Social Enterprise Summer Associates Turn Passion into Careers

Social Enterprise Newsletter, Fall 2003

Growing up in Syracuse, New York, Brett Frood (HBS '04) associated fall with weekend football games, winter with the start of wrestling practice, and spring with the lacrosse season. While considering summer internship options in his first year at Harvard Business School, Frood's focus once again turned to sports.

As a summer associate at NYC- 2012, Frood explored turning his lifelong passion for sports into a career. NYC2012 is focused on bringing the Olympic Games to New York City in 2012 and leaving a legacy for the youth of the city by enhancing sports programs in the New York boroughs, inspiring younger generations to strive for excellence, and making a real contribution to promoting sports on all levels.

Frood is one of nearly 80 MBA students who received support from the HBS Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship Program this past summer. Since 1982, the program has helped over 500 students find positions in social enterprise and, with the support of alumni donors, supplemented their salaries from hiring organizations. From Nepal to New York City, this year's fellows sharpened their skills in a challenging management environment and explored future involvement in social enterprise, while benefiting organizations and the communities they serve.

For Brett Frood and Aliceson Robinson (both HBS '04), their summer experience is the first step in turning a passion into a career.

Frood looked for a summer position that would expose him to the intricacies of operating a sports-oriented business, and at the same time provide him with a unique learning environment. "NYC2012 presented me with the most alluring opportunity," he says. "I worked within the sports realm on a daily basis, and I was also thrilled about the organization's commitment to making a significant social impact."

Just five miles north, Aliceson Robinson (HBS '04) was pursuing her passion for the arts as a summer associate at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Even before enrolling at HBS, Robinson began to think about combining her business background with her love for the arts. In addition to performing in musical theater for 15 years, she spent almost all of her free time volunteering for local performing arts organizations as a marketing, development, and strategy consultant while working for McKinsey.

Robinson joined the Lincoln Center on June 2, the same day the news of the New York Philharmonic's departure hit the press (they have since announced their intention to stay). "What an interesting day!" she says. "It was just the beginning of a summer where I learned about everything from how to optimize the rental opportunities for a concert hall to how programmers think about developing a coherent season. I realized that the arts world is even more complex than I had previously thought."

Frood was also able to see the complexities of nonprofit management. "NYC2012's objective of bringing the Olympics to New York is an enormous challenge," he says. "The organization is not only marketing itself to a local contingency, but it is also charged with convincing the entire world that New York City lives by Olympic ideals every day and celebrates sports with passion. The experience has proven to me the importance of creative leveraging, symbiotic partnerships, and grass-roots marketing efforts."

For Frood and Robinson, their summer experience is the first step in turning a passion into a career. Says Frood, "Ideally, I'll be able to get my foot in the door of a professional sports organization. I'm also excited that New York City could potentially host the 2012 Olympics. It would be amazing to be involved in the challenge of hosting the Games and being a part of the Olympic movement." Robinson is considering working within or serving as a consultant to an arts organization, or even starting a foundation that would develop performing artists for these organizations. She says, "I believe there are opportunities for a person with a business background who is truly passionate about the arts to make a contribution."