February/March 2008

Save these Dates
			4/12/08 Spring/Summer 2008 Project Kick-Offs 5/8/08 ACT Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

Highlights in this Issue

Thoughts about ACT: Looking into the Future
ACT Project Leaders Spring/Winter and
Fall/Summer 2007
ACT Consultants Stay Involved
Stanford ACT Team Inspires Innovation in the Silicon Valley Housing Market
Volunteer Resources - Ideas for ACT Consultants

Thoughts about ACT: Looking into the Future

For twenty years, ACT has brought the experience and skills of Stanford GSB alums to nonprofits to help build them build capacity and improve lives throughout the Bay area. Through these two decades, ACT has tried new ideas, some of which have stayed - fast track projects which involve only 1-2 consultants, for example - and some of which have not - like introducing ACT subsidiaries in other major cities. As a small organization, ACT faces a challenge shared by many nonprofits: how do we continue to deliver quality programs AND introduce innovation within the constraints of time and budget.

As ACT's new executive director, I asked the board to help ACT look into the future and wrestle with this challenge. Are there other ways to bring alums together to help support nonprofits? How could we use technology to extend ACT's reach beyond the Bay area? Should we continue to respond to all the nonprofits that are eager for ACT's pro bono services or should ACT be more selective and strategic about the organizations it serves? What should be ACT's goals as we look forward?

Over the next few months ACT's board and staff will be considering these questions. We welcome your thoughts and ideas into this process. Are there other questions ACT should be asking? Are there new approaches or services you would like us to consider? Please send me email at alison@stanfordact.org with any ideas and suggestions you have as you look forward into ACT's future.

Executive Director
Stanford Alumni Consulting Team

ACT Project Leaders Spring/Winter and Fall/Summer 2007

Hats off to the alumni who contributed their time and management skills as project leaders in 2007.  Thanks to their commitment, ACT was able to bring together 140 volunteers to provide business consulting to nonprofits throughout the Bay Area. Details

ACT Consultants Stay Involved

ACT projects can be a starting point for a long-term relationship with a nonprofit. For example, in 1996, an ACT team worked with DeAnza College to develop a business plan for the college's new tech center. When the project was completed, Bryan Brown MBA '69 and Richard Knock MBA '62 joined the DeAnza Commission, a group of community volunteers who act as ambassadors of the college as well as support the college through fundraising activities. Thanks to their contacts, they secured for DeAnza's new science center a $170,000 contribution of equipment from Seagate Technology.

In 2001 Richard and Bryan led a fast-track ACT project for DeAnza to help the school anticipate trends in technology and prioritize projects for the tech center. The ACT consultants led a retreat which brought together DeAnza College deans and board members with Silicon Valley business leaders to brainstorm about future needs and directions.

Like Richard and Bryan, other ACT consultants have returned to help clients with another project or joined the Board of Directors to continue their support of a client organization's work. We know that many of you have this kind of story to tell, and we'd love to hear your story. Please call or email them to Susan Austin at +1-650-736-1956.

Stanford ACT Team Inspires Innovation in the Silicon Valley Housing Market

Deep in the gloom of today's declining housing market,  few investors see any reason for optimism.  But an ACT team focused on affordable housing in the Bay area found a silver lining amidst the market's dark clouds.

ACT consultants worked closely with the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County to explore how an equity-sharing fund to finance residential down payments could benefit both the public and private sector.  With equity-sharing, family members or employers provide loans to supplement a home buyer's down payment.  The ACT team proposed institutionalizing this practice by creating a regional investment fund to provide financing to credit-worthy individuals buying homes at all levels of the market.  Individuals and corporations would invest in the fund which would be administered by the Housing Authority. Details

Volunteer Resources - Ideas for ACT Consultants

Enhance your ACT project leadership skills.

Before you begin your next ACT project, check out ACT's video library where you'll find video archives of past trainings, workshops, and events covering such topics as the ACT Consulting Process, Nonprofit Consulting Skills, Nonprofit Board Governance, and more.

Extend your consulting knowledge and learn new ideas from GSB professors and other experts.

You'll find a wealth of informative interviews and talks online thanks to a series by the Stanford Social Innovation Review. You'll find the series at Stanford Discussions on the Social Innovation Conversations website.

Listen to the free podcasts on your computer or download them to iTunes and your IPod. (Just click on the iTunes button to download to your iTunes list.)

Here are two talks ACT recommends:

Nonprofits of the Future
Nonprofit  technology consultant Paul Lamb explores how the web is transforming nonprofits and NGOs and increasing the effectiveness of smaller nonprofits. Details

Storytelling for Good Causes
Andy Goodman is a communication consultant and trainer who helps nonprofits, foundations, government agencies, and educational institutions reach more people more effectively. Details