Inspire is a tax-exempt volunteer organization that provides consulting services to non-profits.
Our mission is to build a better world by helping nonprofit organizations achieve breakthrough results.
We bring strategic thinking and results-oriented analysis the leaders of organizations that promote the public good.
Our Operations
Who works for Inspire?
Inspire is a consortium of pre-MBA volunteers from four industry-leading management consulting firms: Bain & Co., Deloitte Consulting, EY-Parthenon, and L.E.K. Consulting. While Inspire volunteers utilize the skills developed at their host firms, Inspire is a completely independent organization. A case with Inspire is not a case with any of the Inspire partner firms.
Participating volunteers typically spend 2-5 hours a week on Inspire casework outside of their full-time employment.
Inspire currently has over 500 volunteers and thousands more alumni, spread across 25 offices in 10+ cities nationwide.
Who runs Inspire?
Inspire is governed by an Executive Committee, which oversees all case operations and strategic initiatives, such as finance, marketing, and technology.
The Executive Committee receives oversight and guidance from the Board of Directors, comprised of leaders from each of the four participating host firms, as well as former Inspire Executive Directors.
What types of organizations does Inspire work with?
Inspire serves non-profit organizations that advance common (i.e., nonpartisan) causes, with a particular focus on local community engagement. Historically, this has meant working with organizations that (1) have operations in at least one of the U.S. cities in which Inspire operates, and (2) have the scale and organizational capacity, broadly defined, to engage an external project team.
As Inspire seeks to create meaningful professional development opportunities for volunteers, we look to work with organizations that have a specific need for strategy consulting projects (e.g., economic modeling, expansion strategy, fundraising strategy, marketing strategy, new program development, etc.).
Note: Inspire's founding mission was oriented toward education- and youth-focused organizations. Though we work with many organizations, this focus remains a guiding light today.
Our Cases
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Marketing & Publicity
Developing plans for communicating the organization’s mission and activities to key external stakeholders
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Organizational Effectiveness
Defining the organization's mission, vision, and values, and identifying the corresponding roles & responsibilities needed to increase effectiveness
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New Program Development
Using expertise to develop new programs that will grow the organization in alignment with its mission and strategic goals
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Growth & Expansion Strategy
Identifying and prioritizing opportunities for growth across new and existing programs and services
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Economic Modeling
Optimizing the balance of revenue and spending to best support organizational goals
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Fundraising Strategy
Identifying opportunities for revenue enhancement through fundraising, grants, and other sources
Our Process
Introduction
1
A client reaches out to Inspire with a challenge or opportunity they'd like to explore. Inspire’s leadership connects with the client to learn more about their organization, goals, and project scope, and to determine mutual fit.
Project Planning
2
Once a partnership is confirmed, the client and Inspire’s local office leadership work together to scope the engagement, determine the highest value focus area(s), and create a proposal and timeline for the project.
Staffing
3
Local office leadership selects one or more Case Team Leaders and assembles a team of Inspire volunteers in their office. Teams are staffed by matching volunteers' skills and interests to the needs of the engagement.
Kickoff
4
With the team in place, the contract is signed and a kickoff meeting is scheduled for the client and full team to formally meet. This is an opportunity to align on goals, ask clarifying questions, and establish a meeting cadence.
Research & Analysis
4
The case team conducts research and analyzes data. Cases typically run 3 months and are structured into 2–3 phases, each culminating in an update where the team presents progress to the client and incorporates feedback.
Follow Up
6
At case closure, the Inspire Executive Committee sends an invoice and case feedback survey to the client. The case team reconnects with the client several months later to check in on implementation and celebrate their progress.