April 2012
Dear Friends, Partners and Supporters of Ivey Connects,
We are pleased to share with you our Annual Report for the 2011/2012 academic year. This document will provide you with a full update on all of the Ivey Connects initiatives from the past year. It includes information about our
HBA1 IMPACT programs, our blood donor clinics, our annual community events and our rapidly growing internship program. You can find everything you need to know about Ivey Connects and the people who make it all possible right here.
This has been a year of excitement and change for Ivey Connects, as we strove to rebrand ourselves and expand the reach and impact of our program. Our new logo, seen on the cover, marks the first step towards our goal of modernizing our brand to reflect the passion and attitude of Ivey students. We also added new events such as our
Fashion Show and Celebratory Formal to show students that Ivey Connects is a fun and exciting part of every student’s Ivey experience. Most importantly, we continued to build the credibility of our program by expanding our internship program to the Greater Toronto Area. The overwhelming amount of student applicants for the internships is a testament to our board’s success in fostering student engagement in the not-for-profit world.
Thanks to the generous support of RBC, London Life and Accenture, our year has once again been marked by record student involvement and fundraising. We cannot begin to express our gratitude for the support we have received this year from students, Ivey faculty & staff, partner organizations, and the local community. Together, we are providing Ivey students with meaningful ways to contribute to their community, and are inspiring them to continue to do so for the rest of their careers.
At this point we are happy to announce that David Stewart will be returning as External Director and that Chris
Janssen will fill the role of Internal Director. Having a returning Director will provide a unique opportunity for the board to continue the rebranding efforts, along with the expansion of the internships program. David and Chris will be leading the organization for 2012/2013, and will provide the foundation for another exceptional year.
We hope you enjoy learning more about Ivey Connects and what the organization has to offer. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or are looking for ways to get more involved!
Sincerely,
David Stewart & Tanya Moryoussef
Ivey Connects Directors 2011/2012 iveyconnects@ivey.ca

April 2012
Congratulations to Ivey Connects for another successful year of community service and for reminding us, as Dorothy Height said, that giving back to community is an important part of our development.
The value you add to the London community not only fulfills the Ivey Connects mission of inspiring students to contribute to society, but also helps to shape the type of leaders Ivey strives to develop – leaders who set a worthy example and who make the world better. In addition, you help to open students’ eyes to new career paths and to the benefits of giving back to the community.
When you encourage each other to give back, whether through providing pro-bono business consulting to non-profits, participating in community clean-ups or mentoring young children, not only do you help many worthy organizations, but you are changed yourselves. It is one of the greatest gifts you can give.
Some of the most satisfying moments of my career have been in the realm of community service and I hope that by opening your minds and hearts to the needs of others, you, too, will look back fondly on a wealth of cherishable experiences.
Sincerely,
Carol Stephenson, O.C.
Dean, Richard Ivey School of Business

April 2012
HBA students never fail to amaze me! When I talk about an ideal HBA student, I use words like smart, interesting, and diverse with emphasis on interesting. What makes an HBA student interesting? It’s most often their love of community and their willingness to give of their time and talent despite being at one of our country’s most competitive and challenging Business schools. Ivey Connects is a perfect outlet for our students and I’m so proud of the work that this group does.
Ivey’s mission -
is posted throughout our buildings as a constant reminder of our expectations of and our hope for our students. The activities of Ivey Connects, in and outside of our buildings, are an even better reminder!
My heartfelt thanks to the leadership team of Ivey Connects and to all of our students who contributed to our community. I know the example that you’ve set will be remembered and followed.
Mary Heisz
HBA Faculty Director

April 2012
I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the members of the executive board of Ivey Connects and the HBA students for their commitment and passion to this organization. 2012 has been a remarkable year for Ivey Connects.
The program has continued to grow in delivering and strengthening its core services and programs offered to the community. Moreover, Ivey Connects has helped provide HBA students with the opportunities to live out Ivey’s core value of giving back to the society in which the students operate. For example, by partnering with Accenture and local charities, students were able to use their management education to help identify areas for improvement within a variety of charities and to offer viable solutions and implementation plans.
Our IMPACT Partnerships continue to grow with more charities uniting with Ivey Connects. This year’s
Children’s Holiday Party, in partnership with Children’s Aid Society of London, was well attended with over 70 children and their parents alongside over 100 HBA volunteers enjoying a day of holiday fun.
I am also happy to report that this year Ivey Connects sought to expand its internship program outside the London area to allow more students an opportunity to pursue work in the not-for-profit field. This initiative is the result of the tremendous work of our committed executive. The successful implementation of the first annual Tradeshow in conjunction with Junior Achievement is also a testament to the dedication and passion of our student body.
Finally, this year marked the first Ivey Connects Celebration Formal thanks to the generous support of RBC. The evening was a wonderful way to acknowledge the efforts of the students.
Thank you for a wonderful year,
Jana Seijts
Ivey Connects Faculty Advisor

