REDF (formerly the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund) provides leadership and investment to a portfolio of nonprofit social enterprises, changing the lives of people who face poverty, homelessness, and other barriers to employment. Through REDF's Farber Program, MBA students use their business and management skills within social mission-driven enterprises. See examples below of Farber Internships from 2011 and prior years. The MNC's summer jobs also include public broadcasting positions, Summer Associate jobs and the Packard Environment Fellows program.
Karen Chern (Ross)
Weingart Center Association
(REDF Portfolio social enterprise)
The Weingart Center Association gives homeless men and women the skills, tools, resources and hope they need to break the cycle of homelessness and lead self-sufficient lives. Karen conducted a feasibility analysis for two potential new lines of business to expand Weingart Center’s first social enterprise, 360 Degree Solutions. After working with Weingart to make a decision, she developed a preliminary business and implementation plan. Karen also assisted Weingart/360 Degree Solutions with developing employee supports and building their double-bottom-line financial statements. Learn more about Weingart Center Association and REDF, or view previous placements with the Weingart Center Association. (Summer 2012)
Elaine Chou (Wharton)
Buckelew Programs
(REDF Portfolio social enterprise)
Buckelew Programs works to provide homes, jobs, health and hope to people with a mental illness and/or substance use disorder. Elaine developed a marketing plan for Buckelew’s new fresh-cut food processing social enterprise, People’s Harvest, providing recommendations about which customers to target and how to reach target segments. Elaine also evaluated the feasibility of starting a packaging social enterprise, developing a financial model for this business line and providing recommendations for the most promising products and services. Learn more about Buckelew Programs and REDF, or view previous placements with Buckelew Programs.
Adam Deromedi (Booth)
Urban Strategies/Green Streets
(REDF Portfolio social enterprise)
Urban Strategies helps lead distressed, urban-core residential communities and low-income families toward positive social and economic mobility. Urban Strategies works closely with the affordable housing property management company McCormack, Baron, Ragan (MBR) to oversee Green Streets, a social enterprise that provides recycling and composting services at MBR-managed housing developments in San Francisco. Adam worked on an expansion strategy for Green Streets’ business into additional properties in Richmond, CA and Los Angeles. He also created double-bottom line financial statements for Green Streets and recommended pathways to financial self-sustainability in their current San Francisco locations. Learn more about Urban Strategies and REDF. (Summer 2011)
Njambi Gibson (Kellogg)
REDF
REDF provides funding and business assistance to a portfolio of nonprofit enterprises that employ very low-income individuals who have experienced incarceration, mental illness and/or homelessness. Njambi divided her time between projects for REDF and the Coalition for Responsible Community Development (CRCD). For REDF, she conducted a vertical scan of the manufacturing industry and analyzed promising subsectors to identify social enterprise opportunities. For CRCD, Njambi researched potential new lines of business, and for the most promising ideas, she prepared feasibility analyses, financial models and start-up plans. Learn more about REDFand CRCD or view previous placements with REDF. (Summer 2012)
Marcus Haymon (MIT Sloan)
REDF
REDF provides funding and business assistance to a portfolio of nonprofit enterprises that employ very low-income individuals who have experienced incarceration, mental illness and/or homelessness. Marcus developed a set of policy recommendations for California’s Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color on ways to use social enterprise to increase wealth and employment opportunities for this population. He also worked on a feasibility analysis for a foreclosure rehab and maintenance social enterprise. Finally, Marcus developed engagement strategies for several REDF partnerships. Learn more about REDF or view previous placements with REDF. (Summer 2012)
Whitney Hewitt (Fuqua)
Community Housing Partnership
(REDF Portfolio social enterprise)
Community Housing Partnership (CHP) is a nonprofit community development corporation that has provided housing, social services and economic opportunities to formerly homeless persons since 1990. Whitney worked with CHP on a market expansion plan for their property management social enterprise. Learn more about Community Housing Partnership and REDF or view previous placements with Community Housing Partnership. (Summer 2009)
Erin Koehler (Haas)
REDF
REDF provides funding and business assistance to a portfolio of nonprofit enterprises that employ very low-income individuals who have experienced incarceration, mental illness and/or homelessness. Erin executed a regional industry scan to identify emerging economic and labor trends in REDF’s focus areas within California. She also worked with the Community Resource Center (CRC) to develop venture criteria and evaluate business ideas for CRC’s new social enterprise. Learn more about REDF and CRC or view previous placements with REDF. (Summer 2012)
Cammie Lee (Stanford)
The Center for Employment Opportunities
(REDF Portfolio social enterprise)
The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides immediate, effective and comprehensive employment services to men and women with recent criminal convictions. Cammie developed an expansion plan for CEO, to inform its launch into a third California site in early 2013. The plan included an analysis of the market opportunity and the labor market as well as beyond-market factors. She also developed a marketing strategy for CEO’s transitional job work crews in Alameda County, including segmenting the market, deciding the appropriate targets, and crafting CEO’s positioning. Learn more about The Center for Employment Opportunities and and REDF. (Summer 2012)
Kelsey Miller (Harvard)
Taller San Jose
(REDF Portfolio social enterprise)
Taller San Jose walks marginalized youth out of poverty through job training and support services that offer the hope of a productive and self-reliant future. Kelsey’s work focused on Taller San Jose’s for-profit subsidiary, Hope Builders, a small construction company. Kelsey helped develop performance dashboards for Hope Builders and Taller San Jose stakeholders to enable more effective tracking and reporting. She also revamped marketing materials based on interviews with current and potential customers. Finally, Kelsey analyzed potential new revenue streams and service lines for Hope Builders, and developed a growth plan. Learn more about Taller San Jose and REDF. (Summer 2012)
Greg Payne (Fuqua)
REDF
REDF provides funding and business assistance to a portfolio of nonprofit enterprises that employ very low-income individuals who have experienced incarceration, mental illness and/or homelessness. Greg researched the home healthcare industry to identify opportunities for new social enterprises. He analyzed relevant industry trends, including implementation of the Affordable Care Act, to understand where growth opportunities may exist, and assessed the operational, financial, and social aspects of the most promising business ideas. Learn more about REDF or view previous placements with REDF. (Summer 2012)
Calvin Tam (Kellogg)
San Francisco Conservation Corps
(REDF Portfolio social enterprise)
The San Francisco Conservation Corps (SFCC) provides job and academic training to young people ages 18-26. Corpsmembers develop their job skills through employment in social enterprises that offer recycling, playground construction and trail maintenance services. Calvin worked with SFCC on creating an agency-wide performance dashboard and implementing double-bottom-line accounting. Learn more about San Francisco Conservation Corps and REDF, or view previous placements with San Francisco Conservation Corps. (Summer 2010)
Frances Weld (Stanford)
St. Vincent de Paul
(REDF Portfolio social enterprise)
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County (SVdP) serves more than 100,000 homeless and low-income people a year, offering assistance such as food, clothing, access to health care, educational classes and job training. Fran worked with SVdP on developing a real estate strategy for the organization’s properties, focusing on options that would create social enterprise jobs. Learn more about St. Vincent de Paul and REDF, or view previous placements with St. Vincent de Paul. (Summer 2010)