Skills Based Volunteering

Skills-Based Volunteering

Skills based volunteering is tasked with finding, facilitating and promoting volunteer opportunities that allow students to utilize those business skills that they have already developed and those that they are currently developing while at Fuqua.
The goals and objectives are to: Generate increased student and community awareness of STEP, and successfully coordinate the volunteer process (which involves the Duke volunteers, the partner high schools, and the local media) Establish collaborative relationships with other MBA clubs to capitalize on the skills possessed by those clubs and to source new skills-based volunteer opportunities for students to get involved with Offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunities to Duke students that allow for both long term involvement and for one time participation.
We are excited about the three programs we currently have in place because they offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunities to Duke MBA students, with both long-term involvement and one-time participation. See below for a description of the programs currently offered:

Current Programs STEP- Students Teaching Entrepreneurship Program Launched in 1991, the Student Teaching Entrepreneurship Program is a partnership between Duke's Fuqua School of Business and local high schools to enrich the business learning experience for at-risk students. The goal of the program is to provide meaningful hands-on business learning experiences and increase awareness of entrepreneurial career options. The program partners Duke MBA students with high school juniors and seniors, who must formulate business plans and “pitch” them to panels of judges. Volunteers must be committed to spend one hour per week over the course of two terms. Please contact Jodi Smith or Lindsey Fishleder if you would like to get involved. For media coverage of the local STEP program, click here.

Junior Achievement Do you have two hours available per week for six to eight weeks to make difference in the lives of Durham youth? Are you interested in impacting today's youth by teaching them about business, economics, and free enterprise? Fuqua's Junior Achievement team needs volunteers who are passionate about helping bring the real world to elementary and middle school students, opening their minds to their potential. Junior Achievement uses hands-on experiences to help young people understand the economics of life. Please contact Ashanti Herndon or Lindsey Fishleder for more information.


JOP, Job Opportunities Program Started last year, The Job Opportunities Program takes motivated high school students and pairs them with Fuqua students that help prepare them to gain employment in local corporations. Fuqua students provide mentorship throughout the spring and specifically coach students in their professional development around: resume writing, interviewing skills, professionalism, communication skills, and managing their money. The program additionally includes a partnership with Futures4Kids that helps students discover potential future career paths and culminates with a professional market research presentation assignment during the last workshop that puts their professionally developed skills to the test. Interested Fuqua students can help by volunteering for 1 or more of our 5 Saturday workshops this upcoming spring, organizing workshops, and/or helping to coordinate summer employment for the students. Please contact Shaun Horrigan or Lindsey Fishleder for more information.

Why volunteer? Do you want to make a different in the lives of students in the Durham community? The Net Impact skills-based volunteering programs offer business students the opportunity to utilize the business skills that they have already developed and those they are currently developing at Fuqua. It is an experience in which students can get involved in the community outside of Fuqua and can participate in an extremely rewarding and valuable activity. Fuqua Students can take a break from the stress of business school life and can spend time with elementary, middle and high school students who can truly benefit from their help. Each of the skills-based volunteering programs offers a unique and differentiated volunteering experience. Contact: Lindsey Fishleder (lindsey.fishleder@duke.edu)



Other Volunteer Opportunities:
1. Entrepreneurship Coach at the See Saw Studio (http://www.seesawstudio.org) When: October 2009 - May 2010 Date & Time: Every Tuesday, 4:30pm - 6:00pm Details: Good Work provides weekly entrepreneurship training to students at the See Saw Studio. See Saw is an art and design program for youth ages 12-18. Students learn the fundamentals behind developing their art, fashion, and other design products/services into a viable business. The program meets every Tuesday from 4:30pm to 6pm and runs from October 2009 until May 2010. Here are some ways to serve: Preparing and facilitating 2 one-hour lessons covering one of the following areas: Networking and public presentation (elevator speech) Business identity (name, logo, tagline, and blurb) Product design and service delivery Marketing and promotion Product placement, merchandising and packaging Customer service Financial literacy (personal money management) Pricing and bookkeeping Coordinating field trips to local businesses and arranging local entrepreneurs to speak to the youth Coaching students on creating a business plan for their company Helpp develop a web-based store where youth can sell their products and services Help develop relationships with local retail stores where students can sell their products and services 2. Financial Literacy Coach at the Durham Performance Learning Center (http://dplc.dpsnc.net/) When: Januarary - March, 2010 Date & Time: Thursdays, 2:00 - 3:00pm Details: Good Work will provide a 10-week personal money management program for high school students at the Performance Learning Center. This program will meet on Thursdays from 2pm to 3pm and will run from January to March 2010. You can serve by facilitating the curriculum.