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Non-profit

Non-profit case interviews focus on mission-driven strategy, fundraising optimization, program impact measurement, and organizational efficiency. These cases require balancing social impact goals with operational sustainability.

Government Government & Public Sector Government Contracting Government Services Humanitarian NGO Non-Profit Public Policy Public Sector Social Enterprise Urban Development Urban Planning
Total Cases: 61
Companies: 6
Easy 1 Medium 46 Hard 14
McKinsey
Medium

Banana Heaven

Profitability Policy/Public Sector Non-profit

The government of Banana Heaven (an island in the Indian ocean) is predominantly an agricultural economy. Majority of the population is involved in …

15 min
ROSS
50
Medium

Emerald City

Foreign Direct Investment Economic Policy Non-profit

Your client is the mayor of Emerald City - a large, metropolitan US city (i.e. New York or Los Angeles). She has noticed that Emerald City's FDI …

15 min
Darden
50
Medium

Hydrogenous

Project Selection Strategic Decision Non-profit

Hydrogenous is an international NGO that leads initiatives to combat extreme drought as part of the global effort led by the United Nations Convention …

15 min
Darden
50
Medium

Melt That Snow

Product Launch Financial Analysis Non-profit

The city of Holland, Michigan, is considering building a heated walkway with 690,000 sqft of heated sidewalks and streets complementing the already …

15 min
ROSS
50
McKinsey
Medium

OldSchool

Profitability GenAI Non-profit

OldSchool is a high school that was founded in 1947 in Delhi, India. It was considered one of the most prestigious schools in the city for many years, …

15 min
Tuck
50
Medium

Shisha: Just Blowing Smoke?

Market Entry Revenue Forecasting Non-profit

Over the past five years, the government of Saudi Arabia has been focused on reducing economic dependence on oil by diversifying the domestic economy. …

15 min
Darden
50
Medium

Sisha: Just Blowing Smoke?

Market Entry Revenue Forecasting Non-profit

Over the past five years, the government of Saudi Arabia has been focused on reducing economic dependence on oil by diversifying the domestic economy. …

15 min
Darden
50
BCG
Medium

Stance at a Distance

Cost Reduction Profitability Education (Public Sector)

Our firm has just wrapped up a project with The Stance School, which offers K-12 education in Philadelphia, to help them with developing two major …

15 min
NYU
50
BCG
Medium

Toto Foundation

Market Entry Profitability Non-profit

Our client, the Toto Foundation, is a new non-profit arm of a well-known drone manufacturing and logistics company that is exploring aid projects in …

15 min
NYU
50
McKinsey
Medium

Breaking out of Boston

Market Entry Growth Strategy Real Estate

Our client is Future Builders (FB), a Boston-based educational non-profit founded 10 years ago. FB provides intensive STEM and vocational training …

15 min
Duke
50
McKinsey
Medium

Curling and Careers

Operations Non-profit

Your client is Curling & Careers (C&C), the New York City chapter of a national non-profit organization. The non-profit aims to provide disadvantaged …

15 min
NYU
50
Medium

Dutch Dam Dilemma

Cost Reduction Project Management Non-profit

Your client is the South Holland province of the Netherlands. The provincial governor, Tomas Smit, has engaged your firm, explaining that a key dam …

15 min
Darden
50
Medium

Electric Walk

Cost Reduction Technology Implementation Non-profit

Cities have been vying for the top spot in the world's smart city rankings for years. The NYPA (New York Power Authority) is under immense pressure to …

15 min
Darden
50
BCG
Medium

Katrina

Non-traditional Operations Non-profit

Our client is a school district in New Orleans that has been completely devastated by Hurricane Katrina. After the hurricane, they saw most of their …

15 min
Chicago Booth
50
Medium

Kellogg in India

Market Entry Product Launch Non-profit

Our client is the Dean of Kellogg School of Management. She has hired you to advise her on an idea, which struck her during the previous week – To …