Fall Semester 2011
Orientation Week Ivey Connects Day
In the inaugural Ivey Connects event, second year student leaders once again lead the HBA1 students in a 500 person game of
Capture the Flag to raise enthusiasm for their IMPACT Charities. Executive Directors of the charity partners came to speak to each section and rally the teams, marking the start of the IMPACT Challenge.
Community Consulting Projects
HBA1 students formed consulting teams and spent ten weeks working to help solve a local non-profit organization’s business problem under the guidance of consulting professionals from Accenture.
Ivey and Canadian Blood Services
Ivey continued its ongoing commitment to the Canadian Blood Services, organizing and partaking in two blood drives that engaged both the Ivey and greater Western community. The events were again a huge success with all donor beds being filled and donation goals exceeded.
Children’s Aid Holiday Party
Ivey students were paired with a child from the Children’s Aid Society of London for the day to spread some holiday cheer.
Ivey faculty were engaged through a gift giving program in order to provide one gift for each child in attendance.

Spring Semester 2012
Ivey Connects Hockey party
Ivey students were again paired with a child from the Children’s Aid Society of London to enjoy a day of athletics, activity and fun, including a Western Mustangs hockey game.
Junior Achievement Volunteering
HBA2 students delivered the Junior Achievement Economics for Success and Dollars with Sense programs in elementary schools.
The students were able to leverage their business education to inspire young students to stay in school and make smart financial decisions.
Summer Internship Program
In partnership with London Life and RBC, Ivey students are posted at a not-for-profit organization for a 3-month working term at no cost to the organization! This year 6 students were selected to work at organizations in London and Toronto.
Ivey Goes Vogue
In partnership with the Ivey Professional Communications Club and HBA2 student leaders, Ivey students strutted down the runway to raise funds for the Ivey Connects IMPACT partners.
Ivey Connects Celebration Formal
A year of hard work was honoured at Museum London with a night of dance and fun. Awards were presented to students who contributed significantly to Ivey Connects’ efforts. The final amount of funds raised by each section was revealed and students celebrated throughout the night.
Our Year-Long Commitment
Community Impact Challenge
In its third year as a core Ivey Connects initiative, each of the seven sections adopted a not-for-profit organization in the community for the entire academic year and supported them through fundraising and volunteering.

As IMPACT Coordinator this year, I had the pleasure of working with the seven HBA1 Ivey Connects representatives. The IMPACT
Coordinator is a supportive role that helps brainstorm and promote events and works with the HBA1s to solve any issues that may arise. In addition, they are also a part of the Ivey Connects team, helping with events and initiatives. The IMPACT
Coordinator is responsible for being available for help and support during the IMPACT challenge, especially in helping the new
HBA1 Ivey Connects section representatives start their own unique relationships with their non-profits.
Some issues that came up that required support were brainstorming ideas to raise awareness, overcoming problems in events logistics (such as the participation of classmates) and how to handle all funds raised along the way. Working with Tanya and
David and the rest of the board, we were able to create solutions that improved certain aspects of the logistics behind the
IMPACT challenge, and inspired future participation with Ivey Connects among HBA students in following years.
The largest challenge in this role is coordinating communication with each representative given the busy schedules of HBA students. Each section did a great job of keeping their autonomy and running their projects independently, which makes the role of IMPACT coordinator very pleasant! For the incoming coordinator I would recommend setting more of a structure for the amount of reporting that is required, perhaps setting a date to check-in with each representative.
I’m very proud of the HBA1 representatives who ran successful events, raised funds and awareness for important causes, created a positive Ivey experience for themselves and the London community, and, most importantly, had fun while doing it.
Anne Wen, IMPACT Director

