Minnesota Business Venture Volunteers

Resident Business Leader and Daylong Volunteer applications for 2025 are now open below!

Minnesota Business Venture (MBV) is a weeklong business and career development summer camp. MBV brings together high school students from across Minnesota to work with business leaders and learn about leadership, business, financial literacy, and career options. Students will work in teams or “companies” to create and present a business plan. They will be guided through the camp’s activities by volunteers including Resident Business Leaders, speakers, mock interviewers, and more.

MBV is seeking enthusiastic volunteers to work with students and enhance their experience and knowledge at camp. Opportunities and time commitments range from an hour to a full week and focus on career development, business skills, financial management, and entrepreneurship. Volunteer opportunities include Mock Interviewers, Business Plan Judges, Resident Business Leaders, session speakers, and more.

View 2024 Recap

Day Volunteers

Mock Interviewer

As a Mock Interviewer, you will sit down with a high school student and conduct a brief interview, then directly deliver feedback to help them improve. Numerous interviews will be held over a two hour period. Volunteers are briefed and provided with sample questions.

Business Plan Judge

Throughout the week at MBV, students will work in groups called “companies” to create a business plan for a hypothetical product of their own design. Each group will present their marketing, operations, and financial plan at the end of their session to a panel of volunteer Business Plan Judges, who will provide feedback on verbal and non-verbal skills. Participating as a judge is an excellent opportunity for you to see what students learn at MBV. Business Plan Judges are provided with a scoring rubric.

Volunteer with Us!

Resident Business Leader Volunteers

MBV’s Resident Business Leaders (RBLs) are members of the business community who also attend the full session of camp. You can be just out of college, interning, set in your career or even retired! Each RBL is paired with a student leader (CEO) to guide a company of 10-15 students throughout the week in developing a business plan. RBLs choose one of two tracks: full weeklong opportunity or half-day opportunity with a partner from the same company. RBLs are expected to be present for company meetings, keynote presentations, and breakout session.

As an RBL, you have a unique opportunity to work with a diverse team and make an impact. You’ll be able to draw from your own experience to be a mentor and coach for several students. This is also a chance to explore your own leadership, management, and team-building skills. Finally, you’ll build strong connections with your fellow RBLs, who are professionals from other organizations and industries. First-time RBLs often tell us that they didn’t realize the role would be so fun!

RBLs attend a virtual orientation in June. They arrive to campus one day before students arrive.

There is a $700 fee to cover room and board; a $300 fee per individual if doing a half-day share. We are happy to work your employer to help navigate this within your company. If unable to pay the fee, please contact us at mbv@bestprep.org for more information. See additional information about this role in the promo flyer below.

Volunteer With Us!

View Promo Flyer!

Why Volunteer?

Volunteering with MBV is a fun, enriching, and challenging way to give back to Minnesota youth. As a professional, you will learn how to improve your leadership, team-building, networking, mentoring, and communications skills. On a personal level, spending time at MBV will allow you to share your knowledge and experience with the next generation and see the impact your efforts have on students. By volunteering with MBV, you will help Minnesota students gain a valuable summer experience that will help them become better prepared for their futures.

Contact us if you are interested in volunteering or asking your employees to volunteer with the Minnesota Business Venture program!

Alumni

Are you a Minnesota Business Venture alumni looking for a volunteer opportunity? Consider giving back to your community by volunteering at MBV! For over 40 years, we have had more than 10,000 high school students participate in Minnesota Business Venture. We at BestPrep (previously known as Business Economics Education Foundation – BEEF) would love to work with you! There are many opportunities to participate and volunteer with MBV, including Resident Business Leaders, speakers, or mock interviewers. Contact us to get started!

Volunteer at MBV

Speakers

Share your story with students! Minnesota Business Venture is looking for engaging speakers to present on a wide variety of topics.

Past speaking topics include:

Starting a Business
Marketing and Personal Branding
Money and Values
Great Leadership
Making a Difference
Dreams to Action
Career Skills: Interviewing, Public Speaking, Resumes, Technology, etc.
Financial Literacy: Banking, Credit, Investing, Identity Theft, Paying for College, etc.
Soft Skills: Resilience, Teamwork, Managing Stress, Workplace Culture, etc.

If you’re interested, or would like to nominate a speaker for MBV, let us know!

Nominate a Speaker!