This year, UHAB had the honor of participating in the Morgan Stanley 2022 Strategy Challenge, a program that focuses on challenges that have a meaningful impact on an organization’s ability to deliver on its mission. Our organization was one one of nine groups selected out of 450 regional applicants.

Launched in 2009, the Strategy Challenge is Morgan Stanley’s annual signature pro bono program, partnering nonprofit organizations in the New York Metro Area, Baltimore and London with cross-divisional teams of top-performing employees to address key strategic questions. The Strategy Challenge assigned UHAB a team of four Morgan Stanley experts to provide UHAB with guidance, analysis, and an action plan for a quickly expanding area of our work: our national program.

Over a period of ten week engagement, our team leveraged their expertise to provide customized analysis and implementable action plans, along with tools for future assessments and decision-making. They engaged in weeks-long interviews with 15 stakeholders and partners across the country and helped us develop a business plan that would ensure inclusion, engagement and long-term partnerships in strengthening the limited-equity cooperative model on a national scale. This experience was invaluable to our team and reassured us that there is an interest in affordable co-ops and more importantly, a need for their expansion nationwide.

After an intensive period of time working with our team, we are grateful to have a business plan in place that will help us create a viable national program worthy of collaboration for all interested partners. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements about UHAB’s national program.