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This year, Section One’s charity was the Learning Disablities
Association. The charity seeks to help those suffering from various mental illnesses gain the confidence and skills to be active members in society.
The charity had a goal of raising money and awareness throughout the university, and to tackle those challenges we
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created three different activities. Firstly, we had ongoing charity parties, including barbeques and potlucks where we raised a
significant portion of the money and initial awareness. We had most of our professors and students attend, so it was easy to communicate the importance of the cause. Secondly, we created t-shirts to sell on Parents Day. This resulted in a tremendous amount of money raised as well as helping the parents understand the emphasis Ivey places on social causes. Parents who purchased shirts were informed about the purposes of the charity. Lastly, we had raffles and contests within the section and
Ivey, to create more exposure and raise some money. All of these events usually had a participation rate of over 80% by the class, and raised over $2000. The class also attended other Ivey Connects activities, adding to their overall Ivey HBA
Experience.

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This past year, Section 2 has been very successful in raising not only funds but also an amazing amount of awareness for the
Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario. From the initial Ivey
Connects Opening Ceremonies launch, the entire class was enthusiastic about the prospect of contributing to a good cause.
Some of the many events Section 2 participated in were a
Homecoming Fundraiser, Parent’s Day, Cottage Trip Auction, hockey pool, Wheelchair Relay hosted by the Canadian Paraplegic
Association, Valentine’s Day Date Auction as well as a highly popular Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.
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While many of the charity initiatives raised a significant amount of funds and brought the entire class closer as a community, the most impactful events were those that raised an incredible amount of awareness for those affected by life-changing injuries.
Namely, the Wheelchair Relay and the Wheelchair Basketball Tournament were two such events that really made the class appreciate the impact they were making within the London paraplegic community. Students were able to appreciate just how challenging it is to adapt to moving around in a wheelchair and the daily difficulties many individuals face.
Section 2 was also very grateful for all the corporate support and sponsorships that they have received from local companies.
Many of these sponsors helped make the year-end Wheelchair Basketball Tournament possible by giving prizes, donations and raffle gifts. These donors include TD Canada Bank at the University Gates, Moksha Yoga, the Wave and Spoke, the Purple Store,
Hospitality Services and the Ivey Trading Company.

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Section 3 ran extremely successful awareness and fundraising campaigns in coordination with Habitat for Humanity London.
Our most successful event happened on parent’s day. Here we spoke to the parents to raise awareness about the issues of poverty in the London community. For a small donation we had a photographer take professional pictures at the front entrance of
Ivey and mailed it directly to the donor, anywhere in Canada. The amount raised on parent’s day totaled over $1000. A few other events held were a bake sale, class barbeque, and a spare change collection titled ‘change for change’.
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Constant communication with both partners and classmates was key to a successful year. Classmates received a weekly email update on all charitable events and initiatives to open the line of communication. Many students provided feedback and actually spearheaded numerous events.
Section 3’s hard work and enthusiasm to make a difference, along with the overwhelming support from both students and professors, were the underlying reasons this partnership was such a success.

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This year, Section 4 did a phenomenal job in raising both funds and awareness for the Canadian Arthritis Society. As my class’s representative, I was pleased by the amount of support, encouragement and effort portrayed by every single individual in the section.
Our year started with an extremely successful IMPACT Launch where we generated numerous ideas and established an Ivey Connects Committee to organize charity-related events throughout the year. In first
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semester, our efforts included a Parent’s Day fundraiser, an Ivey-wide bake sale as well as various professor initiatives. In second semester,
we organized a Casino Night, French Night, Wear Blue Day as well as a Professor Party.
My involvement with Ivey Connects was a great experience on multiple dimensions. By enabling and spurring students to look beyond the classroom, the Ivey Connects program adds a unique and important perspective to business school education.
Throughout both semesters, I definitely learned a lot about the challenges surrounding fundraising. My advice to incoming representatives would be to involve professors as much as possible as it is a great way to raise both funds and awareness at a staff level. Overall I am pleased to have been a part of the Ivey Connects Board and I am proud to say my section’s efforts truly helped make a difference for the Canadian Arthritis Society!

