Haslehurst: Our project was pretty broad around
developing a recommendation as opposed to delivering a specific result. As part of the work we
did, we identified that this one program isn’t the be-all and end-all for reaching millennials and I think
we helped them think through what they should be
focused on as they moved forward.
Consulting: Can you tell me a little bit about the size
and scope of the project in terms of resources?
Haslehurst: The core work was done over about a
six-week period with what we would consider as a
standard case team. We plugged in and treated the
Boch center as if it were a paying client, as we do
with all our Pro Bono. It’s a reasonably substantial
investment when you measure billable hours, etc. The
clients, of course, appreciate that they are getting top-tiered service. And we also do that for or employees;
these Pro Bono projects are important and we need
to approach them as we would any other project.
Overall, a project like this is a several-hundred-thousand dollar investment by the firm.
Consulting: What were the takeaways from the project?
Haslehurst: There were a few key takeaways for them,
I think. One was the understanding of the breakdown
of the people and their nonprofit mission and how
that could be improved with just some best practices
and enhanced communication tools and technologies.
For instance, educating the audience about the
nonprofit status and the difference between just buying
a ticket to a show as compared to supporting the
center in other ways. The other realization for them,
I think, was how narrow a scope they were looking
at by focusing on just millennials. In reality, the
market they were going after was intergenerational;
it was much bigger than just millennials. I think
how they ended up thinking about the group was also
eye opening for them.
Consulting: What capabilities do you think L.E.K.
brought to the table and why do you think it was
such a good fit for the Boch Center?
Haslehurst: I think it’s a combination of both the
underlying capabilities to bring together the voice of
the consumer, data from various research and reports,
as well as just having a third party come and take a
look at the problem from a big-picture perspective
was very helpful to them. We also have a very strong
Media and Entertainment practice, which I’m a part
of, and I think that was very beneficial to them. We
think a lot about this space, audiences, live events,
entertainment, communication etc. Plus, we’ve also
done a lot of work in the non-profit space so we get
them and have a good understanding of nonprofits and
fundraising and all the challenges that go along with
that. So, to be able to bring all that together with our
team of talented individuals was one of the biggest
reasons it was ultimately successful.
Consulting: How do you go about staffing up one of
these projects? Is it strictly capabilities based or does
it depend on someone’s passion about the project?
Haslehurst: We treat it as any of our other projects
in that we’re not going to pull people off another
project for a Pro Bono project but at the same time, if
we have a few weeks to pull together the right team—
as we did with this one—than we definitely assemble
the team with both capabilities and passion in mind.
Doing a Pro Bono project is a little different than
working on a paying client so we’re also mindful
of that. Some folks view these projects as fun and
rewarding work, which it is, of course.
Consulting: Why is this type of work so important?
Haslehurst: We think it’s important that the best
practices that e develop for the private sector also
make their way into the nonprofit sector, as well.
In that sense, we act as a liaison between the two
sectors and that’s important. Also, L.E.K. is very
serious about giving back and making an impact in
the communities where we work and we see this type
of project—the opportunity to work with a nonprofit
in the Arts community—as an example of how the
firm lives out those values we all believe in. And we
were happy to be able to bring that to our team.
