Community Impact Initiative
8-12
weeks of part-time experience
9
hours of work per week
9+
nonprofit partners to choose from annually
Imagine leveraging the business skills and knowledge you gain as a D'Amore-McKim graduate student to make a tangible impact on your community. The Graduate Career Center's Community Impact Initiative offers you this unique opportunity. The business skills and knowledge you gain as a D'Amore-McKim graduate student can make a tangible impact on your community
You'll collaborate with a team of master's and MBA students, each bringing their own unique skill sets. This experience not only broadens your professional network but also enhances your career prospects, setting you on a path to success. Don't miss this chance to grow personally and professionally while contributing to meaningful work.
Program Details
Full-time graduate degree students studying on our Boston campus can apply to consult remotely or in a hybrid format with a mission-driven organization. You'll contribute up to nine hours weekly for 8-12 weeks—an entire spring or summer semester—helping your organization undertake an important initiative. Through your coursework—designed with input from our corporate partners—you'll learn as much from experience as you will from textbooks.
Build experience
Spend a spring or summer semester helping an organization achieve its goals while enhancing your resumé.
Real-world application
Apply your business learnings in a setting where results change lives.
Expand your network
Build valuable connections with organization leaders and fellow business students.
Demonstrate skills
Build skills that employers value, including effective communication, teamwork, leadership, and problem solving.
Full-time graduate degree students studying on our Boston campus can apply to consult remotely or in a hybrid format with a mission-driven organization. Students who have completed a corporate residency or graduate co-op are not eligible for the Community Impact Initiative. International students may participate without needing CPT authorization.
Space is limited in the Community Impact Initiatives, so be sure to update your resumé and profile in the Global Talent System and review available opportunities with our partner organizations as soon as they are posted.
You may participate in only one Community Impact Initiative, but you may apply for up to three to maximize your chances of securing a spot.
You'll be invited to interview if your chosen nonprofit thinks you're a good match.
It's been a rewarding experience to support an organization that helps people. I conduct detailed data analysis and build strategic problem-solving and communication skills in my day-to-day work. From a project management perspective, I'm building skills in organizing and analyzing tasks.
Fidan Afandiyeva, MS in Quantitative Finance'24
Community Impact Initiative: Behind the Book
It was rewarding to see the direct impact of my work. Initially, Behind the Book ranked on the second or third page of Google search results. By targeting high-volume keywords and optimizing content, we boosted their rankings to the first page, significantly increasing their visibility.
Dana Oikonomopoulos, MS in International Management'24
Community Impact Initiative: Behind the Book
Program Timeline
Past Community Impact Initiatives
- Used data analytics and marketing strategies to strengthen the volunteer base for Behind the Book, a New York City-based literacy program
- Created a comprehensive marketing plan for Candorful, an organization focused on helping transitioning members of the military and their spouses to civilian careers
- Used analytics skills to help Hatua Network, a Kenya-based nonprofit focused on providing scholarships to low-income families onboard to a modern data platform
- Developed a financial forecast for Crossroads of Michigan, an anti-poverty organization
Meet Some of our Community Impact Initiative Employers
FAQs
Apply to join a Community Impact Initiative after you've completed a fall and spring semester in your graduate program in Boston. You'll work up to nine hours per week over the spring or summer term.
Once the Graduate Career Center confirms you're academically eligible, your application gets reviewed by the organization. If they think you're a good fit, they might invite you for an interview. Ultimately, it's the organization that makes the final decision on who gets selected.
No. This is a volunteer opportunity to put your business learnings into action through service that supports Northeastern's partnerships with schools, neighborhood and international agencies, health clinics, nonprofit organizations, and more.
You'll receive valuable feedback on your work throughout the program from nonprofit leadership and your career advisor.
Yes! Community Impact Initiatives administered by the Graduate Career Center do not require Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorization.