What is SCNO?
Students Consulting for Non-Profit Organizations is an organization at Michigan State University that offers pro-bono consulting services to non-profit organizations. Since its inception in 2003, teams of SCNO members have worked with over 90 organizations in the Michigan area. During the past two years SCNO has worked on 32 projects with groups from across Michigan and Maryland.
SCNO teams typically work with clients on topics including strategic marketing, capital raising and allocation, information technology, operational management and organization strategy. Due to their academic training, diverse personal experiences and problem solving abilities, SCNO members are very effective in the ideas and recommendations they develop when working with their client. Prospective clients and members are interviewed each semester to properly set expectations. This process allows us to assess fit between SCNO and the client.
Message from the
Director of Community Development
 I was thrilled to welcome over 40 new members into our organization this fall with a broad array of academic backgrounds, as well as welcome Jacinta Holton, our new president, to the executive board. Currently, our members are working on nine engagements with Michigan non-profit organizations. We received a record number of client applications for fall semester projects and we are looking forward to another record breaking recruiting season! We are now accepting applications which can be downloaded from www.msuscno.org, along with instructions for submission. Applications are due by Nov. 15th. I look forward to hearing from you!
SCNO Project Snapshot
Brandon Laventure (Team Lead), Amanda DeCook, Bardeleon Jaddou, Chad Wu, Lauren Weingartz and Robert Lipovsky share their project with Community District Libraries below. Community District Library is one of the nine non-profit organizations that SCNO is working with this semester.
Community District Library - by Brandon Laventure
Our client this semester is Community District Library, an organization of seven libraries centered in Corunna, MI. Created in 2004, CDL provides access to ideas, information, experiences, and materials that support and enrich people’s lives. CDL is positioned to expand their services to a wider patron base. They have asked SCNO to develop a marketing strategy and to analyze their organization structure, so they retain the ability to support their continued growth.
Since our projects commencement, we have analyzed circulation, interlibrary loans, and interviewed librarians at all branches. We have gathered information on their demographics, and researched successful past strategies of similar organizations. The conclusions we draw from our analysis will be the basis of our recommendations to CDL.
The final deliverable will contain a plan to unify increase our client’s brand recognition within the community. They will be able to better educate patrons of their service offerings, increase the library’s patron base, and tailor their offerings to better meet the demand of their patrons through the most efficient use of their resources. With these tools in hand, CDL will enjoy maintained success and growth for many years, and continue to serve the patrons whom they have served so well thus far.
Applying to Work with SCNO...
Does your organization need strategic advice and tools to address issues hampering the progress of your operations or impact in the community? Competition and continual improvement are certainly not limited to for-profit arenas, and SCNO can help to provide your group an edge on a variety of endeavors. Visit www.msuscno.org to download an application and submit it to Brittany Sovran at communitydevelopment@msuscno.org by Saturday, November 15h to be considered for an engagement beginning in the spring semester. We look forward to the opportunity to work with you and your group.
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