15 min
Kellogg
50
Oliver Wyman
Hard

Olympic City Choice

Strategic Decision Making Government/Public Sector Non-profit

Your client is the Mayor of Houston who has reached out to you to help them determine if they should bid on the 2028 Summer Olympics and how they …

15 min
Bauer
50
McKinsey
Medium

Quahog Public Schools

Non-traditional Performance Improvement Non-profit

Our client is the superintendent of a system of schools in Quahog, Rhode Island. He is concerned because the performance of students from these …

15 min
Chicago Booth
50
BCG
Medium

Stance at a Distance

Cost Reduction Accounting Education (Public Sector)

Our firm has just wrapped up a project with The Stance School, which offers K-12 education in Philadelphia, to help them with developing two major …

15 min
NYU
50
Bain
Medium

Texas Robotics Collective

Growth Strategy Non-Profit Operations Non-profit

Your client is the Texas Robotics Collective, a non-profit organization that targets high school kids who compete in large robotics competitions. The …

15 min
Bauer
50
BCG
Medium

Toto Foundation

Growth Strategy Market Entry Non-profit

Our client, the Toto Foundation, is a new non-profit arm of a well-known drone manufacturing and logistics company that is exploring aid projects in …

15 min
NYU
50
Easy

(Not So) Quiet Quitting

Operations Retention Non-profit

Our client is the US Department of the Interior, which is responsible for the National Park Service. The NPS employs 4 types of rangers: Law …

15 min
Wharton
50
Medium

Ban the Box

Strategic Decision Non-profit

After many years of "tough on crime" positions by politicians without regard to government budgetary implications, and the economic and social impact …

15 min
Columbia
50
BCG
Medium

City Food Bank

Market Entry Non-profit

One of the U.S. largest food banks - City Food Bank (CFB) - experienced an increase in both demand and donations during the pandemic in 2020. The …

15 min
PeterK
50
McKinsey
Hard

Climate change

Growth Strategy Environmental Policy Overall economy

The government of a West European country Franland has been under international pressure recently to accelerate the decarbonization of its economy. …

15 min
PeterK
50
Medium

CO-V(id)accinated

Operations Non-profit

Happy New Years Eve! Thank you for coming in to help with this emergency deliverable. 5 Pharma companies have developed 5 COVID vaccines and are now …

15 min
Columbia
50
Medium

Combating Climate Change

Strategic Decision Non-profit

The mayor of NYC was just elected based on her platform of creating a more environmentally sustainable city. During her campaign, she set a mandate to …

15 min
Columbia
50
BCG
Medium

Contagion Containment

Strategic Decision Risk Management Non-profit

Your client is the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the Summer Olympics are a couple months away. A viral outbreak has occurred in a country …

15 min
Darden
50
Medium

Formula Producer

Profitability Pricing Consumer Goods

The client is a manufacturer and distributor of infant formula. They sell their product nationwide, and are in the middle of the pack in terms of …

15 min
Harvard
50
Medium

Goals for Growth

Growth Strategy Non-profit

Your client is Ligas Femininas F7 (LF7), a non-profit soccer league for women in Peru. Founder Alexandra Herrera (Fuqua '20) set out to create a space …

15 min
Duke
50
Medium

HBS as a Business

Operations Strategic Investment Education

You are Dean Clark. A wealthy benefactor has come to you with the news that she will give HBS $100 million. The grant is contingent, however, upon you …

15 min
Harvard
50
Medium

Housing Authority Goes Green

Merger & Acquisition Non-profit

You're working with the local city government in a major urban area. Your client manages housing developments spread across 3 neighborhoods that are …

15 min
Columbia
50
McKinsey
Hard

K-12 teachers

Workforce Retention Policy Implementation Education

Around a quarter of U.S. K-12* teachers are thinking of leaving their jobs (~900k educators). 9% of teachers left the profession in 2022 (e.g. …

15 min
PeterK
50
Hard

Madecasse (2011)

Market Entry Non-profit

Two entrepreneurs are launching a non-profit chocolate bar manufacturing company called Madecasse. The goal of Madecasse is to improve conditions for …

