Consulting Projects Consulting Program Overview The Social Enterprise Program aims to make a positive contribution to the practice of social entrepreneurship throughout the world. • It does this by providing graduate-­‐level education to carefully selected students who show promise to be leaders and major contributors to the future development of this field. • It also directly serves the social entrepreneurship community by assisting start-­‐up and established enterprises through its Consulting Program. This assistance is provided through consulting projects staffed by Social Enterprise graduate students and supervised by university faculty. What follows is a summary of projects undertaken for some of the Program’s clients. Most are based in Washington DC, but some projects involved travel to Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Some clients are NGOs wanting to be more enterprising, others businesses wanting to have more of a positive social impact. For each, the problem they sought help with is described, along with the approach taken by the consultants and the final results achieved. TABLE OF CONTENTS 100k strong…………………………………………...…..…..…..3 Access Health Worldwide………………………………..…….3 Case Foundation………………………………………………….4 Cause-­‐the Philanthropub………………………………………4 City Blossoms……………………………………………………...5 Compass Partners………………………………………………...5 Dreaming Out Loud…..………………………………………….6 Empowered Women International…………………………..6 Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves…………………….…7 Grameen Caldas……………………………………………….....7 Grameen Foundation…………………………………….………8 Handicap International………………………………………….8 Heartbeat……………………………………………………………9 Honest Tea…………………………………………………………...9 Mi Casa……………………………………………………………….10 Mission Launch Inc………………………………………………..10 New Rules for Global Finance ………………………………...11 OXFAM……………………………………………......................11 Partners of the Americas…………………………………….….12 Partners for Tunisian Development……………….………...12 Pepa……………………………………………………………………13 Snack Packers……………………………………………………...13 Solimar International…………………………………………….14 United to End Genocide…………………………………………14 US-­‐Mexico Foundation………………………………………….15 World Vision…………………………………………………….....15 2 ACCESS Health Worldwide 100 K Strong Fundrasing Strategy Strategic Development Background Background The 100,000 Strong Foundation encourages students of diverse backgrounds from across the country to learn Mandarin and study in China. The Foundation believes that its best ambassadors are the American students who have studied in China and learned about the Chinese culture, language and people first hand. ACCESS Health Worldwide helps corporations and NGOs network and learn from each other as they build trust, relationships, and skills for effective partnerships. ACCESS works with organizations in groups or individually to help find partners and develops tools based on information about existing partnerships to increase knowledge on how to partner. Problem Statement Problem Statement The 100k Strong Foundation needed to develop a 3-­‐year fundraising strategy consistent with its goals and mission to ensure the organization’s financial sustainability. However, the organization lacked a clear long-­‐term strategic fundraising plan. Approach ACCESS is currently a sub-­‐organization within the Public Health Institute (PHI), but operates rather independently. As the project grows, it looks forward to becoming a stand-­‐alone social enterprise that is not only doing impactful work but is also financially sustainable in the long-­‐term. consultant team met with several Board members to elicit ideas on The fundraising and regularly discussed these inputs with 100K staff. The team conducted in-­‐depth research on nonprofit Industry Fundraising Strategies & Best Practices. The team then conducted a peer analysis on United Way and Asia Society. Finally, the team proposed three financing strategies and fully developed one mix of options: engaging corporations, relying on foundations, generating memberships or offering products and services, with the intention of coming up with 1 long-­‐term model for 100K to focus on over the next 3 years. Approach The team developed an in-­‐depth understanding of ACCESS’s mission and vision for the future through frequent meetings and strategic planning sessions. The team explored and conducted feasibility studies of alternative development models and revenue generating streams, leveraging ACCESS’s expertise. The team also worked with ACCESS to implement these initiatives. Consultants: Consultants: Caitlin Rosser, 2013 Cohort Andreas Vailakis, 2013 Cohort Setra Yappi, 2011 Cohort; Stevie Valdez, 2011 Cohort Thuy Dinh, 2011 Cohort Results  A presentation on different models of Social Enterprise pertinent Results to ACCESS  A feasibility framework for developing Consulting Service and Membership as possible revenue streams  A framework to evaluate and conduct assessment/research on