The Application
If you are a nonprofit organization or small business in the Los Angeles area, we strongly urge you to apply to be a LACI client.
The client application is due January 4, 2013.
Please click here to download the client application.
Important Dates/Semester Outlook
The following is a rough timeline of events that occur throughout the semester:
- January 4 – Applications Due
- January 11-18 – Selected Clients Interview
- Week of January 28 – February 1 – Inaugural Event & Beginning of LACI Projects
- Late April – Projects Completed, LACI Showcase
What to Expect from Us
A LACI team of 4-5 committed, capable, USC Students: As LACI has grown, so has student interest in the organization. Because of this, LACI has the luxury of selecting only the best and brightest students to be LACI Consultants.
In addition to academic excellence, LACI seeks students with the drive and determination to truly make a difference in the community. This ensures that your LACI team will remain committed to your cause throughout the semester and that our organization will remain committed to supporting you into the future.
Lastly, LACI teams are built with individual strengths in mind. This means that each team will contain a balance of experience levels as well as skill sets.
What we Expect from You
Ongoing communication: Throughout the semester, it will be necessary for clients to stay in touch with LACI consultants. Typically this involves communication via email as well as weekly or bi-weekly in-person meetings. Many clients also invite LACI consultants to visit their place of business in order to get a clearer idea picture of the operation.
Trust: For a LACI team to be most effective, clients must not be afraid to share information that may be relevant to the team’s decision-making process. This may include financials or information about operations. At the same time, clients can also be confident that anything they share with their LACI team will be in safe hands. LACI takes issues of privacy very seriously and always operates with the best interest of our clients in mind.
The Deliverable
A team’s work over the course of the semester culminates in a detailed deliverable presented to the client at the LACI Showcase. The purpose of the deliverable is to outline a team’s findings, present the team’s recommendations, and serve as a document to aid the client in moving forward.
The deliverable acts as a physical takeaway for the client and typically takes the form of a business plan, marketing plan, or strategic action plan. However, throughout the semester, LACI teams work closely with clients to ultimately determine what kind of deliverable will be most beneficial.