15 min
Columbia
50
BCG
Medium

Met With Problems

Cost Reduction Operations Non-profit

Your client is Amy Sherald, the Chief People Officer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art ("The Met"). Located in New York City, the Met is one of the …

15 min
Darden
50
Hard

Pencils & Backpacks

Growth Strategy Non-profit

Our client, the governor of a southeastern state here in the US, is worried about student performance in K-12 schools in the state. The state has 180 …

15 min
Duke
50
Medium

The English Church

Profitability Operations Religious Services

Assume you are the new pastor of a rural English church in the late nineteenth century. Over the last three years, attendance has been declining. Your …

15 min
Harvard
50
Medium

The Greatest Show on Earth

Other Non-profit

Barnum & Bailey Circus is a traveling company of clowns, animals, and acrobats that performs year-round across the United States. While each act is …

15 min
Columbia
50
Medium

UN Polio

Operations Growth Strategy Government/Public Sector

Your client is the United Nations, who have hired you to help them with their fight to eradicate polio. They're struggling with two related problems: …

15 min
Cornell
50
McKinsey
Hard

Women's equality

Wild card Growth Strategy Overall economy

You're working on an internal project for McKinsey Global Institute (MGI). Your team is preparing a report on advancing women's equality in Africa. …

15 min
PeterK
50
Bain
Medium

Banknote manufacturer

Growth Strategy Revenue Expansion Revenue growth

Our client is a manufacturer of banknotes for the government. There are two major players in the field (incl. our client). They hired you to increase …

15 min
PeterK
50
Hard

Build, Baby, Build!

Profitability Media & Entertainment

Philadelphia is among the host cities for the FIFA World Cup 2026 to be held in the US. Currently, the MLS team Philadelphia Union plays at the Subaru …

15 min
Wharton
50
Medium

California Wildfires

Strategic Response Non-profit

The state of California has experienced devastating wildfires in recent years, causing deaths and billions of dollars worth of damage. The disasters …

15 min
IESE
50
Medium

California Wildfires

Strategic Response Strategic Decision Non-profit

The state of California has experienced devastating wildfires in recent years, causing deaths and billions of dollars worth of damage. The disasters …

15 min
IESE
50
Hard

Cents and Sensibility

Profitability Non-profit

The city of Philadelphia is planning to sell the rights to all of its parking meters for 20 years to a private company. The idea is that in exchange …

15 min
Wharton
50
Medium

Fixing Silverland

Fiscal Policy Macroeconomic Stabilization Non-profit

The government of Silverland, an imaginary South American nation, has approached us requesting a consultation. Upon taking office in 20x5, they …

15 min
IESE
50
Medium

Hamm’s University

Profitability Education

Our client, Hamm's University, is a mid-size not for profit private university in the Midwest of the United States, well-known for its liquid gold …

15 min
ROSS
50
Hard

Shots, shots, shots

Growth Strategy Non-profit

Our clients, the Governor of a state and the state's Director of the Department of Health Services (DHS), seek to improve SARS-COV-2 or "COVID-19" …

15 min
Duke
50
Medium

Transantiago

Profitability Transportation

Transantiago is the public transportation system of Santiago de Chile. It is managed by the Ministry of Transportation and has more than 5 million …

15 min
IESE
50
Medium

Transantiago

Profitability Cost Reduction Transportation

Transantiago is the public transportation system of Santiago de Chile. It is managed by the Ministry of Transportation and has more than 5 million …

15 min
IESE
50
Medium

Shisha: Just Blowing Smoke?