ACCESS’s Partnership Toolkit  A new 1-­‐credit course on skills for “Partnering Across Sectors” taught at American University in Fall 2013  A 3 year fundraising plan  A fundraising calendar  Presentation to 100K Foundation’s Board Members 3 Case Foundation Cause, The Philanthropub Data Collection and Assesement Brand Ambassador Program Background Background The Case Foundation leads a series of innovative and collaborative initiatives that aim to leverage new technologies to empower and engage citizens in the U.S. and around the globe. Through partnerships with hundreds of nonprofits, private sector and corporate partners, as well as the public sector, these efforts have helped to expand the role of individuals in philanthropy and in giving back to their communities. Problem Statement Cause is a start-­‐up social enterprise bar and restaurant seeking t0 “make giving more convenient, fun, and transparent for the general population” by donating profits to featured organizations each quarter. Cause seeks to educate the next generation of donors while providing exposure and fiscal support to organizations embodying best practices and sustainability. Problem Statement Case Foundation needed to better understand the root causes of risk avoidance and fear of failure by both grant-­‐makers and grant-­‐seekers to support a more conducive environment for innovation and philanthropic experimentation. This is part of Case’s Be Fearless Campaign – an effort to ignite a more fearless approach to change making. The consulting team built on the existing Be Fearless campaign and carried out an assessment of foundation and nonprofit industries’ appetites for risk, failure and innovation. The team created a survey for two core audiences: foundations and non-­‐profits and conducted interviews to provide anecdotal evidence to illustrate the survey data. The team then began an analysis of the data to develop a comprehensive assessment of fearlessness in the social sector. Consultants: As a new organization, Cause sought to build a strong customer base that would allow them to make sufficiant profit to pay off their debt and fund their featured organizations. The Cause owners sought an outreach strategy to raise awareness about the “philanthropub” concept amongst university students and attract new customers. Approach team conducted a literature review of brand ambassador programs The throughout the U.S., and organized focus groups and surveys of university students. The team developed and tested pilot strategies to measure outcomes and determine effective outreach strategies. Consultants: Brad Fischer, 2012 Cohort John Kavyavu, 2012 Cohort Pomai Verzon, 2012 Cohort Kate McElligott, 2011 Cohort Sara Telzer, 2011 Cohort Results Results Developed a brand ambassador program for university students 
 An in-­‐depth research and literature review on survey design and risk  Anecdotal evidence to support data collected  Identified benefits to Cause for program implementation and structured an incentive program  Analyzed and provided implementation costs to Cause’s managers  Created a recruitment strategy and succeeded in recruiting 8 new brand ambassadors 4 Compass Partners City Blossoms Partnerships Case Study Communications & PR Strategy Background Background Compass Partners (CP) provides resources, training and a vibrant support network to students with innovative ideas to change the world through business. CP offers campus-­‐based Fellowship programs that employ creative methods of education and make a deep investment in each student. CP’s main program is the Compass Fellowship that exposes 15 college freshmen at each partner university to the world of social entrepreneurship through an intensive personal development and social business-­‐training program. The Compass Fellowship currently operates at twelve universities worldwide. Problem Statement City Blossoms, a 501(c)3 founded in 2003, is dedicated to empowering children, increasing green spaces, and promoting healthy living within communities. City Blossoms teaches children to plan, plant, grow, and maintain urban gardens throughout Washington, DC. Problem Statement To support its growing stakeholder base, City Blossoms needed an improved strategic communications and public relations plan to more effectively convey its complex mission and engage a diverse set of stakeholders with minimal resources and time. To identify, contact, and create a partnership with a funder(s) in order to increase funds for Compass Partners. Approach team interviewed stakeholders to understand challenges and The opportunities of reaching target audiences and conducted market research to identify best communications practices. The team then developed approaches aligned to City Blossoms’ goals and tailored to its culture and resource availability. Approach The team identified three potential funders with shared values and aligned mission statements. The team then created reach-­‐out materials for CP to contact these potential organizations. To continue this process in the future, the team developed a case study of a previous partnership for CP’s reference. Consultants: Consultants: Federico de Jésus, 2012 Cohort Adrienne Gifford, 2012 Cohort Stephanie Navarrette, 2012 Cohort Amanda Lotz, 2012 Cohort Results Results  Aligned communications strategy / PR with organizational goals  Provided recommendations on improvements to existing press kit and social media approaches  Obtained an interview for Co-­‐Founder on a top DC radio station morning show to promote annual event  Delivered a Communications Strategy Toolkit that included ready-­‐
