InterSector
Cross-Sector Impact
InterSector connects nonprofits with business talent and services to increase impact together. Empathy interviews showed that nonprofit leaders wanted simple, affordable support for their “back office” functions – behind-the-scenes operations like HR, finance, IT, legal and marketing. Launched in November 2018 in partnership with U.S. Venture and Oshkosh Corp., the InterSector pilot explores three ways to support the nonprofit back office: skilled volunteering, consultant vetting and shared services.
Skilled Volunteering
InterSector engages business talent in well-scoped, “back office” projects so nonprofit leaders can focus on their mission. What is the “back office”? It includes HR, finance, IT, legal and marketing – vital operations that keep every business strong and stable.
Are you skilled in one of these functions? Apply to volunteer with InterSector! Based on your skills, you’ll be hand-picked and invited to commit to limited-duration projects on which you can add value. You’ll build leadership skills, grow your network and amplify nonprofit impact. Email InterSector project director Lisa Strandberg to learn more.
Shared Services
InterSector identifies existing operational strengths, then builds trust between organizations to leverage scale in sharing business services. Shared back-office services empower nonprofit leaders to focus on their mission and increase impact. What services can be shared, and by which organizations? InterSector is at work to explore this question, across nonprofit and for-profit boundaries. HR, finance, IT, legal and marketing all present possibilities for nonprofits to collaborate behind the scenes as they aim to increase social impact together.
Stories of Impact
“The experience was great. I really appreciated the thoughtful process. We talked through a number of scenarios and found a perfect project for this type of initiative. It was a great ‘one and done’ volunteer opportunity, giving the volunteer a sense of accomplishment and all the good feelings associated with helping a nonprofit.”
Community Clothes Closet executive director Diane MacDonald
“All I can say is THANK YOU for all that the InterSector team accomplished. I knew it would be impossible for our HR department to devote the necessary time to complete [our accreditation] requirements. Thank you so much for your time, and for the tremendous expense savings to Rawhide – and for being willing to complete the project remotely.”
Rawhide benefits manager Lanette Friemark
“I enjoyed the opportunity to be involved in the InterSector program. The scope of the project was well-defined and easy to understand. The timeline for completion was reasonable, and the nonprofit was very appreciative.”
von Briesen & Roper, S.C., attorney Jon Eiden