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Public sector and non-profit case practice, impact instead of profit

The objective is meals or outcomes, not profit. Work a full sample case: define success, compare two options on cost and reach, find the supply constraint and recommend, with a timer and a worked answer. Free, with no sign-up.

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Free and runs in your browser. The case is original and fictional, and Soreno is independent of any consulting firm. The 7-day free trial includes 2 mock interviews and 3 drills.

Free sample case: candidate-led

The public sector and non-profit case you can try now

You define success, choose the analyses and recommend on impact per dollar.

Step 1. Read the case

Riverbend Food Bank: how to spend a $1.5 million grant

The interviewer reads you the case

Your client is Riverbend Food Bank, a non-profit that supplies meals to households in a rural county. A foundation has given it a one-time grant of $1.5 million. The board is split between a fleet of mobile pantries that drive to remote towns, and expanding the warehouse. The executive director asks for your advice.

An original, fictional practice case written by Soreno. It is not a question from any firm's interviews. Everything stays in your browser.

Step 2. Ask clarifying questions

In a non-profit or public sector case, confirm the objective (it is not profit), the budget and the measure of impact.

Step 3. Structure your answer

Take two minutes. Structure how you would compare the options, noting that the objective is meals and reach, not profit. Write it, then say it out loud.

2:00

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Soreno's AI interviewer gives you a full case, asks follow-up questions on your structure and math, and scores your answer. The 7-day free trial includes 2 mock interviews and 3 drills.

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Framework outline

How a public sector and non-profit case is usually structured

A short outline for the type. The standard business frameworks still help, with the objective changed.

  1. 1

    Define success

    Meals served, people reached or outcomes improved, and over what period. Without profit, the objective has to be stated first.

  2. 2

    Budget and constraints

    Funding rules (capital versus running costs), staffing, supply and political or donor constraints.

  3. 3

    Cost per unit of impact

    Annual cost (capital spread over its life plus running cost) divided by the outcome. Also consider who is reached.

  4. 4

    Stakeholders

    Funders, government partners, staff and the people served. Say whose objective decides.

  5. 5

    Sustainability and risks

    What happens after the grant, who pays the running costs and what could stop delivery.

Mistakes to avoid

Where candidates lose points

Common ways to go wrong in this type of case, based on how the sample case is built.

  • Applying a profit framework (revenue, margin) to an organization that does not sell for profit.
  • Comparing options on cost per unit only, ignoring who receives the service.
  • Ignoring a supply or capacity limit and assuming more capacity means more output.
  • Forgetting running costs after a one-time grant.
  • Not saying whose objective decides when stakeholders disagree.

A strong answer states the headline first, shows the numbers that support it and ends with a recommendation and next steps.

Keep going

Read more, then do it out loud

The guides go deeper on public sector and non-profit cases. Drill the math, or compare ways to practice.

FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Soreno, answered in one place.

No. It is an original, fictional public sector and non-profit case written by Soreno, with numbers that reconcile. It is not a question from any consulting firm's interviews. The firm pages under Practice link to what each firm publishes about its own interviews.
A case for a government agency, charity or foundation. The objective is usually outcomes within a budget, not profit, so you define the measure of impact first and compare options on cost per unit of impact and reach.
There is no profit to bridge. The equivalent questions are how much impact each dollar buys, who is reached and what limits delivery.
Many consulting firms have public sector and social impact practices, and their cases can cover them. No firm page we read says its interviews include this type, so treat it as extra practice in a different setting.
No. The sample case runs in your browser with no sign-up, and nothing you type is saved or sent.
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