Northern Illinois University
Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The 40TUDE Nonprofit student consulting team provides nonprofit organizations across northern Illinois with pro-bono consulting services. Student consultants are paid through a combination of an Illinois Board of Higher Education grant for student employment, federal work-study, center funds and donations to the center. Technology support is received from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Background

In the summer of 2020, NIU's Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development (OERD) coordinated with community and campus partners to respond to the needs of small businesses and nonprofits during the COVID crisis. The result was 40TUDE Business, managed by the College of Business and OC Creative and 40TUDE Nonprofit, managed by the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies which launched in fall 2020. 40TUDE Nonprofit was also advised by the DeKalb County Nonprofit Partnership. Beginning in fall 2022, 40TUDE Nonprofit became a stand-alone program of the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies to address the ongoing needs of nonprofit organizations in northern Illinois. The heart of the program has remained consistent; increase capacity for small to medium-sized nonprofit organizations through pro-bono student consulting, increase experiences for students to work on real-life issues, and financially support students during their studies. Students come from a variety of disciplines from across the university.

Benefits

The Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies is leading the student team to provide project support to nonprofits in four key areas:

• Data collection and analysis
• Fundraising
• Communications and advocacy
• Volunteer services

Eligibility and Process

Any nonprofit organization located in northern Illinois can submit a project for consideration by the team on a year-round basis. Project submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis as the teams have openings and the necessary skills to complete the projects. Once the team has reviewed the submission for eligibility and scope, a team lead is assigned to the project. That student will then get in touch with the client for an initial meeting to understand the project better. The team will then create a scope of work document that outlines the needs of the organization, what the team will do, and a proposed timeline. The Scope of Work is then reviewed and approved by the client so work can begin. Upon completion, the client will receive a final report and an evaluation survey. Organizations can submit as many projects as they like at any time, but all are subject to the same review process.

Submit Your Project

Impact

In 2022, the student team completed 14 projects. Fifteen students provided 561 hours of pro-bono consulting time. Our past clients include:

• Act of Grace
• Barb Food Mart
• CASA DeKalb County
• DeKalb County Community Foundation
• DeKalb County History Center
• DeKalb County Youth Service Bureau
• Egyptian Theatre
• Fox Valley Special Recreation Foundation
• Granny Rose Animal Shelter
• Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County
• Kishwaukee Special Recreation Association
• Kishwaukee United Way
• Network of Nations
• Not-for-Profit Resources
• Opportunity DeKalb
• Parks Chamber of Commerce
• Project First Rate
• Raven’s Husky Haven and Rescue
• Sauk Valley Foodbank
• Stronghold Camp and Retreat Center
• Teen Turf Inc.
• Trinity Lutheran
• Two Rivers Head Start Agency
• Voluntary Action Center

Students

Apply to join the 40TUDE Nonprofit team. Contact Madeleine Stucky at 815-753-4410 or mstucky1@niu.edu with any questions.