Nonprofits’ Untapped Resource

Nonprofits could take after universities and get more alumni to volunteer, share expertise and contacts, and even do staff work, according to a new McKinsey study. McKinsey says that alumni efforts are most successful when the nonprofit is selective; participants have a lot in common; and the program was lengthy and intense. The Girl Scouts, for example, could get the biggest payoff by tapping into the enthusiasm of their senior Girl Scout alumnae, because they have a closer bond to each other and to the organization than Girl Scouts in general. Also, the nonprofits that get a lot of value from their alumni, such as Teach for America and Coro Northern California, don’t skimp when it comes to allocating time and employee resources to alumni efforts.