to-­‐use templates, tips, sample press releases, and media contacts 5  A case study for CP detailing their partnerships with Start Up Scramble for one of their boot camp events.  A set of recommendations on how to improve the partnership.  A toolkit to identify a good potential partner as well as what's needed to sustain a healthy and effective partnership. Empowered Women International Dreaming Out Loud Market Analysis & Profitability Assessment Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy Background Background Empowered Women International (EWI) is a Washington DC-­‐ area nonprofit that provides entrepreneurship and skills training to immigrant, refugee, and low-­‐income women, which in turn helps improve the women’s self-­‐sufficiency. The Dreaming Out Loud Program has created a character development curriculum for at risk youth. The program’s founder observed that kids were slow responders due to unhealthy eating habits. To meet this need for better eating among low-­‐income students, Dreaming Out Loud was founded to bring farmers markets and health screenings to low income areas of D.C. Problem Statement EWI needed to better translate the social, economic, and community impact of their Entrepreneurship Training for Success (ETS) program. EWI was in need of a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) manual and system, with a logic framework for the ETS and Grow My Business Programs. Problem Statement At the time of the consulting, Dreaming Out Loud had a small capacity with just one such market and was looking to receive a large grant so as to expand operations. Dreaming Out Loud was interested in determining how the markets could be self-­‐sustaining. Approach Approach Sara rebuilt EWI’s monitoring and evaluation system so that EWI can better translate the social, economic, and community impact of their Entrepreneurship Training for Success (ETS) program. Sara also worked with EWI to build up their organizational capacity by creating a procedural manual for staff for the M&E system, and conducted research that can be included in grant applications so that EWI can receive more funding from foundations team developed budgeting tools to make projections of market The growth, focusing in particular on the growth to be gained from the addition of a community-­‐supported agriculture (CSA) component. The team also conducted market research with local partners and surveyed farmers’ market visitors to assess their interest in membership in a CSA program to receive regular deliveries of locally grown produce. Consultants: Consultant: Aaron Schneyer, 2012 Cohort Sara Stromer, 2012 Cohort Sara Seavey, 2011 Cohort Results  Analyzed Dreaming Out Loud’s current business to determine how Results  An M&E System for EWI profitability and sustainability could be achieved.  Presented Dreaming Out Loud with a broad review of their overall operations, and with a business model.  Recommended that profitability could be attained by growing their own produce and by developing a CSA membership program.  Staff procedural manual for M&E System  Research findings to include in grant applications 6 Global Alliance For Clean Cookstoves Impact Investing Strategy Background The Global Alliance for Clean Cook stoves is a public-­‐private partnership that seeks to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and protect the environment by creating a thriving global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions. Problem Statement The Alliance recognized the challenges in operating profitably and seeking investments to scale clean cooking enterprises. Additionally, impact investors complained about the lack of an adequate pipeline of investable entities. There was also a need to bridge the gap between donor and impact investment. The alliance had recently released a grant fund called the Spark I and was interested in providing some Grameen Caldas Organizational Strategic Development Background Grameen Caldas is a social business incubator and accelerator charged with providing business advisory services, funding, and facility space to social entrepreneurs throughout Colombia who seek to address a wide range of social problems in the country including poverty caused by lack of health care, good nutrition, access