Network for Teaching
Entrepreneurship
Headquarters
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Marcia L. Tyler
National Volunteer Director
Welcome!
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On the Agenda
• Intro to NFTE
• Organization overview
• Program model & strategy
• Volunteer opportunities
• Local contacts
• Next steps
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Entrepreneurship Education: An Idea with Global Reach
In 1982, after getting mugged by teenagers for $10, Steve Mariotti
realized he had to help young people find a better way.
Having been both a Ford Motor Company finance analyst and an
import/export entrepreneur, Steve made a change and became a
special education/business teacher in the New York City public school
system.
Teaching in notorious neighborhoods such as Bedford-Stuyvesant in
Brooklyn and Fort Apache in the South Bronx, Steve’s greatest
challenge was reaching and engaging his students.
Frustrated one day, Steve went to what he knew best: sales. When he
started talking that language by selling his watch to his class, the
students were mesmerized.
From this moment a unique insight was born: Entrepreneurship
education connects learning to the real world and is particularly
motivating for economically disadvantaged youth.
"Our program transforms street
smarts into business smarts.“
Steve Mariotti
NFTE Founder
In 1987, Steve founded the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship to
build on and share this insight to students across the country and
around the world.
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NFTE Today
NFTE’s mission is to provide programs that inspire young people from low-income communities to stay in
school, to recognize business opportunities and to plan for successful futures. Our vision is that all
young people can be entrepreneurial leaders.
500,000
United States
Atlanta
Baltimore
Bay Area
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Fairchester
Fresno
Kansas
Los Angeles
Newark*
New England
students served worldwide
5,000
teachers trained in 50 countries
New York City
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
South Carolina
South Florida
St. Louis*
Washington DC
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Founded in 1987
NYC Headquarters
Serves low-income young people ages 11-18
19 U.S. program sites
12 international program sites
International
Belgium
Chile
China
Colombia
France*
Germany
India
Ireland
Israel
Mexico*
Saudi Arabia
Singapore*
* launch phase
• $19 million budget
• 475 active U.S. teachers; 800 active teachers overseas
• Middle school, high school, community college and college level
curriculums authored by NFTE Founder Steve Mariotti
• High school curriculum awarded 2010 best math curriculum for
grades 9-12 by AEP
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NFTE Global Footprint
To date, NFTE Global has served over 70,000 low-income
youth, ages 11 – 18.
Curricula
• Exploring Careers (grades 6-9)
• Entrepreneurship (grades 9-12)
Locations
• 19 US Program Sites
• 12 International Program Sites
Partner Program Stats
• 475 active U.S. teachers
• 800 active teachers overseas
Volunteer Corps
• 2500+ active volunteers
• EY, MasterCard, Microsoft, E*Trade, Bank of
America, Citi Foundation
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NFTE’s Impact: The Entrepreneurial Mindset
NFTE combines a powerful set of program components that reframe how young people approach their
futures resulting in improved academic, career, business and life outcomes.
Key Youth Entrepreneurial Mindset Attributes
Can a student…
self-start and operate independently in uncertain environments?
The Mindset Results In
• Improved attitudes toward and
engagement in school
• Increased educational expectations
and interest in attending college
• Increased occupational aspirations
• Entrepreneurship knowledge and 21st
century skill development
define what makes a project, initiative successful?
reframe problems as opportunities?
demonstrate sustained motivation?
learn from setbacks, pivot to adapted solutions?
think beyond current time horizon, practice delayed gratification?
• Better attendance and behavior
• Improved test-taking, test scores,
GPA and post-secondary application
• Higher grade promotion rates
• Demonstrations of self-efficacy
disaggregate and solve problems in structured, logical manner?
work effectively in teams as both a leader and a team-member?
be comfortable with uncertainty and respond quickly to new information?
• Entrepreneurial, opportunity-focused
thinkers
• High school graduation
• Acceptance to and attendance at
post-secondary institutions
• Business formation
• Gainful employment
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NFTE Core Program
• Goals
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Develop the entrepreneurial mindset in low-income young people
Teach entrepreneurial skills while reinforcing core academics and developing employability skills
Completion of a narrative business plan with associated financials
Competitive presentation of those plans with business/education grants as prizes
Provides NFTE teachers with ongoing professional development opportunities to refine their practice
• Program Overview
• NFTE Program is the full 65+ hour project-based entrepreneurship education program in a full year, half year, or 2week camp setting
• Four core units of learning (opportunity recognition, market research, promotion/sales and business financials)
• Project-based learning activities is group based while the student output is an individual (or sometimes team of 2)
business plan
• Experiential games including innovation, trading, economics of one unit, marketing, magazine
• Business plan competition and awards presentation
• Capital deployment
• Each student receives $25.00 as seed capital for the buying/selling activity
• Each student keeps any and all profits made from the selling event
• Award grants are given to three winners at the business plan competition
• Impact/ Evaluation
• Mastery on entrepreneurial concepts measured through formative and summative assessment
• Entrepreneurial mindset development measured through pre-post assessment
• NFTE’s Alumni Study shows that participation in NFTE increases:
• Rates of school enrollment
• High school diploma attainment
• Rates of employment and income level
• Rates of entrepreneurship, self-employment and income
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Student Experience
MIDDLE SCHOOL
EARLY HIGH SCHOOL
LATE HIGH SCHOOL
COLLEGE, OWN A BUSINESS
& BEYOND
Students learn
through in-depth
courses…
how to develop
a business.
