Project Management Day of Service (PMDoS) 2016 

On January 18, 2016, Martin Luther King Day, a national day of service, 300 project management volunteers and subject matter experts in strategy, technology, human resources, marketing, and finance came together to support 150 leaders from nonprofit organizations at the University of Maryland’s Adele Stamp Student Union for the second annual Project Management Day of Service (PMDoS™).  PMDoS, a Project Management for Change signature event, is a community outreach event of unprecedented scale enabling pro bono Project Management services for nonprofits and social change organizations.

The participants were graciously welcomed by University of Maryland professor, Dr. Qingbin Cui.  The keynote speaker, Mr. William Hills, EVM and CIO at Navy Federal Credit Union spoke enthusiastically on the subject of mission-based nonprofit service. Navy Federal Credit Union was the winner of the Project Management Institute International PMO of the year.

Maria Contreras-Sweet, the 24th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and a member of President Obama’s cabinet, closed the event with a stirring presentation on the impact of making a difference to support our local community and reminding us all that these nonprofits are first and foremost small businesses. 

It was an action-packed day-long session that connected seasoned project managers and subject matter experts with community nonprofit organizations whose missions are to help families, children, the arts, career development, military, veterans, and those providing legal aid.  Each of the nonprofit organizations received nearly $2,000 in consulting services at no fee.

During these high impact consultation sessions, a team of 3-4 project management subject matter experts met with representatives of the participating nonprofits to review prepared “problem statements.” They identified potential roadblocks, developed clearly defined scope statements and created actionable, customized project plans that will serve as blueprints for business sustainability.

Here is what some of the nonprofit organizations that participated in PMDoS had to say:

“We have all heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. I didn’t know I would find my own village here in this room today. When we sat down with our project managers and pro bono consultants, we found out we have many more challenges to overcome than we thought. My ‘village’ helped us to get focused. When I came in here I was looking down. Now, leaving this room, I will be looking up! I must thank my new village.  Thank you."

"I had no idea what to expect when I came in today. I had no idea I would get four consultants to help me.  Now, we have a timeline and plan. We didn't expect to have so much fun.  We have such a feeling now of connection and gratitude."

"Our team today help recognize some organizational issues as we change.  We are appreciative of the skeleton plan and we know we have more to do.  But we have the ideas on paper, prioritized and with deadlines."

“We appreciate what you do here today.  This represents America and what makes it great.  Nonprofits and project mangers can step up to help us.  Thank you for providing that support.  Only when those of us that lead these organizations can get pro bono services, can we do our jobs."

Max Skolnik, Taproot Foundation’s Executive Director in DC had this to say, “I was beyond thrilled with this year's event! It was inspiring to witness project managers and nonprofit leaders work together to crack open organizational problems and map out real road maps. The MLK Day of Service was a profound reminder of the power of pro bono service to solve infrastructural challenges." 

The PMDoS 2016 event was planned and implemented by a project management office (PMO) of 65 volunteers.  Over a six month period leading up to the event, these PMO volunteers used their unique project management skills and expertise in the areas of HR, business development, marketing, program & project management, IT, web, graphics, training development, and technical writing to organize and launch the entire event -- getting the volunteers registered, trained and organized, sending out newsletters, and updating the website, soliciting sponsors and donations, contracting for the event venue, working with Taproot, coordinating with the five local PMI chapters, talking to the media, and setting up, launching and running the BIG DAY!

“By making the Project Management Day of Service a reality, we are creating a model that will help generate demand for similar outreach events around the world, and redefine project management as the ‘intentional’ profession,” said Laura Barnard, CEO and Co-founder of Project Management for Change.

Numerous sponsors supported PMDoS 2016 in many wonderful and notable ways, from donations, to raffle prizes to services. Sponsors include Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Microsoft, CharityEngine, Constellation and Morgan Franklin, as well as many other small businesses in the DC area. For many of these small businesses, this was a unique opportunity to reach such a large target market at this event through in-kind services and support. “We’re supporting the local community through this pro bono consulting work while growing the local economy by giving small businesses a chance to engage in a big way with their target market,” said Ms. Barnard in her conversation with Ms. Contreras-Sweet after hearing the nonprofits talk about the huge impact this day was having on their organizations.

ABOUT PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR CHANGE

Project Management for Change is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to raise the profile of the Project Management profession by creating positive impact in our community.

Project Management for Change recruits volunteer project managers to donate their time and attention to serve those who help others. Our signature event, PMDoS, is an extremely high impact and meaningful way for project managers to give back to the community using their hard-earned project management skills. 

Join us in changing the world, one project at a time!

For more information, visit PM4Change, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.