Strategy & positioning
Who you actually serve, what you stand for, and which of the twelve things you do should become three.
Read the case study
For nonprofits & social enterprises
You create impact. We help you scale it.
We partner with nonprofits and social enterprises to turn ambitious ideas into meaningful action. Our pro bono consulting helps them grow, strengthen their organisations and amplify their impact.
What we work on
What you can hand us
Anything a small consulting team can move in eight to ten weeks. Not sure your question fits? Ask us. Scoping it is part of what we do.
Funding & fundraising
A funding mix that isn't one grant away from collapse. Donor segments, case for support, pipeline.
Read the case studyOperations & processes
The volunteer onboarding nobody documented, the reporting that eats two days a month, the tooling.
Read the case studyImpact & reporting
Measuring what you change, not just what you count. And a report a funder actually reads to the end.
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Who we work with
Projects that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals
We work with nonprofits and social enterprises. As a rule, a project has to contribute to at least one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, for example quality education, reduced inequalities or climate action.
Not sure whether yours does? We look at it together in our first conversation.
The 17 goals on the UN website
From our research
Pole Position for Impact
What makes social organisations resilient and ready to scale? Our study of 21 organisations identifies the few levers with the biggest effect, from volunteer recognition to lean impact measurement.
21Social organisations surveyed
5Operating dimensions analysed
24%Collect no systematic impact data
33%Get over 80% of their budget from one source
The process
How a project runs
Five steps, no surprises. You always know who is doing what, and when you'll see it.
01
A first conversation
You describe the problem in your own words. We tell you honestly whether it's something a student team can move, or whether you need something else, and look together at which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals your project contributes to.
02
Scoping
Together we write down the question, the deliverable and the boundaries. Nothing starts until you've read it and agreed that this is the thing worth solving.
03
The team starts
Four to six consultants, one project lead, weekly check-ins with you. Interviews, data and desk research, plus a first hypothesis you get to argue with early.
04
Midterm
Half-time review. Direction confirmed or corrected. This is deliberately early enough that changing course is cheap.
05
Handover
Final presentation plus everything underneath it: the model, the documents, the sources. You keep all of it. We check in once more, a few months later.
Client testimonials
What our clients say about us
The team was super professional at all times. They asked questions when necessary and adapted quickly to the company's requirements.
Arved LüthCEO of :response
Great collaboration on all levels. Friendly team, flawless communication, and deliverables that exceeded our expectations.
Peter SchweigererCEO of BCFF
If you're an NGO looking for business advice, you should hire them. An absolute pleasure to work with. 10/10!
Elizabeth EisenhowerHead of Finance at BCAT
Working together
What we ask of you
A project only works if both sides show up. This is what we need from your side.
- ✓One person who answers. Someone on your side who can give context, open doors internally and make a decision.
- ✓An hour a week. A standing check-in. Projects fail on silence, not on difficulty.
- ✓Real numbers. Whatever you have. Messy is fine, absent is hard.
- ✓Honesty when we're wrong. We would much rather be corrected in week three than thanked politely in week ten.
Who we are
Who is actually doing the work
180 Degrees Consulting is the world's largest student-run consultancy, and 180DC Frankfurt is one of its branches. We work with the methods of the firms that support us, for organisations that could never pay for them.
Students, supervised
Every project has a lead who has run one before, and a quality review before anything reaches you.
Part of 180DC
Frameworks, training and peer review from a global network of branches working the same way.
Why free works
Our members are paid in experience. That's not a slogan. It's the model, and it's why the work has to be good.
>40Active members
>30,000Consulting hours since 2015
>105Successful projects
>75Served clients
FAQ
Questions we get asked
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no fee and no expenses invoice. Our members are paid in experience and training, which is why we can work with organisations that have no consulting budget at all.
How small is too small?
If the question can be answered in an afternoon, a consulting team is the wrong tool and we'll say so. Below roughly four weeks of work, you're usually better served by one good volunteer.
What if the team gets it wrong?
That's what the midterm exists for. Direction is reviewed with you at week four or five, deliberately early enough that changing course costs little.
Who owns the results?
You do. Slides, models, documents and sources are handed over at the end and are yours to use however you like.
Does our project have to fit the SDGs?
Usually, yes. We take on projects that contribute to at least one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Most social organisations already do, and if you're unsure, we'll figure it out together in the first conversation.
Who to talk to
A person, not a contact form
Write to our client team with a few sentences about your organisation. Looking for someone specific? See all contacts.
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