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Section 5 had a successful year with Junior Achievement — breaking a fundraising record and implementing a new initiative.
In October, the charity committee put together a professor/student social that raised $600 for Junior Achievement. The social helped to raise awareness and professor participation for the charity. It
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set the precedent for the rest of professor/student charity initiatives. 
Another major milestone was the inaugural Ivey/Junior Achievement
District Trade Show. The tradeshow, formerly held at White Oaks
Mall as a selling event, gave Junior Achievement Company Program students an opportunity to showcase their products in a professional environment. Ivey professors and students were recruited as mock investors to evaluate the business plans and products of high school students in the surrounding area. The students gained valuable feedback from business professors, resulting in the first place team claiming a prize of $300.
The work of section 5 students was instrumental in charity initiatives implemented this year. The support of students for JA was strong and manifested in great results

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The Ivey Connects Impact Challenge is a great program to highlight the importance of balancing community involvement with other commitments. This year, section six was able to meet its fundraising targets for the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help grant a little girl named Berkley her dream of meeting Justin
Bieber. The section was comprised of many individuals that were keen to volunteer and help plan events. Having a classroom atmosphere that encouraged individuals to implement their ideas allowed for a wide variety of opportunities that kept interest levels in the class high.
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HBA1 presents many challenges for volunteering and fundraising events. Challenging course loads, exams, and recruiting all vie for the student’s attention. To try and avoid burnout of individuals in the class, events were chosen that would complement the time of year. At the beginning of the year, Berkley came and visited the class to share her story and help ignite passion. As recruiting season began, stress levels were high, so charity events such as a murder mystery dinner and yoga were offered.
Relationships with local business owners were built and helped to provide supplies and space. London has a great network of businesses working hard to give back to the community and it was a pleasure to work with them.

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Section 7’s first event of the year was Parent’s Day. We took pictures of parents with their HBA1 outside the Ivey building and collected donations. Parents were very enthusiastic about the idea, and the section succeeded in raising over $850 and passed on knowledge about the charity and Epilepsy to parents.
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In October, Section 7 had the biggest event of the year at a local country themed venue. Three professors came out to the event and two rode the mechanical bull in support of the charity at the end
 of the night. This event raised over $1,100 for the Epilepsy Support Centre.
March 26 th , is World Purple Day for Epilepsy. Section 7 organized “Ivey Goes Purple for Epilepsy”, which involved Ivey students wearing purple to raise awareness for the cause. All of section 7 wore purple and many other HBA1 sections and HBA2s joined the cause. This was the first year for this event at Ivey and will hopefully be able to continue and gain support for years to come.
The Epilepsy Support Centre and Rochelle, the contact for the organization, were outstanding to work with. They provided many ideas and opportunities to get involved within the community. Overall, Section 7 was very successful in raising money and awareness for the charity throughout the year.

As this year’s Events Director I was responsible for two annual Ivey Connects events that helped bring together the Ivey community and the Children’s Aid Society. This year was a successful one for Ivey Connects Events. The Children’s Aid Society
Holiday Party and the Children’s Aid Society Hockey Party were both run with increased participation over last year, from both volunteers and children.
Children left both the Holiday and Hockey parties exclaiming that they were definitely going to be coming back next year. This enthusiasm, along with the growth in participation by both children and volunteers, truly demonstrates how Ivey is making a lasting impression on the community. The board looks forward to continuing this relationship for years to come.
Ginna Ruttan, Events Director

The Holiday Party took place on November 19.
Children from the London area came to Ivey for an afternoon of making crafts, watching holiday movies, receiving balloon animals and finishing with a visit and gifts from Santa Clause. We had over 70 children attend, and around 100 volunteers came out to help make the event successful. This is the most volunteers that Ivey has ever seen at the
Holiday Party. Having more volunteers than children allowed for all children to have a one on one experience with their volunteers, while leaving other volunteers to run craft stations, help with sign-in and sign-out, as well as monitor corridors and help transition the children from one area to the next.
The party was held in the staff lounge, 2R21 and 2R23 instead of the Atrium. This space worked out well as it allowed the children to move around to different spaces (from crafts, to a balloonist, to a movie room), while still ensuring that they were all within a safe distance. This year, as mentioned, we decided to hire a balloonist for the kids. This was a huge hit with both the volunteers and the children. The Balloonist from “A Magic Clown Tree” engaged all of the children around her while she made intricate balloon animals, candy canes, snow men, and other holiday themed balloons for the kids. Because this day is about letting kids have fun in their own way, having a balloonist instead of a magic show worked well because kids could choose if or when they wanted to make a balloon animal thus allowing them to still have freedom over their day at Ivey. It also created less chaos than if the volunteers had to round up all of the children for a magic show. This is something highly recommended by volunteers and staff at the Children’s Aid Society to continue for next year’s Holiday Party.
The Holiday Party ran from 11-2, with volunteers arriving at 9am for set-up, and staying until 3 to clean up. As children arrived, they were partnered with an Ivey student to guide them throughout the day. The volunteers led the children around several activity centers including: snowflake craft, gingerbread decorating, garland limbo, play dough and craft decorating.
Completed artwork was hung between the posts in the atrium, and children enjoyed seeing their artwork displayed. Craft supplies were sourced from dollar stores and party stores. The gingerbread cookies and icing were purchased at a fantastic price from The Gingerbread House in Komoka, Ontario, and candy decorations from Bulk Barn with a 10% discount for charities. Professors once again donated gifts, allowing all members of the Ivey Community to be involved with this wonderful initiative.

