CASES

What is CASES?

Officially launched on a national level in 2018, CASES was conceived to expand PbP's scope of service learning to include skills-based opportunities in addition to hands-on volunteering. As a pro-bono consulting model of community engagement, CASES seeks to:

• Bring together nimble groups of like-minded, socially conscious young professionals to work collaboratively in a project team setting

• Engage nonprofit partners to conduct research and evaluation of the business and organizational challenges they are facing

• Leverage the diverse and cross-functional skill-sets of volunteer consultants to develop innovative solutions that enhance the long-term sustainability of our partners

How does CASES work?

Clients are paired with a team of dedicated volunteer consultants selected from PbP’s Steering Committee and alumni network for their specific professional skillsets. Over 12 weeks, CASES volunteer consultants produce a written deliverable and presentation that provide recommendations for a specific capacity-building project. The project team setting, collaborative partner engagement, and intentional learning environment are the elements of this model that are conducive to the production of tangible deliverables by our volunteer consultants.

What should I expect?

• Deliverable: Through client interviews and thorough research, CASES teams provide specific, actionable recommendations that allow clients to improve and grow their organizations. Types of projects will vary in order to target our client’s most pressing challenges, including recruitment strategies, market research, ROI evaluation, financial planning, and data analysis. The written deliverable will cover project scope, research, analysis, and recommendations, and will be presented to the client at the end of the 12-week project term.

• Collaborative Approach: To effectively identify and address the challenges that our clients face, we expect clients and their teams to engage actively with one another. Teams are expected to communicate regularly over the 12-week period. For our teams to be at their most effective, clients must be willing to share information that is relevant to their team's decision-making process; we process full confidentiality in return.

• Commitment to Social Impact: We expect our team members to take a strategic rather than implementation approach to problem-solving. Similarly, we are seeking clients who are committed to their organizations and are able to implement solutions in the long-term. We expect clients to have a clear idea of their project and the impact they strive to achieve.

Examples of Past Projects

• Asian American for Equality (AAFE)-Equality Fund, Affordable Housing, 2015: Created an online interactive map of community resources in Flushing

• National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), LGBTQ, 2016: Developed strategic marketing plan for Family Is Still Family Campaign translated leaflets

• Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), Asian Americans and Immigration, 2018: Researched and delivered two activities for CACF’s Youth Leadership Program, Asian American Student Advocacy Program (ASAP): “Getting to Know You & Team Building” and “API History and Public Speaking Skills”

• Asian Americans and the Environment, 2021: Developed and collected research insights from surveying 19 small businesses in Manhattan Chinatown to build a firsthand perspective on their current state from the impact of major events (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic, #StopAsianHate). From this survey sample, the PbP NY CASES 2021 team unraveled the resiliency of Chinatown and re-established the greater need for advocacy and support within our local AAPI community. View the Chinatown NYC survey findings here