Market Entry Revenue Sizing Non-profit

Over the past five years, the government of Saudi Arabia has been focused on reducing economic dependence on oil by diversifying the domestic economy. …

15 min
Darden
50
Hard

State of Blue Devils

Growth/Strategy Non-profit

Your client, state of "Blue Devils" is looking to grow their capital project footprint post-Covid-19 now that construction restrictions have been …

15 min
Duke
50
McKinsey
Medium

Colombian Hippos

Strategic Decision Non-profit

At the height of his criminal activity in the 1980s, Pablo Escobar imported a menagerie of exotic animals to Colombia to show off at his personal zoo. …

15 min
Duke
50
McKinsey
Hard

Water Provision Scheme

Strategic Decision Non-profit

As of March 2021, the Education Ministry (EM) in India believes that more than 42,000 government schools across the country don’t have drinking water …

15 min
Duke
50
Hard

Voter Turnout

Unconventional Exhibit Analysis Non-profit

Over the last few election cycles, the city of Philadelphia has seen decreasing voter turnouts. Presidential elections happen every 4 years, and the …

15 min
Wharton
50
Hard

New Rubber Plant Investment

Merger & Acquisition Non-profit

The federal government of a country in a certain part of the world is investigating whether to restart a rubber factory in the western part of the …

15 min
Wharton
50
EY
Medium

Fire Proof Inc.

Market Entry Growth Strategy Manufacturing

The CEO of Fire Proof Inc. wants to find new ways to diversify her revenue and product line. Currently, Fire Proof only sells fire resistant jackets, …

15 min
Darden
50
BCG
Medium

National Park Service

Competitive Response Market Sizing Non-profit

Our client is the United States Department of the Interior, which is responsible for the National Park Service ("NPS"). The NPS employs park rangers …

15 min
Wharton
50
Medium

Chicago Parking Meters

Merger & Acquisition Market Sizing Public-Private Partnership

Your consulting firm has been hired by the Company Parking GenNext to give a reasonable price for the rights to collect all money* from Chicago’s …

15 min
Wharton
50
BCG
Medium

Contagion Containment

Non-profit

15 min
Darden
50
McKinsey
Hard

Insurance for the underserved in India

Market Sizing Profitability Financial Services

The Indian insurance market is heavily underpenetrated. The majority of insurable, adult population either is not insured and this has serious …

15 min
Wharton
50
BCG
Medium

Met With Problems

Non-profit

15 min
Darden
50

Overview

  • Non-profit organizations serve the public interest and are exempt from federal income taxes.
  • Many non-profit organizations are structured similarly to for-profit companies, with a C-suite, Board of Governors, bylaws, and annual meetings.
  • Examples include non-governmental organizations (NGOs), charitable organizations, religious institutions, educational departments and organizations, social workers, health and human services, activists, and community developers.

Revenue Drivers

  • Donations from individuals, corporations, or foundations.
  • Funds raised through various campaigns and events.
  • Ticket sales for charity events or cultural institutions.
  • Memberships (for museums or other similar organizations).
  • Tuition fees (for educational institutions).
  • Government subsidies and grants.

Cost Drivers

  • Labor costs (workforce, employees).
  • Real estate expenses (office space, facilities).
  • Technology costs (website/app maintenance).
  • Growing emphasis on companies to incorporate more corporate social responsibility initiatives and for non-profit arms into their organizations.
  • Growing emphasis on environmentally-conscious initiatives and sustainability.

Overview

  • Non-profit organizations (NPOs) serve the public interest and are exempt from federal income taxes.
  • Many NPOs are structured similarly to for-profit companies, with a C-suite, Board of Governors, bylaws, and annual meetings.
  • Examples include non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governmental organizations, charitable organizations, religious institutions, educational departments, social workers, health and human services organizations, activists, and community developers.

Revenue Drivers

  • Donations from individuals and organizations.
  • General funds raised.
  • Ticket sales for charity events.
  • Memberships (e.g., for museums or similar organizations).
  • Tuition fees for educational institutions.
  • Government subsidies.
  • Returns from endowment investments.

Cost Drivers

  • Labor costs for employees and staff.
  • Real estate expenses for offices and facilities.
  • Technology costs, including website and app maintenance.
  • Growing emphasis on companies incorporating corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and establishing non-profit arms.
  • Increased focus on environmentally-conscious initiatives and sustainability.
  • Donors often evaluate firms based on the percentage of profit allocated to the cause versus reinvestment into the non-profit organization itself.