Three juniors have created an opportunity for TCU students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-world challenges faced by local nonprofits.
Student Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations, which launched this fall, is part of a national network. Through their network, they connect college students with nonprofits in need of strategic solutions. The work allows students to gain consulting experience.
“There was really no organized student organization dedicated to consulting,” Ben Gregory, a junior business information systems major and one of SCNO’s founders, said. “The only opportunity for gaining consulting experience was the course offered in the spring or ‘Cookies and Cases,’ which was a small group of business students practicing case interviews.”
Gregory worked with Alyssa Gehrig, a junior majoring in finance and marketing, and Kate McKnight, a junior majoring in finance and accounting, to establish a SCNO chapter at TCU.
The organization began at the University of Arizona in 2000. It has over 30 chapters at schools such as Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and Northwestern.
Faculty advisor Maureen Kenney, associate director for the Professional Development Center, said the new organization fills a need on campus.
“When I started at TCU in 2018, there was a consulting club, but it wasn’t active or sustainable,” Kenney said. “What’s different about SCNO is that it has a clear mission and students are doing tangible work that benefits both them and the community.”
Gregory said that the organization’s focus on structure, impact and inclusivity is what sets SCNO apart.
“We wanted to make it interdisciplinary,” Gregory said. “Consulting is about collaboration, so we brought together students from different majors, including economics, environmental science, marketing and music. We wanted a melting pot of ideas and skills.”
The organization’s inaugural cohort includes 14 students, with only half being business majors.
This semester, SCNO is working on internal projects with the TCU Career Center to strengthen members’ consulting skills and knowledge before working with nonprofit organizations in the spring.
“This semester is kind of a trial run,” Gehrig said. “We are learning how to best work together, structure projects and build a strong reputation we can take into the community next semester.”
“They are learning to sit in the inquiry phase of asking questions, gathering information and thinking critically before jumping to solutions,” Kenney said. “That’s what consulting is in practice.”
Kenney said the organization helps serve as a bridge between TCU and the Fort Worth community.
“It’s such a perfect alignment with where the university wants to go,” she said. “One of TCU’s strategic pillars is community, and SCNO directly serves that mission.”
Brady Lane, a sophomore finance major and member of the inaugural cohort, said the professional growth and community service are what drew him in.
“It’s the perfect mix of pursuing my career goals while giving back to the community,” Lane said. “Fort Worth has given me so much through TCU, and this opportunity with SCNO will help me apply what I have learned to help others.”
For the three founders, success extends beyond the projects they plan to complete this academic year.
“There have been a few attempts to start consulting clubs before, but they never lasted,” Gehrig said. “We’re focused on building a strong foundation with an executive team and cohort of all grade levels so this organization will last for years to come.”
SCNO’s founders have laid the groundwork for something faculty believe can endure well beyond their time at TCU.
“This group of students has a vision and purpose,” she said. “They’re not just preparing for case interviews or their future career. They’re building something that will create meaningful change at TCU and in the Fort Worth community.”
