Data offers educators an unprecedented ability to tailor interventions to a student’s needs and adapt the learning experience to improve student success. The education system has yet to meet its full potential in harnessing new technology and data-driven approaches that can transform how skills are developed and students are prepared for the future.
Public education is widely recognized as a powerful intervention point for addressing many systemic social challenges. We in Monitor Institute by Deloitte work with our clients to help reinvent what is thought of today as public education. We’ve worked on over 40 social impact projects in the education space, many in collaboration with leading colleges and universities, foundations, nonprofits, and government entities. In our work, we seek to:
The issue
United Negro College Fund (UNCF) has a proud history with close to 70 years of raising funds for historically black colleges and 40 years of redefining the African-American education narrative through the “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste” campaign. In spite of a well-known brand and a broad community of donors, the organization faced a number of challenges. Its funders were migrating away from higher education. Many stakeholders were at odds with each other. And the organization was struggling to maintain relevance in the face of a dynamic education reform movement.
Our impact
Deloitte helped UNCF address these challenges through an integrated combination of strategic advice, executive coaching, and change management. We created a strategic change roadmap, aligned the organization around the strategy, and focused its fundraising model on new strategic objectives. UNCF now has defined a “North Star” goal of dramatically increasing the number of African-American college graduates across America, and that clarity has enabled it to focus its efforts, increase and quantify its impact, and build more robust marketing and advocacy capabilities. Most importantly, it is confronting its tough internal questions with greater openness and rigor than ever before. As a result, the organization is now positioned to honor its legacy, accelerate its impact, and sustain itself far into the future.