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Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteerism is critical to the success of NFTE’s programming.
With the support of committed volunteers, the Network for Teaching
Entrepreneurship (NFTE) is able to help young people connect their
classroom learning to real-world experiences. Volunteers offer students new
perspectives on the NFTE curriculum and their efforts have a direct, lasting
influence on the personal and professional successes of our young people.
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Volunteer Primary Roles
Guest Speaker Commitment: 1 day for approx. 3 hours
Guest speakers provide direct service to students in a group setting. They give students enhanced knowledge of being a
business professional by sharing insights and experiences and responding to questions students may have. As business
professionals and entrepreneurs, guest speakers add dimension to student learning by offering fresh perspectives, which
connect the content to real-life business and career experiences.
Business Plan Coach Commitment: 3–4 months for approx. 4 hours per session
Business plan coaches offer advice that not only aligns with the business plan model, but also nurtures the students’
entrepreneurial spirit through encouragement and support of students’ ideas. The business plan coach advises students
on how to improve their business solutions and present their plans. Through small-group sessions the coaches assist
students with developing their ideas fully, focusing on areas they have difficulty understanding or articulating, and
helping them to present their ideas before an audience and a panel of judges.
Business Plan Judge Commitment: 1 day for approx. 3 hours
The culminating event of every NFTE program is a competition. Through this opportunity, students present their business
plans before an audience and a panel of volunteer judges. Judges, who are entrepreneurs and business professionals, offer
students a realistic perspective of their plans by listening, asking questions, and evaluating each presentation. Judges help
students practice critical thinking as they answer questions germane to their business plan and test students’ business
literacy as they defend their business decisions.
Field Trip Host Commitment: 1 day for approx. 6 hours
NFTE’s curriculum places great value on connecting classroom lessons to the real world. Field trips provide students a
greater understanding of how a business operates by acquainting them with the mission, structure, and operations of a
company or business. NFTE programs generally include three field trips: a visit to a wholesale store/district, an off-site
event for students to sell their products, and an opportunity for students to visit a local business. Sometimes, field trips
can be combined with business plan coaching sessions, where a host business provides information about operations/
management and then provides a group of volunteers to work with the students on developing their business plans.
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Additional Volunteer Opportunities
In addition to the primary roles, program offices may offer additional ways for you to get involved.
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Virtual
All Day Events
Summer
Alumni
Advisory Board
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Next Steps
Our online volunteer system is secure and simple!
Registration
Background
Check
Training
Volunteer
Engagement
Onboarding
1. Online volunteer application
(http://www.nfte.com/pages/volunteer)
2. Online background check (free of charge and
takes approx. 3 minutes)
3. In-person or online training for your volunteer
role
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Your Local NFTE Team
Program Office
Executive
Director
Email
Volunteer Staff
Email
Fairchester
Diane Rosenthal
diane.rosenthal@nfte.com
Elizabeth Harrison
elizabeth.harrison@nfte.c
om
New York
Terry Bowman
terry.bowman@nfte.com
Lindsay Plavchak
Lindsay.plavchak@nfte.c
om
Washington, DC
Tricia Granata
Eisner
tricia.Granata@nfte.com
Amir Alhambra
amir.alhambra@nfte.com
Baltimore
Andy Hubner
andy.hubner@nfte.com
Dawn Edwards
dawn.edwards@nfte.com
South Florida
Alice Horn
alice.horn@nfte.com
Julia Weincouff
Julia.weincouff@nfte.com
Dallas
Andrew Kramer
andrew.kramer@nfte.com
Karen Ezell
karen.ezell@nfte.com
Chicago
Christine Poorman
christine.poorman@nfte.c
om
Erica Wheeler
erica.wheeler@nfte.com
San Francisco
Krista Katsantonis
Bloome
krista.katsantonisbloome
@nfte.com
Adam Gorski
adam.gorski@nfte.com
Los Angeles
Estelle Reyes
estelle.reyes@nfte.com
Nadia Shahin
nadia.shahin@nfte.com
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National Volunteer Director
If you have questions about volunteering at our
organization, please contact me, Marcia Tyler, at
marcia.tyler@nfte.com or 212-232-3333 x312.
Please contact your program office if you
have specific questions about your volunteer
position.
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For becoming a volunteer at our
organization…
Enjoy your volunteer experience.
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