The Hockey Party was a success with over 20 kids and 30 volunteers participating. The children enjoyed playing with skipping ropes, hula-hoops, soccer balls, making t-shirts and signs for the game, and playing on a
Mustang bouncing-castle. The day finished up with pizza, juice and watching a Mustang’s
Hockey game. There were plenty of volunteers to look after the children and play games with them.
The Hockey Party, this year, appealed to both the kids and the guardians. There were a few parents who after dropping off their kids to play with the volunteers, stayed to watch the hockey game. Having volunteers around to take care of the kids, allowed the guardians to enjoy watching the game while still being able to see the kids having fun. By appealing to both guardians and kids, events can have a bigger impact on the community. Inviting guardians to participate in events is something that should be continued in future events.

This year Ivey Connects again had a day dedicated to it during the HBA1 Orientation week. This was a strategic decision made in order to introduce Ivey Connects to students at the very beginning of their Ivey experience so they knew that it would be an important part of their year. Students were then bussed to Spencer Lodge for a free BBQ, and the Executive Directors from each charity were invited to introduce themselves and mingle with the students. After lunch, HBA1 sections competed against each other in a massive game of Capture the Flag. The game raised awareness and built pride for the section partners.
This annual event is planned with the Ivey Guru Team. The Guru Team is made up of HBA2 students who act as year long mentors to HBA1 students. This event is thus also important to the Gurus because it allows them to promote involvement with
Ivey Connects to their mentees. The logistics of the event were very well executed. The BBQ ran smoothly and Vitamin Water again sponsored the event with free refreshments for all students. Students enjoyed the competition of the game as well as the chance to meet their Executive Directors. The Community Consulting Project was also introduced at this event using information cards and posters.
Dedicating a day to Ivey Connects is extremely important for building credibility, excitement and passion for the program, especially the IMPACT challenge, and it is recommended at least one day or one event at each orientation week be dedicated to Ivey Connects for years to come.

Ivey Connects has a long-standing relationship with Canadian Blood Services. Ivey Connects has helped coordinate two very successful blood drives, where all of the staff were entirely booked within a few hours. Ivey Connects has strove to make the blood donations as accessible as possible, accepting bookings from all staff, faculty and students from Western University. With both the old and new Ivey buildings providing central locations for attendance, the Ivey Connects Board is excited to continue this relationship, and provide even more clinics than last year.

Goals
The External Director approached the Canadian Blood Services portfolio with several main objectives in mind. These included:
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Increasing the number of Ivey partner for life donations.
Continuing to increase the number of non-Ivey donors participating in the clinic to maximize the total number of
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Provide a reliable new venue for on campus donor clinics, especially since the [changed the wording] Canadian Blood
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Services is no longer located in the basement of the University Community Centre.
Raise the awareness of blood donor opportunities by advertising heavily within the Ivey community, and the Western
University community at large.
Year in Review
This year, Ivey hosted two blood donor clinics in the Ivey Atrium, on September 22 nd and January 24 th . Both events were hugely successful with the capacity being met within only a few hours. In response to the overwhelming response from the
Ivey and Western communities at the fall event, the total number of available donor beds was expanded for the spring donor clinic. The spring event was even more successful, with many students making arrangements to donate at different locations on later dates.
This year marks the second time Ivey has invited the greater Western community to the event. Regular e-mail blasts sent personally from the Ivey Connects External Director to both the Ivey community and the greater Western community provided the opportunity for over 35,000 students, faculty, and staff to be informed about the clinics. In addition to this, poster advertisements were placed in high-traffic areas throughout campus. The consistent advertising to this number of people has been paramount for raising awareness and attendance levels for each clinic.
Considering the overwhelming response from Western and Ivey students for attendance in each clinic, the Ivey Connects
External Director is planning to have even more clinics to meet the supply available on campus. With the transition to the new Ivey building, more space will be available for future clinics, while also providing a new location for donations on campus.

