An MSU organization is aiming to help the community by providing free advice to local nonprofit organizations.

Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations, or SCNO, is a national organization that focuses on helping local communities through pro-bono consulting.

The MSU chapter, established before fall 2003, gives students a chance to apply what they've learned in class to real-life situations, SCNO Corporate Relations Director Chris Wallbank said.

"We're willing to take on anything business related that we can learn from," the supply chain management senior said. "It's more of a job than just being in an organization and going through the motions."

Wallbank said the group tackles problems ranging from marketing to fundraising to creating databases so organizations can more easily sort their data.

The group is currently communicating with local nonprofit organizations to decide which projects to pursue in the fall.

President and finance senior Ryan Sullivan said SCNO will take on 10 clients this semester, more than it ever has before. But Sullivan said the group isn't expanding for the sake of quantity.

He said the student group is always looking for new projects to challenge the students as well as help them learn new skills that will allow them to be more competitive in the workplace after graduation.

"We have a risk-management project in the fall, which is something we've never done before," Sullivan said.

"We don't do projects where you're just going to be doing remedial work."

A risk-management project involves working with a client's business plan to make sure it's up to legal standards and assess various liabilities.

Volunteers of America, American Red Cross and Junior League are some of the local organizations SCNO helped last year, but the group helps its members as much as it helps the nonprofit organizations, said finance senior and SCNO Vice President of Operations Mike Vichich.

Vichich helped Volunteers of America develop a database so they could more efficiently handle their complaint system, and said the time spent on the project was rewarding in more than one way.

"SCNO has been the most beneficial for me to find what I want to do with my life," he said. "But the intrinsic value I gained from the Volunteers of America project was awesome.

"It made me feel good knowing that I'm able to help those guys, too."

Amy Uecker, former president of the Junior League of Lansing, worked with the MSU chapter of SCNO to develop an effective marketing and recruiting plan for the Junior League.

A Junior League member knew of SCNO and recommended the nonprofit organization put in an application for its services, which are great for nonprofits because many don't have the money for professional research, Uecker said.

"It's great to get students to get involved in real-life situations," she said, adding that the college student perspective of SCNO helped her see things that were often overlooked.

"It helps you step out of your box."

Students apply to be members of SCNO, but the group isn't limited to business majors, Vichich said.

He said it has history and economics majors as members, and experience isn't a determining factor in whether applicants are accepted.

"We don't expect freshmen or sophomores to have that experience," he said. "The goal of SCNO is to give them that experience."

MSU's chapter is one of only three in the nation.

The other two chapters are at the University of Arizona and Penn State University, and SCNO is still trying to grow nationally, Sullivan said.

"One of our biggest challenges is getting the word out," he said.

For more information on joining SCNO or applying for consulting, visit scno.org/msu.