How Dan Code is using his MBA to help boost the not-for-profit sector

For Dan Code, the biggest surprise of earning an MBA has been just how much that lessons from the classroom can benefit the community.

For Dan Code, the biggest surprise of earning an MBA has been just how much that lessons from the classroom can benefit the community.

Dan is a not-for-profit specialist who worked for social enterprises in Tanzania before coming to study at Melbourne Business School to improve his financial and management skills.

While studying, Dan undertook an internship at Social Ventures Australia – an organisation which helps other not-for-profits become more effective – where he was exposed to some of the biggest challenges in the sector.

"It was fantastic, because I applied what I learnt about mergers and acquisitions to help two disability organisations merge in what was one of the largest not-for-profit mergers in Australian history," he says.

"I drew on my MBA knowledge, including examples of organisations that were leaders in putting customers first."

After completing his MBA, Dan returned to Tanzania to work for Ubongo Learning, which creates educational TV shows with African characters.

"If you say you work for Ubongo in Tanzania, everybody thinks that's amazing," he says. "Pretty much every kid knows their characters and can impersonate their voices. It’s genuinely mind-blowing how popular it is."

Now, Dan is back at Social Ventures Australia building on what he learned during his original internship and helping other organisations to have an impact on the community.

"My internship was really stimulating and interesting, because I worked on some biggest challenges in the sector," he says. "It exposed me to exactly the kind of work I'm doing now at SVA."

Melbourne Business School is currently seeking support for the Community Partnerships Fund, which helps MBA students complete internships with socially-minded organisations during their studies. You can click here to donate.