In conjunction with the Ivey Professional Communications Club (IPCC), the annual Ivey Fashion Show was celebrated in support of Ivey Connects for the very first time this year.
On March 16th, Ivey Students strutted down the runway in front of a crowd of over 150 people in support of the IMPACT challenge. Tickets were sold for $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Funds from HBA1 ticket sales were redistributed to their IMPACT Challenge partners. The section with the most students in attendance also won all of the donations collected from
HBA2 students in attendance, providing a fun competition amongst the sections.
The event was a huge success in raising awareness and over $1500 in funds. A huge thank you to the following individuals for making the event a success: Mallorie Brodie, Lorna Murati, Anisa Moolani, Lauren Griggs, Breanne Halyk, Stephanie Fong and
Regina Berengolts. An extra big thank you to Annie Xie for managing the philanthropic efforts in conjunction with Ivey
Connects. We look forward to continuing this event in the future!

This year Ivey Connects held its first annual Celebration Formal. This event was made possible with the help of the HBAA and funds provided by the RBC Foundation. Together with Ivey Connects, we threw a formal event at Museum London on March 9th
2012 to celebrate the students’ contributions to the not-for-profit world. The event was a huge success and attended by over
350 students and faculty.
The purpose of the event was to not only celebrate the achievements of the students but also to recognize those students who have gone above and beyond in contributing to Ivey Connects. HBA1 representatives were able to nominate three students in their section for awards. The awards were presented at the event and allowed these students to be commended by their peers.
Many HBA2 Students were also recognized for their hard work and received awards.
This event allowed Ivey Connects to brand itself as fun, prestigious and exciting, and should be continued in future years.
Better branding at the event and increased advertising will help to increase attendance and continue to build the new Ivey
Connects brand in the years to come.
A special thank you to David Cote for making this event a success.

The Community Consulting Project (CCP) is one of Ivey Connects’ longest-running and most successful programs. From September to November, ten teams comprised of HBA1 students and professional management consultants from Accenture worked hard to develop solutions for their non-profit clients in the London community. Teams were tasked with a variety of project types ranging from budgeting to marketing and received support from a global consulting firm Accenture throughout the project.
The non-profit organizations participating as clients were thrilled with the results and were very appreciative for the dedication of the students and consultants. All student teams did a wonderful job showcasing their results at CCP Closing Ceremonies, at which point the efforts of the students were celebrated along side the partner organizations and Accenture.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to our CCP student teams as well as CCP Directors Anthony Creo and Brianne Beaudoin.
Additionally, we would like to thank Accenture for their sponsorship and support.

The Ivey Connects Non-Profit Internship Program is designed to give students at the Richard Ivey School of Business an opportunity to explore the not-for-profit space and raise awareness about the variety of career opportunities in this area. As the program grows and becomes more diverse, there is a paralleled growth in interest for the not-for-profit sector. As such, we believe Ivey must do more to raise awareness and access to opportunities in the non-profit sector, in part through the Ivey
Connects Non-Profit Internship Program. To build on this philosophy, we have now expanded our Internships to the Greater
Toronto Area.
The internship program is made possible by London Life and the RBC Foundation These sponsors provide a base salary for all of our Ivey Connects Interns in the London and Toronto community. Each intern participating in the program has the opportunity to lead a specific project outlined by a non-profit organization and make a positive impact in the community.

