The Real-World Impact of the MBA Social Enterprise Consulting Practicum: Stephen鈥檚 Rise and Grind
We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Margaret Gossner, wife of our own VSB Graduate Alumni Association Board President, Mike Gossner. Margaret started her own nonprofit 鈥� Stephen鈥檚 Rise and Grind 鈥� in honor of her late brother, Stephen. Stephen鈥檚 Rise and Grind provides financial assistance to individuals who suffer from mental illness, enabling them to access the best available mental health services.
Stephen鈥檚 Rise and Grind recently partnered with a VSB MBA student group in the Social Enterprise Consulting Practicum. During the Practicum, students can apply all that they鈥檝e learned by advising a social enterprise, social business or nonprofit organization in the Philadelphia area. As students partner with the selected organization to identify challenge areas 鈥� anything from branding to membership retention 鈥� and present findings and recommendations directly to the organization, they gain real-world experience from a social enterprise perspective. For more information on the Social Enterprise Consulting Practicum, please click here.
To learn more about Stephen鈥檚 Rise and Grind, and to learn more about their upcoming events and fundraisers, please go to their website at , or follow them on social media @stephensriseandgrind.
Anne: I know that Stephen was your younger brother who sadly lost his battle with depression. But can you please tell me what led you on the path to setting up a nonprofit in his honor?
Margaret: After Stephen passed away, I just felt this compulsion to help other families. My little brother was always first in line to help others. After researching, I found there are limited resources available to those unable to afford quality mental health services. My dad was a great help 鈥s a retired tax accountant鈥e was able to provide great advice through the whole process.
Anne: Can you please tell us how you named 鈥淪tephen鈥檚 Rise and Grind鈥�?
Margaret: Stephen was a very good athlete 鈥� football, wrestling 鈥� so he was very much in to physical fitness. He used #risengrind for his Instagram account 鈥� because he would get up in the morning and do a workout routine and encourage others to do the same. So it was just a natural fit to tie the name into Stephen鈥檚 own life; the name truly embodies who Stephen was.
Anne: For those who might be interested in setting up their own nonprofit, can you please tell us what were the biggest challenges you faced in setting up a nonprofit organization?
Margaret: Well, I鈥檓 a teacher鈥hat was challenge no. 1: I didn鈥檛 have the business background to help me in the process. Fortunately, I did have my dad and my husband. There really isn鈥檛 a book on this鈥� And working full-time and having four kids, well, the time commitment was quite a challenge as well! Other challenges I faced were all the details associated with getting registered as a nonprofit, along with the issues of finding qualified board members, gaining sponsors, and of course, donors! Being recognized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI] has helped.
Anne: I鈥檓 sure you must鈥檝e been thrilled when you were able to connect with the MBA Social Enterprise Practicum and get some much-needed assistance. Can you please let us know how you were able to make that connection and what were they able to help you accomplish?
Margaret: About a year ago, my husband made a LinkedIn connection with an MBA student who posted that they were looking for a non-profit to engage with in the Social Enterprise program. One thing led to another, and our organization was able to connect with the student group who developed a strategic white paper and presented ideas and solutions to help move our nonprofit forward. It was a win-win. The student group was also kind enough to volunteer at our biggest fundraiser last year. It took place in early October during Mental Health Awareness Week. They were on site to sell raffle tickets and encourage participation in the silent auction.
Anne: You shared with me the fact that in the two short years that Stephen鈥檚 Rise and Grind has existed, you鈥檝e helped at least 23 people get the help that they needed. That鈥檚 a great accomplishment! Can you please share the story of one of those individuals that you were able to help?
Margaret: Sure, I鈥檇 be happy to! There was one young woman in her 20鈥檚 who was suffering from severe anxiety, lost her insurance, and her parents were struggling with substance abuse. She had no stable financial support to continue with the counseling she needed. Stephen鈥檚 Rise and Grind was able to provide the necessary funding for continued therapy.
Anne: Can you please share with us your plans for growth?
Margaret: We want to continue to help as many people as we can! One short-term goal is to create awareness of the important connection between physical health and mental health. We would like to partner with local gyms to help promote this connection. We also want to be a resource where individuals can contact us for information on how to access mental health services. Making connections with corporate sponsors will be an important step towards assisting our growth. We are a young organization, just 2 years old, and I feel we鈥檝e accomplished so much in the short time we鈥檝e existed. But we鈥檝e recently had an increase in demand for access 鈥� corporate sponsorship would be an enormous help.
Anne: Thanks again for your time! And I join my fellow colleagues in the VSB Graduate Alumni Association in wishing only great things for Stephen鈥檚 Rise and Grind as your organization continues to gain recognition and grow.