A Tale of Three Cities
Monday, September 21, 2009 / Bookmark & Share
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Over the summer months our MBA students participated in a wide-range of activities including internships, international travel and academic enrichment. Josey Chacko a current second year MBA was selected to spend his summer working with the Phoenix Project.
The unique opportunity to join the Phoenix Project, studying non-profit leadership and social entrepreneurship, gave Josey a chance to work with 4 non-profits as a consultant, gaining a deeper understanding of these organizations their needs and requirements to be successful.
Below is an essay Josey wrote recently summarizing his experiences with the Phoenix Project.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” one of the more notable quotes from the famous fictional book “A tale of two cities”. Coincidently, my summer experience in Petersburg, Virginia draws multiple parallels with Charles Dickens famous novel; not only the title, since Petersburg forms part of the tri-cities of Virginia, but more profoundly in an experiential sort of way.
Working with close to thirty of the top undergraduate and graduate students from Virginia’s universities, and in collaboration with about twenty nonprofit organizations, can only be described as the “best of times “. The nonprofit leadership and social entrepreneurship training was conducted by the Phoenix Project, a nonprofit organization based in Virginia, with the goal of “preparing university students as the nations next generation of social entrepreneurs”. As I reflect over this significant part of my life I feel that mere words cannot do justice to my experience.
The economic crisis (“the worst of times”) has and continues to have a significant impact on Petersburg; the effects of the recession have dealt a hard blow in this already financially distressed city. Fortunately there is a bright future for Petersburg, a resurrection of sorts. The BRAC expansion of Fort Lee, the new Rolls Royce plant, and the collateral benefit of such initiatives on the local economy, have provided a strategic opportunity for businesses and the nonprofit community.
I worked in a team with four nonprofits and had the fortunate opportunity to lead a team of four students. Our project was to conduct a feasibility study and develop a business plan based on the results. The nonprofit organization (name withheld for privacy reasons) was interested in starting a “for profit” business that would provide operational income for program delivery to disabled members and would also provide jobs for their members. After five weeks of intense work, the team delivered a presentation to the executive director recommending an implementation map in preparation of the business startup. Throughout the project the team was lucky to have an exceptional mentor who had years of experience in the business world.
The training offered a unique experience by providing an opportunity to integrate business skills with nonprofit work. I personally feel that this was a perfect fit matching my skills, work experience and personal objectives; developing a form of sustainable competitive advantage as I get out into the business world.