For the 2011-2012, academic year, the major goal for the Ivey Connects Internship Program was to expand the internships portfolio from London to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) region. The Internship Program also continued to establish itself as a credible, competitive summer opportunity for Ivey students. This was achieved by continuing a formalized approach to recruiting through a formal information session, eZone postings, and interviews conducted during the corporate recruiting season.
The Ivey Connects Internship Program was a major success as a result of a new sponsorship relationship with RBC that funded
Toronto NPO internships. The decision to expand the Internship Program to the GTA was a strategic one, as student demand to work in the GTA remains high. The program also maintained its strong relationship with London Life, a long-time supporter of the internship portfolio, and continued offering London NPO internships.
Significant accomplishments included:
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Expanding the Internship Program to the GTA and increasing the total number of NPO internships offered by 50
Increasing the number of student applications for London NPOs by 28%
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Increasing the total number of student applications for the Internship Program by 93%
Receiving high-quality applications from non-profit organizations
The NPO internships offered were also set within a diverse array of industries and functions. The industries that the NPOs operate in include music production, health research, child support, intellectual disabilities support, and youth advocacy. The functions of the internships include operations, marketing analysis, strategic planning, financial analysis, funding research, and project management. The goal to provide a wide variety of industries and project scopes to Ivey students was to offer a wider perspective of the opportunities of work within the NPO sector.
Going forward, the strategic goal of the Internship Program will be to continue expanding the number of internships within the GTA, as well as expand the program to other large markets in Canada, including Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal. To do this, the Ivey Connects Internship Program will continue its relationships with its corporate sponsors—RBC and London Life.
In order to expand opportunities to other markets, the Internship Program will seek more corporate sponsors to assist in this opportunity. The pursuit of this option will only continue with the consultation and approval of both RBC and London Life, the current partners and sponsors of the program.

Junior Achievement is a non-profit organization committed to inspiring young people to succeed in the global economy through educational programs about financial literacy and entrepreneurship. The organization’s mandate is highly relevant to business students, making the organization an ideal partner. As such, over nearly ten years, the Richard Ivey School of Business has built a close partnership with the Junior Achievement of Southwestern Ontario, and each year Ivey HBAs give back and have fun by delivering Junior Achievement’s 'Economics for Success' and 'Dollars With Sense' programs throughout London.
This year, HBA2 students delivered the programs in grade 7 and 8 classrooms in second semester. Training took place during the lunch hour on Thursday, and students delivered the program the following day. With over 15 volunteers, the program was rewarding for both Ivey and elementary school students. HBA2 students have Fridays off from school, and thus this presents a great opportunity for them to deliver the JA curriculum on their free days. Going forward, adding a second day of volunteering would help to increase the impact Ivey students can have in the community.

The role of Communications & Outreach is to facilitate communication between the Ivey Connects organization and both the
HBA students and the broader London community. The main responsibilities include managing the website, eZone, Facebook pages, and updating bulletin boards and creating posters for major events.
This year, the website was again updated to reflect our new brand and the program’s new offerings such as Internships in the
Toronto Area, and the new partners for IMPACT and CCP. Further integration of this brand on eZone and Facebook will help to produce a consistent use experience on all platforms in the years to come.
Going forward, the board has added an additional communications position. The Communications Directors are now split between internal and external roles. This will help ensure that communication to stakeholders in the community as well as to students and volunteers in the Ivey community is more consistent and frequent. The external role will focus on increasing press releases in the community to help build our brand and credibility. The internal role will focus on leveraging social media to increase awareness amongst students and thus increase participation at all events.
With better communication practices in place, turn over of board responsibilities will be facilitated each year, helping to ensure our partners and students experience the best Ivey Connects has to offer.

The Ivey Connects Board was pleased to be featured in a Financial Post article commemorating Canadian Universities for their positive involvement in the community:
“Fundraising is part of it, but the more exciting part is the community projects to solve business problems,” says Jana Seijts, faculty director of the
Ivey Connects program at the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ont. “It’s encouraging our students to think about sustainability and corporate responsibility.”
Projects might include helping a small business develop a marketing campaign, or teaching low-income families how to budget, or creating an awareness campaign like the one Ivey student David Stewart worked on for the Canadian Paraplegic Association of Ontario.
“It’s essentially like you have a client for an entire year,” he says. “There’s clearly expectations to be managed on both sides. It’s industry skills we can’t learn in the classroom.”
- Excerpt from The Financial Post, October 2011
“The Make-A-Wish Foundation ® of Southwestern Ontario is grateful for the contributions of time, talent and treasure we’ve received from HBA1 students through our involvement in the Ivey Connects Community Impact Challenge.
Thank you for helping us Share the Power of a Wish ® !”
- Stephanie Field, Communications and Development, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southwestern Ontario
"Ivey Connects is helping to make a difference in the lives of millions of
Canadians with arthritis. Raising funds and awareness, and helping provide an outside perspective on upcoming projects!"
- Dan Knight, Community Engagement Coordinator, The Arthritis Society
“I am a firm believer in the power of education. But like your parents and others have probably told you, some of the most impactful things we learn are outside of the classroom”
- Dave McKay, Ivey MBA 1992, RBC Head of Canadian Banking

Ivey Connects 2011-2012