to education, and affordable, quality housing. Problem Statement As a start-­‐up, this organization needed experienced volunteer fellows to provide a wide range of strategic and operational support. infrastructure for this and future rounds of funding as well as a smaller, regionally appropriate fund for East Africa. Approach Approach Adrienne led a team of international volunteers to improve internal operations and provided strategic advice to Grameen Caldas’s Country Director. Adrienne worked with the local team and international volunteers to support the re-­‐design of the organization’s vision, mission, goals, business model, key service offerings, and core methodologies. Stevie provide infrastructure and guidance on the Alliance’s grant investments into the clean cooking sector, helping to bridge the gap between grant and impact investments. Stevie created an impact investment database, reporting template for grantees, investment readiness tools, and a growth stage assessment of many of their partners in East Africa. Consultant: Consultant: Stevie Valdez, 2011 Cohort Results  Database of impact investors Adrienne Gifford, 2012 Cohort Results  New processes and tools for human resource (HR) and  Actionable report on best practices in venture philanthropy  Development of relationships for a pipeline into Spark and “mini-­‐Spark” funds  Draft of an RFP for a regionally appropriate “mini-­‐Spark” fund for East Africa recruiting functions  New processes of financial operations, marketing, strategic communications, and impact measurement  Employee performance management system for permanent staff and volunteers. 7 Grameen Foundation Handicap International Social Enterprise Strategy Development of Quantitative And Qualitative Tools Background Background Handicap International is an NGO based in Europe that supports people with disabilities and vulnerable populations in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. It is a co-­‐winner of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. Problem Statement Mine risk education consists of teaching communities that may have landmines nearby how to keep their people safe until the mines are removed. These programs have been implemented for the past seven Bankers without Borders® is Grameen Foundation's global volunteer initiative, connecting private individuals and companies with microfinance institutions and other organizations serving the poor. Bankers without Borders are an international reserve of professionals who contribute their time and skills to fight poverty by supporting microfinance and technology for poor people around the world. They give volunteers an opportunity to use their professional expertise where needs and returns are greatest. Problem Statement years in South Sudan by numerous organizations, but the sector as a whole lacks coordination, standardization of tools and methodology, and a way to measure impact. Bankers without Borders were growing rapidly and were exploring the development of a social enterprise initiative within Grameen with its own revenue stream. Their business plan was also out of date. The challenge was to leverage their past works and experience in fee-­‐for-­‐
service to develop relationship with corporations to become a sustainable social enterprise initiative within Grameen Foundation. Approach Brad Fisher conducted a market analysis, identified potential corporate partners, and noted the updates needed in the current business plan to chart the initiative’s direction. Approach During his time in South Sudan, Nick coordinated Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey to communities affected by landmines in five states. This survey provided quantitative and qualitative data that will be used to adjust the current mine risk education strategy and set a baseline to compare future work against. Consultant: Consultant: Brad Fisher, 2012 Cohort Results  Capacity building of local NGOs in data collection Results  A series of planning meetings  Contribution to Bankers without Borders business plan  Identification of 3-­‐4 countries in the Middle East for Bankers without Borders volunteer projects Nick Boedicker 2012 Cohort  KAP Survey Report that analyzed the data collected and provided recommendations for changes to the mine risk education strategy at the national level  Database of quantitative and qualitative data for future impact assessment 8 Heartbeat Honest Tea Bookkeeping System Development SME Business Ecosystem Background Background Heartbeat seeks to utilize music’s power by creating opportunities and spaces for young Israeli and Palestinian musicians to build trust and work together to create a better future Honest Tea produces and delivers healthy, organic beverages as an alternative to high sugar bottled drinks. In its operations, it has a high commitment to corporate social responsibility. This is something reflected in the participation of its founder, Seth