MPS Gives Back – a Year in Review

As a designated Employer of National Service, we at M Powered Strategies are committed to public service for government and nongovernmental organizations. In 2018, MPS consultants contributed more than 570 hours, and served over 41 organizations across the country through our Pro Bono Program and Employee Volunteering Program. In addition to these two programs, MPS matched employee donations to the nonprofits our consultants support through our Matching Donations Program, and contributed $500 each month to a special nonprofit elected by our consultants through our Corporate Donations.

Over the course of the year, MPS consultants and project managers engaged in in-depth pro bono projects for organizations such as Capital Area Reach, a nonprofit committed to helping young people in the DC area become successful in school, work and their communities.

Some highlights from other pro bono projects we took on include:

During the spring and summer, our consultants helped develop and administer a survey to employees of the Department of Sanitation of  New York City (DSNY). With a focus on motivation, our consultants collected and analyzed over one thousand responses, and developed a presentation highlighting important takeaways on pride and motivation, outreach, and agency goals. According to our counterparts at DSNY, MPS’ “work was extremely helpful and [the] team was delightful.” They have moved forward with a social media campaign as a result of the work we did.

Throughout 2018, MPS tackled two initiatives for DC-based Friendship Place, which is dedicated to addressing the needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Consultants Ben Eden and Shannon McGuire conducted several interviews and did research of best practices to develop more effective metrics for one of their programs. Later in the year, Friendship Place came to us for help with their corporate funding and outreach processes. After extensive research and canvasing, Ben, with fellow MPS consultants Marci Owens and Lily Seglin, provided a detailed spreadsheet that outlined a logical and consistent system for outreach and tracking. We are excited to continue working with Friendship Place for a second phase project on corporate fundraising starting in early 2019.

In 2018, DC’s Shakespeare Theatre Company – of which MPS is a proud and longtime sponsor – was preparing for a handover of leadership. They needed help in addressing the needs of their stakeholders, and were also hoping to develop a forward-looking strategic plan. The MPS team – Ira Casteel and Marci Owens – identified target audiences, developed custom surveys, and put together a report of the key findings to help STC better assess how to move forward strategically.

MPS ended the year with a project with Points of Light (POL). POL recently reevaluated their organization and determined that a common struggle was the lack of project management skill sets. Consultants Cathy Garlesky, Sofia Crutchfield, and MPS President and CEO, Kendall Lott, conducted stakeholder interviews, identified core elements needed for the framework, researched best practices, and compiled a library of processes, concepts, tools, and roles need to create a cohesive and uniform foundation of project management at POL.

In addition to the Pro Bono projects, MPS put together two community engagement events: a shoe drive for Kicks for the City, and a holiday gift gathering and wrapping event for Jubilee Housing.

M Powered Strategies’ Community Engagement Manager, Shannon McGuire, is thinking big for the coming year. ”We are proud of the work we do to enrich our communities, and feel privileged to be able to work with these great organizations to help improve the services and benefits they contribute to the greater good. We hope to continue strengthening our engagement with clients and staff to keep growing and connecting to our public service roots in 2019!”