The idea to launch International Consulting Opportunities for Nonprofits (ICON) came to Co-Founder Sean Buchanan and I while on a global study tour in Southeast Asia.
Entering our final year as MBA students at the University of Washington, we were inspired by the non-governmental organization (NGO) founders we worked with in Cambodia. We created ICON to give MBA students a unique opportunity to use their business knowledge to improve and support NGOs in-need.
ICON brings student and professionals on business consulting trips to developing countries where they develop solutions for NGO clients while gaining invaluable hands-on international business experience.
Since ICON’s conception, we have established relationships with MBA programs throughout the Pacific Northwest and around the United States to offer international consulting trips year-round. We have also added several large NGOs in Central America to our client list, including Alcance Positivo, a USAID-funded foundation providing educational and violence prevention programs to 31,000 at-risk youth.
Our free consulting services offer NGOs assistance with outlining their mission and vision, basic strategic planning, and marketing to large-scale corporate operating procedures. Volunteer consultants are challenged with applying what they have learned in their career and/or graduate program to develop a final implementable solution for the NGO.
Our most recent trip in December involved a group of University of Washington students traveling to Panama City to develop standard operating procedures for the 22 centers, serving 31,000 at-risk youth. This project gave the students an opportunity to gain direct experience consulting with the NGO directors, become immersed in the culture and see first-hand the impact their work will have on the community.
We established ICON knowing the passion of NGO founders and directors is not always enough to run an efficient foundation. Sean and I were lucky to be in a program that offered an international consulting experience, which the average MBA program does not. University programs that are offered usually have limited capacity, prohibitively high costs, and provide only one opportunity per year. ICON is committed to the philosophy that everyone should be able to make a positive social impact on the world. We hope to give MBA students a low-cost, high-impact way to advance NGO sustainability.
ICON is traveling to Panama in March, August, September and December to continue working with Alcance Positivo as well as smaller NGOs. The upcoming trip will not only include MBA students, but business professionals and Masters of Nonprofit Management, Public Policy, and Public Administration. If you are a graduate student, professional or just want to contribute to our operations please visit- iconleaders.org
Meet MBA Consulting Clubs around the world here!
Read about MBAs working with non-profits across the world here
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