Goldman, on the Maryland Economic Development Commission (MEDC). Problem Statement Problem Statement Heartbeat was taking donations and having its operating expenses paid Honest Tea sought assistance for the MEDC on supporting the development of the small and medium business ecosystem in Maryland, where Honest Tea is also located. In order to give back to the local business sector, the MEDC sought to improve its services to small and medium enterprise owners. To be able to do so, the MEDC wanted to analyze the entrepreneurial ecosystem. by the nonprofit Am Kolel. With the organizations growth and maturation it became important for Heartbeat to begin keeping its own books and to begin filling its own tax returns in the US Approach Working with Aaron we have moved Heartbeat’s bookkeeping over to Approach Quickbooks and have been using that to keep track of Heartbeat's expenses and income. We are also working to determine the best method for transferring funds to Heartbeat's Israel operations and tracking those expenditures. Consultants The team examined both the current customer service provision and the local business ecosystem to determine points of intervention. The team developed a presentation of the research, from which they specified 6 recommendations for implementation in the short and medium term. Consultants: Trey Waters, 2012 Cohort Sara Seavey, 2011 Cohort Michael Sayre, 2011 Cohort Results A fully functioning accounting system for US operations; including 
 Developed the first state-­‐sponsored business plan concerning the entrepreneurial ecosystem.  Recommended the hiring of an additional staff to man the customer service hotline.  Improvements included in an online platform. payroll, reimbursement system for Heartbeat employees, etc  A system to transfer money from the US operations to Israel and to track expenditures in Israel Improvements included in an online platform.  A guideline of Heartbeat's accounting system functions 9 Mi Casa Mission: Launch, Inc. Beneficiary Training Development Website Analysis & Redesign Background Background Mi Casa is a non-­‐profit organization founded in 1993 to provide affordable housing in the Washington, D.C. area in order to foster healthy and thriving communities. Mi Casa provides affordable single-­‐
family home ownership and development consultancy services to community and tenant organizations Mission: Launch, Inc. is a non-­‐profit organization focused on re-­‐entry for women and men post-­‐incarceration. Their mission is to create conscious, cool and scalable solutions to help women and men script new life narratives after release from prison. Mission:Launch, Inc. seeks to do so through entrepreneurial energy, strategic insight, organized information, and supportive communities. Problem Statement Problem Statement Because Mi Casa provided a range of services to several organizations in and around the D.C. area, they sought a comprehensive training program. Mi Casa sought to compile its individual presentations and to develop a series of training seminars for the tenant organizations it works with. . To best serve its customer base and meet its mission of providing information and resources to formerly incarcerated individuals, Mission Launch requested an analysis of its website. The usability of the website was analyzed and used to provide recommendations of improvement regarding the platform’s content, organization, product delivery, and design. Approach Approach The team gathered all information pertaining to cooperative homeowners, including executive board development, accounting, and asset management. The team formatted the information into training materials and organized the training materials into seven training sessions to verse participants in skills in cooperative housing development and management. The team conducted observations of post-­‐incarceration individuals using the website and surveyed target users to assess the overall design, the ease of its use, and the usefulness of its content. The team developed assessment criteria based on personal experience and field research on user experience and methods of effective website construction. Consultants: James McDowell, 2012 Cohort Consultants: Results  Led the planning of seven training sessions for organization Results Recommended a new website launch page based on results of 
