• Download and complete the New Project Partner Form and email it to GradudateBusinessStudies@Rowan.edu for consideration. 
  • Refer to the next FAQ for help on defining a Social Impact Project (SIP). 
  • The form will help you articulate your project, and if you already have a brief summary written you can copy/paste it directly into the form. 
• Contacts who submit new project proposals that evidence strong potential will be contacted for a brief meeting (virtual or on campus) with the Fellowship Program Director and Lead Fellow Mentor for further exploration. 
• When a partner and project is accepted, we will refine the description, and add it to the Fellowship Project page.  
• Current Fellows are given priority for selecting new projects, and the list also helps us to recruit new ideal Fellows who may be drawn to featured project opportunities. 

• A great first step is to skim the upcoming, current, and recent projects on our Fellowship Project page.  
• Then, create a working draft that identifies the project broadly, the organization the Fellow would collaborate with on the initiative, the stakeholders or community that would benefit from the outcomes, the modality (on site, virtual, hybrid), and some matching broad areas of interest (e.g., economic justice, economic development, fundraising, community engagement, supporting underserved communities.) This draft should be no more than 300 words.  
• Incorporate this draft into the New Project Partner Form.  

RCB collaborates with a diverse range of organizations as partners, including not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, community action agencies, private equity funds, and LLCs operating through fiscal sponsorships. These collaborations span various sectors and initiatives, including health care, education, historic preservation, community economic development, sustainability, and philanthropy.  

A few of our key partners include: 

• Samaritan, a not-for-profit organization providing support to families in end-of-life care. 
• the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, focusing on business model innovation and entrepreneurial education. 
• a Historic Preservation Commission in a disadvantaged community in Gloucester County, NJ, aimed at historic preservation, community engagement, and economic development. The Commission collaborates with Rowan’s Center for Responsible Leadership and key stake holders from the community. 
• Gateway Community Action Partnership (CAP), the designated community action agency for Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland counties, working on neighborhood revitalization planning. 
• Tix For Good, an NJ-based LLC operating through a fiscal sponsorship with Players Philanthropy Fund, to amplify fundraising opportunities for nonprofit organizations. 
• Rowan Innovation Venture Fund (RIVF), a $25 million private equity fund supporting entrepreneurs and technology commercialization in Southern New Jersey. 

Yes! We encourage Fellows to use all the resources available to them, including the extensive library and other intellectual resources that come with being a matriculated student at Rowan University. Fellows are expected to utilize these excellent and extensive research bases to produce the highest quality outcomes for our project partners. 

For just a few examples, Fellows might use the vast library resources to: 

• perform due diligence and research, creating a report and analysis with some suggested actionable items for you, with feedback loops along the way from both you and your founder; 
• conduct market research, benchmarking, and intelligence gathering to better understand trends and best practices in philanthropic giving that might help to refine or expand current organizational offerings; and 
• research competitors/alternates, best practices in philanthropy, due diligence and research, creating a report and analysis with some suggested actionable items. 

Each Fellow is an MBA and/or MSF student at Rowan University. At the time of starting a project, Fellows may be earlier or at the end of their academic study journey (e.g., their first semester of graduate business studies through their last).  

Graduate business students who seek MBA and MSF degrees vary widely in their business backgrounds and levels of professional experience. Some Fellows may have a wide range of business experience across industries before seeking a graduate business degree. Others may have limited life experience but a strong academic business background. Fellows may come from an area of expertise unrelated to business that is poised to make a significant impact when paired with business expertise.  

RCB works with partners and Fellows to find the best fit, depending on the specific project plan, goals, scope, timing, milestones, and deliverables. 

• First, the partner, Fellow, and Lead Fellow Mentor will work together to create a Project Charter, that is, a plan for the project. 
  • Rowan will provide a template for the Project Charter to the Fellow, which includes key points to capture the project’s plan, goals, scope, timing, milestones, and deliverables. 
  • Fellows will own the customization and maintenance of the Project Charter, with periodic feedback from the project supervisor from the partner organization for refinement.  
  • Project partners will provide direction and feedback on Project Charter plan, scope, milestones, challenges, resources, accomplishments, etc. 

• As the project progresses, partner and Fellow will have a minimum of two (2) 45-minute meetings per month, with flexibility based on project needs. These meetings are intended to facilitate the success of the partnership between the partner, Fellows and the MBA and MSF Fellowship Committee. 
  • Partner will give direction and feedback on project plan, scope, timing, milestones, challenges, roadblocks, resources, accomplishments. 
  • Fellows will provide agenda items to the partner to discuss ahead of meetings, and the partner can add to the agenda as needed to discuss. 

• Depending on the specific project requirements, Fellowship work will likely be conducted remotely or on the Glassboro campus, where Fellows can utilize the Rowan library and other resources, or, if is vital to the success of the project, Fellows will work on-site at the partner organization’s premises. It is feasible that Fellows might attend off-site meetings or events, such as conferences or fundraisers. 

We advise that project partners plan to have several meetings with the Lead Fellow Mentor from Rowan throughout a given semester to ensure the success of the partnership between the partner, Fellows, and the MBA and MSF Fellowship Committee.  

For example: 

• Pre-project kickoff: one 30–60-minute meeting 
• Status updates: periodic 30-minute meetings for progress updates (to be determined between partner and Lead Fellow Mentor). 
• Post-project debrief: one 30–60-minute meeting with Rowan Lead Fellow Mentor for project evaluation. 
• With Fellow(s) assigned to projects: a minimum of two (2) 45-minute meetings per month, with flexibility based on project needs. 

• Project partners should plan to complete a Mid-Project Survey and an End-of-Project Survey; each survey will take approximately 10–30 minutes to complete, depending on how much depth of content you are willing to provide. 
• Project partners will provide direction and feedback on Project Charter, scope, milestones, challenges, resources, accomplishments, etc. 
• Ongoing feedback: in addition to the Mid-Project and End-of-Project surveys, partners are expected to proactively share any concerns regarding a Fellow’s work, ideally first with the Fellow themselves but also with the Fellowship Committee in a timely manner. Positive feedback is encouraged, welcomed, and valued as well! 

Fellows receive comprehensive support, including academic mentoring, access to university resources, and regular check-ins with the Lead Fellow Mentor. This support ensures they have the guidance and tools necessary to successfully navigate and complete their projects.