The Chapter of the Year award is given annually to the most outstanding chapter in the Net Impact network. This year's recipients were announced at the 2009 Net Impact Conference on November 14, 2009. Chapters were evaluated on their management, chapter activities, support of their membership, impact on their school and community, and their support of the broader Net Impact network. Submissions were reviewed by Net Impact staff and members of the Net Impact Membership Committee.
Chapters are awarded in six categories. Congratulations to this year's winners:
We would like to also congratulate the runners up:
Professional: San Francisco Professional Chapter
International Professional: Seoul Professional Chapter
Large Graduate Student: University of Michigan Ross School of Business
Small Graduate Student: Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business
International Graduate Student: HEC Paris School of Management
Boston Professional Chapter
Over the past year, the Boston Professional Chapter raised over $15,000 through a fundraiser for a local international development nonprofit. The chapter went on to host over 40 events including small group dinners, expert panels, and professional development events. In addition to these events, the chapter's leadership recognized the importance of connecting with the greater Net Impact network and spearheaded collaboration efforts across the Boston metro area.
Pune Professional Chapter
Since their inception in 2008, the Pune Professional Chapter has developed an impressive name for themselves in the community. Most notably, they implemented changes in a project designed to alleviate traffic problems in a local commercial center. The chapter's recommendations will decrease CO2 emissions from traffic, improve public health and safety, and increase worker productivity.
Kellogg School of Management
Among the many accomplishments of the Kellogg Net Impact Chapter, they have placed 160 students in 28 pro-bono consulting projects through Service Corps, connected 48 students with positions on nonprofit boards through their Board Fellows program, and coordinated an event on President Obama’s social innovation policies with the local Chicago Professional Chapter.
Ohio State University
Though a young chapter, Ohio State University has made their presence known both on campus and in their community. The chapter hosted a poverty alleviation summit that brought together nonprofits, corporate leaders, diplomats, and academics to discuss strategies to help reduce poverty around the world. They also worked with program administration to position themselves as the student organization responsible for coordinating the 40 hours of community service every student must complete before graduation.
Indian School of Business
Over the past year, the Indian School of Business collaborated with Net Impact chapters around the world to assist 20 nonprofits in India through pro-bono consulting efforts. Additionally, they have helped more than 15 nonprofits through a new for-credit, project-based class and hosted a national social ideas challenge that attracted 125 teams and over 1,000 participants.
University of California, Berkeley Undergraduates
The University of California, Berkeley Undergraduate Chapter undoubtedly made their voices heard over the past year. In addition to assisting three consulting clients on sustainability projects, they hosted a CSR Career Fair, at which representatives from companies like Starbucks and Intuit described CSR employment opportunities and discussed ethical labor practices and global supply chain strategy with the Director of Ethical Sourcing at Hewlett-Packard (HP).