Nick Boedicker, 2012 Cohort Jessica Nehrbass, 2012 Cohort Trey Waters, 2012 Cohort beneficiaries – participants from different cooperatives throughout Washington, D.C.  Developed a work plan for creating a bilingual training manual.  Recommended designing a plan of action for carrying out more seminars in the future. 10 analysis  Summarized and delivered results of user feedback and field research  Developed and delivered recommendations for overall website improvement and highlighted key strengths of existing content and design New Rules For Global Finance OXFAM Creative Media Initiative Strategy for Financial Sustainability Background Background New Rules for Global Finance is a coalition of organizations and scholars dedicated to the reform of the global financial architecture in order to stabilize the world economy, reduce poverty and inequality, uphold fundamental rights, and protect the environment. Oxfam is an international non-­‐governmental organization that works directly with communities and seeks to influence the powerful to ensure that poor people can improve their lives and livelihoods and have a say in decisions that affect them. Problem Statement New Rules did a large amount of works but operated with very few Problem Statement Oxfam needed to develop a better understanding of the ethnic community in Northwestern Vietnam where Oxfam is currently conducting a market-­‐based livelihood project. The findings will be incorporated into Oxfam’s mid-­‐term project review. At the same time, Oxfam would also like to have a short documentary to showcase their Livelihoods Project. Approach human resources (2 full-­‐time staff). New Rules faced a challenge of sustaining its work, both in human and financial capacity. In that context, New Rules’ executive director was curious to learn if and how New Rules could sustain itself. To do that, she wanted the consulting team to explore the option of a New Rules Membership structure or a Merger and Acquisition (M&A) possibility. Approach The team first conducted interviews with New Rules board members explore reactions and ideas. The interview revealed potential organizations for further in-­‐depth research. For Membership structure, the team looked into case studies of membership models and conducted a mass survey to explore interest from New Rules coalition’s 803 members. For M&A, the team conducted research to learn about non-­‐profits M&A and presented a guideline for execution with a spreadsheet of 11 potential organizations. Thuy Dinh used participatory video methodology to help Oxfam achieve both aforementioned goals. Thuy developed a capacity building curriculum for ethnic community using participatory activities and games. By living with the community, Thuy facilitated the production of a participatory documentary that describes livelihoods in Northwestern Vietnam in reference to Oxfam’s project. Consultants: Thuy Dinh, 2011 Cohort Kerri Murphy, 2011 Cohort Consultant: Thuy Dinh, 2011 Cohort Results A film that includes a participatory 18-­‐min documentary plus 10-­‐min 
Results  A survey sent to 830 members with 78 responses and an analysis report  Recordings of interviews with board members  Case study and recommendation for development of New Rules’ membership model  Guideline, spreadsheet of potential organization and recommendation for New Rules’ strategy for merger and acquisition. 11 feature of behind the scenes  A community film screening event in Northwestern Vietnam that attracted over 100 villagers  A guideline for Oxfam to incorporate participatory in their future projects  Project insights for Oxfam’s mid-­‐term review in June 2013 Partners for Tunisian Development Partners of the Americas Financial Sustainability Strategy Incubator Service Provision Background Background Partners of the Americas is a non-­‐profit, non-­‐partisan organization with a vision of an interconnected hemisphere that maximizes the social and economic potential, and leverages the full diversity of the Americas. A Ganar is a project of Partners focusing on youth workforce development. Problem Statement Partners for Tunisian Economic Development (PTED) is a project financed by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), executed and promoted by the Arab Institute of Business Managers (IACE), that aims to increase entrepreneurship and improve the situation of Tunisia’s less developed areas by attracting Tunisian and foreign investors and their capital to those regions. The project is intended to benefit both unemployed youth and business owners. Partners has expanded its products and services into new geographies. The organization has come to face challenges in procuring sustainable Problem Statement donors, dealing with funding competition, brand and quality control, and accountability among its Country Operating Organizations and Implementing Organizations. Partners of the Americas wants A Ganar, to become a social franchise venture in order address these challenges. Rural areas in Tunisia are underdeveloped with high rate of unemployment. At the same time, there are a lot of entrepreneurs with business acumen but not well-­‐equipped with business skills. The challenge is to support the growth of these entrepreneurs so as they can contribute to Tunisia’s overall economic development. The team first explored different models to find which fits best for Partners’ A Ganar program such as: Social Franchise, Fee-­‐for-­‐service and Local Nationalizer. The team also helped Partners identify new funding