works with about 30 nonprofits, providing roughly $5 million in value annually.
Our Clients
ACT clients range from small, community-based nonprofits to university and hospital departments, government agencies, and programs. Regardless of size, clients are drawn to ACT because they recognize the tremendous value of partnering with Stanford GSB’s talent network. Our alumni consultants bring expertise in various domains, such as general management, corporate strategy/planning, financial management, and resource planning. Stanford ACT often cultivates multi-year relationships with our clients through phased engagements. In order to ensure impactful partnerships, prospective clients must meet eligibility requirements and qualify through a screening process so that we can identify organizations that can most benefit from the unique collaboration with Stanford ACT.
Stories of Impact
Browse the articles below to see some of the ways that ACT volunteers have helped Bay Area nonprofits increase their impact.