Program Overview

Social impact organizations face many challenges in addressing society’s largest and most complex problems. With guidance from Haas faculty and coaching from experienced McKinsey & Company volunteer consultants, multi-disciplinary student teams are paired with organizations and delve into semester-long consulting projects to address strategy or organization development questions put forth by their nonprofit clients. This is a fee-for-service offering, based on 17 years of proven, high-quality work that provides top value and demonstrated results.

Clients receive:
  • 900 hours of targeted, affordable, high quality management consulting
  • Fresh perspectives from a team who is mentored by McKinsey & Company management consultants
  • Faculty advisors to drive key results
  • Action plans with innovated solutions to complex challenges, driven by the latest academic thinking and practical application in strategy, marketing, finance, and more.
Students Gain:
  • Hands on management consulting experience
  • Academic training, coaching, and support
  • Career exposure with top consulting firm McKinsey & Company

Client Project Examples

Next: Impact CFO

Student Testimonials

Stephanie Rivers, EMBA, MPA

S3 offers a world-class opportunity for students who want to learn the art and science of consulting, one of S3’s most valuable assets is the program’s incredible access to the world of business management consulting firms. By being a Team Lead, I was recruited by 2 of the Big 4 firms. Two of my teammates were also offered consulting roles at well-known companies.

Tessa Dewell

I really enjoyed getting to work with a real client who was making a positive impact on the world. By understanding their needs and having important discussions within our team, we were able to build them a quantitative and qualitative model that will help them think about their expansion in the future. The guidance provided by Nora [Faculty Director] as well as the structure of the class helped our team successfully grow our skills and deliver something truly valuable to our client. S3 was more like a job than a class, it was a lot of work, but it was work that was rewarding!

Michael Calderón

Prior to joining S3, I had no experience with consulting and truly did not know how to approach a large-scale problem without any formal training or expertise. Framing the problem and conducting interviews and research were skills that I honed over the course of the semester working with the S3 professors and my team. […] Beyond the skills to succeed, the Haas Center for Social Sector Leadership (CSSL) also provided me with the financial means to live out a life long dream of mine, a National Parks road trip across America! Over the course of a month my partner and I road-tripped from Berkeley to Boston visiting 57 NPS sites along the way.

How to Apply

MBA’s receive an application link once students bid for the course during their designated course bidding period in the Fall. (Bidding dates are in November, with the exact window posted at the beginning of the fall term). For more details, contact your MBA program office.

Non-MBA students (including undergrads) must apply to the program by November 15th, 2023 at noon to be considered for one of the teams. The link to the application is here.

Course Enrollment

  • Selected graduate students will be enrolled in MBA292S for 3 credits by the MBA program office
  • Selected undergraduate students will be enrolled in UGBA192.T7 for 3 credits.
  • More details and enrollment verification will be provided at the start of the spring semester.

For more information email [email protected].