sources and revenue streams. The team presented case studies for each model and recommended that the best option is social franchise. Brad Fisher provided 1-­‐1 consulting services to many rural entrepreneurs in different towns of Tunisia. Brad’s consulting incubator services included: business plan review and recommendation. He also collected all the business plans and compiled into a comprehensive proposal for submission to IACE, a local think tank partner. From there, IACE could present the proposal to potential investors. Approach Approach Consultants: Consultant: Kate McElligott, 2011 Cohort Sara Telzer, 2011 Cohort Results  Calculation of A Ganar’s start up and operating costs  3 case studies on 3 different organizations with feasible sustainable structure  Recommendations and guideline for Partners to follow the Social Franchise model for its A Ganar program.  List of potential corporate partners for Partners. Brad Fisher, 2012 Cohort Results  Business Analysis, Market analysis and Environment analysis of different towns in with high entrepreneurship prevalence in Tunisia.  A comprehensive finding that can be presented to potential investors to support these rural entrepreneurs. 12 Pepa Snack Packers Visibility Enhancement Marketing and Outreach Strategy Background Background Pepa is an eco-­‐friendly and sophisticated jewelry line for the stylish, socially conscious customer. Pepa’s products are handmade with pieces contain tagua (taag-­‐wa), a palm nut found in Ecuador, which is safely harvested, safely dyed, and polished into beautiful pieces for jewelry. Snack Packers is premised on making responsible snacking accessible. Snack Packers endeavors to deliver and sell nutritious single-­‐serving snacks -­‐ that do less harm to the environment -­‐ to those that work in office buildings in the D.C. metropolitan area. Problem Statement Problem Statement Pepa is a one-­‐person organization that produces beautiful jewelry products but lacks visibility and awareness. Pepa sells mainly through word of mouth, brochures, and Facebook. Pepa products are also sold exclusively at small, intimate gatherings; with the goal to sell at local jewelry festivals. At the time of consulting, the organization was beginning from scratch and had developed a client base primarily by word of mouth. Snack Packers sought to expand its operations and generate a stronger customer base. The team saw that the organization not only needed strategic consulting for development but also hands-­‐on engagement. Therefore, the team explored different channels for Pepa to introduce and sell its products: both online and offline. The team also gathered materials (e.g. photographs) to promote and enhance Pepa’s online visibility. Most importantly, the team focused on brand imaging with a greater emphasis on Pepa’s social value. The team conducted research on healthy snacking and on other companies who offered a similar product so as to better understand the market for such a product. The team also created a marketing plan and designed a business development strategy to improve Snack Packer’s outreach. Approach Approach Consultants: Taryn Bird, 2012 Cohort Trey Waters, 2012 Cohort Sara Telzer, 2011 Cohort Aaron Schneyer, 2014 Consultants: Setra Yappi, 2011 Cohort Amy Gillespie, 2011 Cohort Results  Organized an event with other companies and organizations Results  A Pepa booth to sell their products at Hands on Adams Morgan Day Festival  Online brand imaging  Local Venue and online sales through creation of online “store”(Etsy Account) 13 offering healthy snacking products as a networking opportunity and to share ideas.  Compiled a report on messaging and outreach strategies that Snack Packers could implement.  Made recommendations on who to target as potential clients and partners. Solimar International United to End Genocide Outreach and Growth Strategy Fundraising Analytics & Strategy Background Background Solimar International is a tourism-­‐consulting firm based in Washington, DC, with the mission of helping businesses, travelers, and destinations develop and connect to sustainable tourism experiences that support environmental conservation, preserve cultural heritage, and enhance the lives of local residents. United to End Genocide (UEG) is the largest activist organization in the United States dedicated to preventing and ending genocide and mass atrocities worldwide. They strive to meet this objective by embedding these core values in U.S. foreign policy, ensuring justice for victims of mass atrocities and accountability for perpetrators, and taking actions to stop those who will commit, aid, or abet these acts. Problem Statement Problem Statement There was a need to identify a business model that would generate revenue for Solimar International and contribute to the organization’s triple bottom line efforts of environmental conservation (environment), cultural heritage preservation (social) and the enhancement