Emory University Class Partners with 3Keys on Business Communications Project
This spring, The 3Keys had the opportunity to collaborate with an undergraduate class at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School on a project designed to help strengthen one of the most important aspects of nonprofit leadership: board engagement.
The partnership launched in fall of 2025 when Dr. Nikki Graves, Associate Professor in the Practice of Organization and Management, was awarded a grant from Emory’s Center for Faculty Development and Excellence (CDFE) to incorporate community-engaged learning into her classroom. The grant allowed her to co-create a project with 3Keys’ staff Pat Duboise, Director of Grant Initiatives, and Scott Walker, President / CEO, for her “Professional Communications Strategy” course.
During the semester, Dr. Graves’ students took on a real-world organizational challenge as their mid-term assignment – analyzing a defined “pain point” and developing practical, persuasive recommendations.
We were honored to say yes to partnering on this student project.
The Challenge: Activating Board Engagement
Twelve student teams were tasked with studying a specific opportunity within 3Keys. After internal discussion, we identified a strategic focus: expanding engagement with our Board of Directors.
Our board is deeply committed to the mission of ending chronic homelessness and expanding supportive housing. Historically, however, its primary focus has centered on governance and operational oversight. As 3Keys continues to grow, so too must our board’s role in fundraising and external engagement.
We asked the students to help us explore a critical question:
How do we educate and support our board members in leveraging their networks, influence, and resources to support fundraising – both through corporate partnerships and individual giving?
We requested that recommendations be:
- Realistic and actionable
- Persuasive and inspiring
- Grounded in nonprofit best practices
- Applicable to both corporate and individual donor strategies
Learning in Action
Between January and March 2026, 3Keys leadership engaged directly with the students to provide insight, context, and feedback.
Pat Duboise and Diane Hughes, Director of Operations, met with Professor Graves and her classes on several occasions. The project kicked off in person on Emory’s campus, giving students an opportunity to ask questions and better understand the organization’s mission, funding models, and long-term vision. A mid-project Q&A session was held over Zoom, followed by in-person final presentations back on campus on March 3rd and 5th.
The depth of research and creativity demonstrated by the student teams was impressive.The students went beyond delivering thoughtful recommendations – they created ready-to-use websites, templates, and resources for nearly every project. Each group presented two solutions and proposals included:
- An AI-powered fundraising assistant that identifies connections between board members, individuals, and institutions that award grants via personal LinkedIn networks
- “Board Academy” with online fundraising training for use by the board
- Email campaigns to elicit Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) donations with a custom system to identify connections
- “Unlock” internal website shared between 3Keys and the board that highlights impacts in real time
- Digital campaign with virtual video tours
- A silent auction
- Asset giving
- A pickleball tournament
- Storytelling through art
- A restaurant week and distributing marketing materials at restaurants
- Applying to specific corporate grants
- An Adopt-A-Unit fundraising campaign, including a draft website
- An open house evening
- A donor-specific website
- Forming a partnership with Emory’s healthcare system and / or others in the metro area
- A storytelling gala
- A fundraising 5k
- Applying for Google Ad grants
All of these tools are aimed at strengthening board confidence and participation in fundraising efforts, with the ultimate goal of strengthening 3Keys’ sustainability and expanding its revenue sources.
From Classroom to Boardroom
The project continues beyond the final presentation.
Scott Walker will present the consolidated recommendations to the Board of Directors for discussion, input, and potential implementation. Students may also have the opportunity to present directly to board members in April.
The insights generated through this partnership will help inform future strategies to activate board members as ambassadors and advocates for the organization.
Additionally, coverage of the class projects will be featured in The Emory Business Magazine, highlighting the collaboration between academic learning and community impact. At the conclusion of the project, 3Keys will also receive a $1,000 grant from Emory’s Center for Faculty Development and Excellence.
The Students’ Experience
In their feedback to Professor Graves, the students expressed their thoughts on the chance to work on a unique, real-world project:
My favorite part of the project was considering how our ideas—as a class—could help change people’s lives in the Atlanta community. I think it would be a great idea to continue offering projects like this in future classes. I sincerely hope that 3Keys considered our proposals, as many of them could provide real benefits.
– Jamie Eck
The midterm project with 3Keys was an incredibly hands-on experience that stands out among all the in-class projects I’ve completed at Emory. Going into it, I expected it to resemble other projects I’d done, but I immediately realized it was different when Ms. Duboise came to the classroom in person.
Having a senior member of the company speak with us face-to-face made the nature of the project clear. It created a sense of closeness to the organization and made the experience feel more personal. It felt like our solutions were genuinely needed, which was exciting.
My entire team was fully invested and motivated to deliver clear, meaningful solutions to the company and ultimately the Board of Directors. This level of buy-in is rare, as I’m used to varying levels of engagement in group projects. I believe that emphasizing the importance of the issue—and having Ms. Duboise physically present, taking time to visit us, meet over Zoom, and watch our final presentations—played a major role in the high quality of work across groups. The project felt like it truly mattered, and it was a joy to work on.
– Dylan Singer
Throughout this project, I developed a variety of important skills, including effective presentation and team collaboration. These skills are not always emphasized in other business classes, and applying them in a real-client setting offers valuable insight into professional expectations and areas for personal growth.
– Bryan Villanueva
The most significant aspect for me was that the work we were doing actually mattered. By proposing strong solutions, we had the potential to make a meaningful difference in both 3Keys’ operations and the broader community.
This dynamic raised the stakes and made the work far more fulfilling and engaging. Presenting in front of someone from 3Keys had a similar effect. Knowing that members of the organization were hearing our pitch directly was both important and motivating. While it may have increased pressure, that pressure was ultimately beneficial.
– Zach Peltzar
Importance of Academic Partnerships
Ending chronic homelessness requires more than housing – it requires strong governance, strategic fundraising, and engaged leadership. By partnering with Emory’s Goizueta Business School, 3Keys gained fresh perspective, data-driven recommendations, and innovative ideas from emerging business leaders.
Most importantly, this collaboration reflects a shared belief: when academic institutions and nonprofit organizations work together, both students and communities benefit.
We are grateful to Professor Graves and her students for investing their time and talent in strengthening our mission. Their work helps position 3Keys – and our board – for even greater impact in the years ahead.
Below are cover slides from the student groups’ presentations.
