Summer 2007 Fellow email: hrgilula@stanford.edu
Faculty Mentor: Mary Dakin, Senior Planning Associate, H&S Dean’s Office
Faculty Mentor email: mdakin@stanford.edu
Office Description:
NESsT works to solve critical social problems in emerging market countries by developing and supporting social enterprises that strengthen civil society organizations' financial sustainability and maximize their social impact. The office is located in Budapest, Hungary. The fellow last year was really involved in the office and the environment was positive and constructive.
Office Website: http://www.nesst.org/
Projects Fellows Have Worked on in the Past:
- Social Enterprise Competition: NESsT had a call for applications from NGOs from both Central Europe and Latin America to apply to get consulting help and funding to either help start or improve a social enterprise. The fellow reviewed, analyzed, and wrote reports about the applications and exercises that the Central European organizations applying had submitted. The fellow analyzed aspects of the organizations such as their financial stability and diversification, their organizational infrastructure to start an enterprise, and how a social enterprise would impact their beneficiaries
- Country profiles: NESsT has country profiles that include economic, social and political information about the country, and whether the civil society environment is conducive to NESsT’s work and goals.
- Updating NESsT’s legal briefs for Slovakia and Hungry: These legal briefs outline the legal environment in those countries in relation to nonprofits running social enterprises and what the situation is in regards to taxes, etc. The fellow became familiar with some useful websites including the USAID.gov NGO Sustainability Index site, the Freedom House Nations in Transit reports, and USIG.org which give legal background and tax information on a variety of countries
Desired Personal Qualities:
- Attention to detail
- Interest in and passion for social enterprise
- Hard worker and team player
Desired Skills, Experience, and Coursework:
- Experience working in non-profit or enterprise-planning
- Strong desktop research/computer skills
- Ability to multitask
- Ability to work independently
- Good writing skills
- Strong desktop research skills
- Excellent computer skills
Main Fellowship Disciplines:
- Economics
- International Relations
- Public Policy
- Civil Engineering
- Business
Languages:
Knowledge of one Central and Eastern European language preferred, but not required