of the lives of local residents (economic). UEG relies heavily on the procurement of e-­‐mail lists to generate action and raise funds through donations via its online community. In 2012, UEG’s web traffic and open rates of e-­‐mail declined sharply, falling well below industry standards. UEG needed an effective strategy for future email list acquisitions to maximize user activity and increase donations to support the organization and its mission. Approach Approach Michael helped develop the business model for a conservation lodge in Baja California Sur, Mexico focused on attracting impact investors interested in sustainable tourism, as well as an investor outreach strategy for Solimar International’s projects in Mexico along the Texas border. The team conducted an analysis of open rates and actions taken by UEG’s online community using its software platform, Convio. The team also conducted benchmarking to develop realistic targets. Consultants: Consultant: Taryn Bird, 2012 Cohort Stephanie Navarette, 2012 Cohort Michael Sayre, 2011 Cohort Results Results  A proposal was presented to a group of landowners and investors from the state of Baja California Sur in Mexico.  A strategy focused on targeting individuals and outdoor enthusiast networks in Texas to support the creation of a new tourist center 14  Completed an Return on Investment (ROI) analysis of already acquired e-­‐mail lists  Provided recommendations for future email list acquisitions  Delivered a manual to standardize the yearly ROI update process  Developed recommendations for new approaches to generate additional funding US-­‐Mexico Foundation World Vision Impact Investing Strategy Research on CSR Development Strategy Background Background World Vision (WV) is a humanitarian organization dedicated to alleviating the poverty through the provision of disaster relief, reliable access to basic life necessities such as healthcare, food, clean water sanitation and education. WV is forming public-­‐private partnerships (PPPs) ranging from local businesses to multinational corporations to establish effective aid programs and foster corporate social responsibility (CSR). The U.S. -­‐ Mexico Foundation is dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of Mexico through effective philanthropy and bi-­‐national partnerships. Problem Statement The social enterprise sector has the potential to improve lives for the people of Mexico. While impact investing and venture philanthropy are viewed as instrumental to the sustainability and scale of social enterprise, and many different actors are entering the field, this nascent industry faces many challenges in Mexico. U.S. -­‐ Mexico Foundation’s management team is considering entering the impact investment sector in Mexico Problem Statement World Vision found that many African corporations, including those in Kenya, have developed CSR strategies based on Western cultural norms and business practices. The language, ideologies, and implementation approaches are often not relevant to the local stakeholders and their cultural traditions. As a result, the CSR programs do not reach the target audience Approach Approach The team provided support to the U.S.-­‐Mexico Foundation (USMF) by conducting research to understand the challenges faced in the Mexican impact investing ecosystem, and developing a final report that provided strategy recommendations as to how USMF could best support the development of this sector. The research revealed a number of gaps and challenges common across the development of an impact-­‐investing ecosystem in emerging markets. The team employed a two-­‐phased approach. In Phase I, the team developed a framework to guide research on the core beliefs, norms and values, assumptions, behaviors, and explicit culture of Kenya. Then, the team conducted in-­‐depth research on key focus areas. In Phase II, the team prepared an assessment of the Nation Media Group's (NMG) current CSR strategies in relation to Kenyan cultural norms. Consultants: Consultant: Adrienne Gifford, 2012 Cohort Michael Sayre, 2011 Cohort Adrienne Gifford, 2012 Cohort Results  A literature review researching industry trends  Multiple interviews with key actors in the impact investing space in Mexico  A strategy recommendations for USMF future impact investing initiative  A presentation given to major foundations at the 3rd annual Latin American Impact Investing Forum in Merida, Mexico. Results  A notional culturally relevant social balanced scorecard used to assess specific components of NMGs CSR strategy  Develop materials into training documents for World Vision employees and to aid discussions with Kenyan corporations about their CSR programs developed in partnership with WV. 15 For more information, please contact: Robert Tomasko Director of the Social Enterprise Program: tomasko@american.edu To learn more about the Social Enterprise Program, visit: www.american.edu/sis/socialenterprise