Overview:
Business for Good is a partnership between the University of Texas at Dallas’ Naveen Jindal School of Management and the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, connecting upper-level business students at UTD with North Texas nonprofits to strengthen the social sector through strategic and innovative projects.
Each semester, selected nonprofits supervise a project of their choice in collaboration with a small team (3-4) of student consultants. Each student completes one hundred hours of service toward the project over a three-month cycle, including weekly coaching and in-class instruction. Students learn by engaging with nonprofit professionals and the opportunity to act more entrepreneurially and philanthropically, using business as a force for good. Nonprofit leaders benefit from the chance to direct (or delegate to rising staff) a team project focused on what their organizations need.
Project Opportunities for Nonprofits:
Participating nonprofits can propose projects in the following areas:
- Earned revenue strategy
- Marketing and social media strategy
- Business model analysis
- Program evaluation
- Performance management and succession planning
- Other – please detail project goal(s)
Application Cycles:
- Fall: Apply by mid-August | Projects run September–November
- Spring 2026: Apply by January 20 | Projects run February–April
- Organizations may submit up to four (4) project proposals per cycle.
Project Requirements:
- Open to all nonprofits, including PACs, government agencies, and those outside North Texas
- Must address a strategic need (not routine staff tasks)
- Must align with student skill sets, as suggested by the above project categories
- Must fall within the defined project categories (or clearly define goals if “Other”)
- Must be scoped for completion by a team within three months. Multi-phase/multi-semester project proposals are welcome and should include measurable goals for each three-month cycle.
Contacts:
MaryBeth Fickel
Program Manager, Social Entrepreneurship
Jindal School of Management, UT Dallas
972-883-5958
Robert Wright
Assistant Professor of Practice
Jindal School of Management, UT Dallas