Industry Nonprofit Headquarters Singapore | Founded 11 Aug 2011 | |
Founder Jeremy Au, Kwok Jia Chuan Services Management consulting, volunteer engagement Website www.conjunctconsulting.org | ||
Conjunct Consulting is a Singapore-based nonprofit organization which offers pro bono management consulting services to other nonprofits and social enterprises in the areas of financial sustainability, human capital development, operations management, impact assessment and strategic planning. Conjunct Consulting’s mission is to engage, mobilise and empower pro bono talent to strengthen social good organisations.
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Conjunct Consulting has student chapters in three universities in Singapore.
Founding
Conjunct Consulting was founded by Jeremy Au and Kwok Jia Chuan. Prior to founding Conjunct Consulting, both had been leaders of non-profit groups while at university. Au served as President of The Berkeley Group, a student-led organization providing consulting services to non-profits in the San Francisco Bay Area, while earning his undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and Kwok headed the London School of Economics chapter of AIESEC, the world's largest student development organization, while studying government and history as an undergraduate. Au and Kwok said that they wanted to introduce a new model of volunteerism in Singapore, a country where many volunteering opportunities involve long hours and labour-based work, but where many volunteers have professional skills to contribute.
Activities
Conjuct has two key programmes, pro bono consulting projects and corporate scalathons.
The pro bono consulting projects span over a 10 to 12 week period, during which a team of two working professionals and five trained student consultants volunteer their time and expertise to help a nonprofit partner to solve a problem. The project engagement ends with a report and presentation outlining recommendations, potential risks and challenges, sustainable long-term solutions, and implementation strategies. These projects are completely free to the nonprofit partner.
Student volunteers undergo a semester-long consultancy training course led by one of Conjunct Consulting's volunteer professionals, and are evaluated and interviewed before being selected as consultants. Professional volunteers also receive monthly consultancy training sessions to stay informed on consultancy techniques and social sector issues.
A corporate scalathon is a one-day skilles-based marathon event in which a corporate partner volunteers teams of employees to work together to help solve a nonprofit’s problem. Corporate employees are able to leverage their professional skills and knowledge to increase nonprofits’ organisational capacity and knowledge. This one day experience provides opportunities for employee engagement and leadership development, and assists in retaining millennial talent. For the nonprofit partner, they are equipped with recommendations and strategies with which to strengthen their organisations.
Conjunct Consulting is also part of a movement to promote the spirit of pro bono around the world. Partnering with Taproot Foundation and other similar organisations, Conjunct Consulting is working to educate and enhance skilled volunteerism globally, aiding the social sector by helping to provide the talent it needs.
Structure
Conjunct Consulting is run by an Executive Committee with various portfolios, who report to a President and a Board of Directors. The Executive Committee also has supporting team members which assist with operations. Conjunct is predominantly run by volunteers. At any given moment, Conjunct engages with roughly 120-200 volunteers in order to keep its chapters and operations running smoothly. Three student-run chapters operate at the local Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore and Singapore Management University.
The consultants are volunteers - university students and professionals from diverse industries, including engineering, finance and the civil service. Each consulting team is composed of five student and two professional volunteers. Student consultants work under the direction of the professional volunteers, who act as team trainers and project managers.
Professionals and students that volunteer with Conjunct Consulting are matched to a VWO depending on the skill set required for a particular project. Relevant skills, sector experience, and interest in the client's cause are part of the matching criteria.
Awards and Recognitions
In 2013, Conjunct Consulting was awarded Youth Social Enterprise of The Year (Commendation) by the country's President's Challenge Social Enterprise Awards.