What is Impact Consulting?

Impact Consulting gives students the opportunity to work with different nonprofits in the area and make a positive impact on the community. This program lets students get some of their first experiences working in a professional setting, although all experience levels are welcomed. 

Each semester, students can apply to be a team member and/ or a team leader! Once the deadline for submitting applications is reached, students will be assigned to different organizations on a first come first served basis. 

More information about how to get involved will come when application open near the beginning of each semester. Keep track of when we begin accepting application by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on Instagram or Facebook! 

Please contact Katie Shin (shin0347@umn.edu), President of Consulting, for any questions. 

Net Impact Consulting Program- Fall 2024

Applications for Fall 2024 will open near the beginning of the Semester!

Past and Ongoing Projects

Gray's/The Loring Project 2022

This team conducted a survey with over 400 responses from UMN students. Through data analysis, the group uncovered opportunities for growth through night life and promotions. They also created a style guide along with social media advertisements.

Gray's Presentation.pdf
Net Impact Consulting_ NETZRO.pdf

Netzro Project 2020

This group assisted the upcycled food company with research determining an estimate for how much their products reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Duvall Herb Farm Project 2021

Duvall Herb Farm is a newer company offering local, fresh & dried herbs, veggies, and flowers grown from seed through sustainable & regenerative farming practices. This group helped them with branding and market analysis.

Copy of Duvall Herb Farm V.Final.pdf
The Bookhouse Proposal.pdf

The Book House 2022

This group conducted a survey of UMN students to determine which new marketing techniques would best benefit local book store.

Duvall Herb Farm Project 2022

Duvall Herb Farm's second project was more geared to envisioning a new website that has improved design and increased information available. They also explored different newsletter platforms and created a template the company can use.

Duvall Herb Farm.pdf
Netzro Finalized pitch.pdf

Netzro 2022

This round, consultants created a brochure to hand out to businesses that may be interested in carrying Netzro's products. The group also put together a list of potential businesses along with an appendix for contact information.

Alpha Print 2022

This group surveyed student leaders about their printing needs to better understand the niche market. They took this feedback to define Alpha Print's market a bit further.

Showcase.pdf
21 Roots Consulting Presentation.pdf

21 Roots Farm 2022

This group postered an ad describing the new logo design contest, and put together a pivot chart that will help the company track its daily activities and visitors.

Gray's 2022

This round, consultants continued to analyze survey from the previous semester to brainstorm new ideas. They determined a cost estimate of hosting a concert, listed local bands potentially interested in the venue, and some networking opportunities.

2022 Spring Gray's Presentation.pdf
Alpha Print Final Pres.pdf

Alpha Print 2022

This semester the group worked on how Alpha Print could stay connected to their target market despite moving locations.

Marine Mils 2022

This group established a plan for Marine Mills to increase offerings within their retail section. They surveyed customers for desirable products and researched and compared printing companies. 

Marine Mills Slide deck.pdf
Impact Consulting - Duvall Herb Farm - Fall 2022.pdf

Duvall Herb Farm 2022

This project entailed creating step-by-step guides for improving a website's search engine optimization, general website organization, and general social media suggestions.

Netzro 2022

This group created guidelines for posting on social media as well as 20+ example posts with captions that Netzro can use for Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. 

NETZRO - Final Presentation (DEC 7).pdf
Copy of The Bookhouse.pdf

The Book House 2022

This group focused on website capabilities and redesign, surveyed more students about product offerings, and provided a guide for Instagram advertisements. 

About Impact Consulting

We aim to empower local businesses through consulting done by students

Impact Consulting was formed in 2019 by UMN Carlson student Julia Westling. She led a pilot project with the nonprofit Fair Anita. The program has continued to grow, becoming connected with many different nonprofits including: Forgotten Harvest, PROP Foods, Pillsbury United Communities, 21 Roots Farm, Marine Mills Folk School, and more.

In 2020, Carlson student Madison Romain took the program a step further by coordinating projects with local businesses such as Gray's, The Book House, and Alpha Print, all located in Dinkytown.

Every semester, groups of students are paired with one of these organizations and embark on a semester-long project. Typical tasks include: surveying, data analysis, research, marketing, branding, design, technological help, and more. 

We are proud of these undergraduate students and their hard work for the community. This MN Daily article covered the work done for Gray's in 2021. We hope to keep fostering success for any businesses wanting to get involved. 

Testimonials

"Working with the students during the Net Impact Consulting Program was a very rewarding experience. Not only did they approach each task with professionalism and a strong work ethic, but they also demonstrated a genuine passion for making a positive impact. [...] ultimately delivering outcomes that will have a lasting impact on our organization. I highly recommend the Net Impact Consulting Program to any organization [...]. Working with these students was truly a pleasure, and I look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with them again in the future."

"Through the Impact Consulting program, I learned how to manage a team, ask the right questions to get informative answers, and create a creative marketing strategy. Our startup, Phoam Labs,[...] I enjoyed learning about the product and market, and how sustainable products can be introduced to the market to gain consumer interest. This program allowed me to take on a unique challenge and grow my skills as a business student."

"I really enjoyed the Impact Consulting program because I gained experience with several important business skills for the first time. Participating in this program as a first semester freshman, I had learned very little about business up to this point, so getting first hand experience doing market research for a small company called Taperk was very valuable."

Here are some of the organizations we have worked with in the past

Feel free to click on the logos to check out the amazing work each of these organization do!