Gestation of a New Health-Related Nonprofit Organization

The major project for this course is for you to work to develop a proposal (about 20 pages) for a new health-related nonprofit organization. Given the material that you learn each week, the research that you will conduct, combined with any assistance from me, which will be significant, you should be able to put together a realistic proposal for a new nonprofit organization that can fill an unmeet health-related need. This summary course project will be challenging and calls for hard work, much research, persistence, and creativity.   Below is an outline of the major components expected in your new nonprofit proposal. In the for-profit sector, these proposals are called business plans. There are several types of business plans, such as a brief summary plan (12-15 pages), full business plan (20-40 pages), or an operating plan (40 or more pages). You will be developing a summary plan proposal.   The reasons for a good business plan are to (a) help entrepreneurs and founders focus their ideas for the purpose of the new organization; (b) provide information to lenders or investors; (c) identify challenges and opportunities for the new enterprise; (d) identify and organize the core business activities; and (e) set goals and metrics for success. In the nonprofit world, the reasons for a proposal translate to (a) demonstrate the rationale for the need for existence; (b) demonstrate that your organization can truly meet that need for its delineated group; (c) convince funders (however defined) that your organization is worthy of support; and (d) show a plan for building capacity for sustainability.   The major components of the plan as outlined below first and foremost serve as best practice in areas to consider for your proposal’s success. However, I do want to give you flexibility to creatively demonstrate his/her ideas and vision, and recognize that there will be some variation depending on the type of nonprofit chosen and the mission and purpose. As you will learn in this course, while good intentions are important, nonprofits must still demonstrate a reason for their existence and build the capacity for sustainability– all within the current backdrop of a circumspect government and sometimes skeptical public as nonprofits proliferate.    Problem Statement or Rationale:   This is a most important part of the proposal. What is the health care or health improvement need out there in the community? How can you demonstrate quantitatively, as well as qualitatively, that there is a need? The reader needs to understand that someone is in need of help or humanity can be improved because your group is providing something of value. Keep in mind that a program (and the organization that provides programs and services) is a response to a need. In this first section you are not describing your program or even why you think no body is helping in this area; you are describe the nature (qualitative) and extent (quantitative) of the health problem at hand. Describe the nature and extent of the problem and very specifically for the people served in your geographic area. Have people asked for help? Are there underlying symptoms that you can describe that demonstrate that there is a problem and there is need for improvement and support? This section should be heavily referenced using American Psychological Association (APA) in-text and references style. Include a transition sentence from this section to the next. Something such as “Given [the health issue at hand] there is a need to do [what].”   Description of the Mission, Purpose, and Goals of the Organization:   In this section of the proposal you provide your purpose for existence. You can give the mission statement of your organization and then describe what you aim to accomplish. What are your goals? How will people relate to or identify your organization? (Make sure you revisit the material that we covered related to these components, i.e. mission, goals, objectives, strategies, tactics.)    Means to Achieve Results (Description of Programs or Services):   At first we have the need. Then a nonprofit organization is formed with a mission to meet that need. This section should describe specifically the programs, services, etc. that will meet those needs. What is your deliverable? What business, so to speak, are you in? When people contact your organization, what’s the deal? What are you actually giving people? You don’t need to deliver everything that is needed to solve a health problem; this is not realistic. The ACS does not treat people or give money to people who have cancer, but they do provide information, education, some low level patient service (e.g. support groups), and fund research (but they don’t conduct the actual research.). Don’t just mimic what is already out there. Find the gap and fill it.    Market/Service Analysis: In a business plan, this section is called the market analysis. Potentially how many customers are in need? Who currently is serving them? Is the market growing? Is it expected to change not only in extent but in nature? Describe the nature and extent of the people being served or not being served. Who are they? Where are they? What characteristics do they have?   SWOT Analysis:    Why you? Why not someone else, e.g. government, private company? Why at this time? Describe the Opportunities, and Threats of operating in this area of improving the human condition. Describe how your organization understands these issues and can work within these conditions. While a SWOT analysis has strengths and weaknesses, these are internal. Since this is a new nonprofit, just address the Threats and Opportunities.    Governance and Staffing:   Describe the members of your board of trustees (governance). What profile/composition do you see for each member of the Board of Trustees? (Don’t simply say “a physician” but what kind of physician?). These can be real people you know or positions that make sense, e.g. “the Executive Director of the Podunk County Chamber of Commerce” or “The CFO of St. Elsewhere Hospital.”   Name the position and general function of each staff member. Think about each member you need. And don’t forget people who actually do the work, i.e. deliver the service. You need an Executive Director for sure. Don’t run your nonprofit on the backs of your board members. Keep in mind that board members and staff are quite different. You need to list the salary of each member to complete the budget above. What is you start up and three-year plan for staffing? Describe these positions and functions.    Is there a role for volunteers? What collaboratives do you foresee with other organizations? Are these formal or informal? Do they exist, or will your organization start a new one?   Marketing and Communication   Who will be responsible for marketing? What is your integrated marketing plan? Define your target audience(s), key messages, and marketing communication outlets. Think about the Product Mix (Product, Promotion, Price, and Place) and the components of a marketing plan. Don’t fall into the trap of listing marketing the visible marketing items but are not appropriate. Nonprofits generally do not need Sky Writing messages, right? This should be a creative section. Be creative!   Funding: Sources and Use of Money Raised   Give some indication of your start-up funding needs (Year 1) and include a three-year revenue generation plan (3 years). Start with personnel which is usually the most costly. You don’t need to show each line item but revue some budgets and determine some big buckets of need (e.g. personnel, materials delivered, rent, fund raising costs, PR/Communication, website, consultants).     Give a brief description of your plans and programs for revenue generation. Who will be responsible for raising this money and how will revenue be generated?    How will you disburse the money, i.e. give a sense of costs (personnel, deliverables). You will need to show a spreadsheet of a three-year plan for expenses and revenue generation then give a brief budget narrative.     Measures of Success   How do you plan on measuring your success? Number of people reached with a message? Number of people served? People who have a changed behavior or conditions? How do you know you are making a difference?   Critical Success Factors   Are there any overriding critical success factors for the start up and sustainability of your new health-related nonprofit organization? In other words, what absolutely needs to take place or needs to be avoided for your new organization to be successful? (Avoid the obvious issues such as funding and being new.) For example, if you were providing some type of patient support group at a hospital, access to the hospital is a critical success factor. If you are going into schools, getting approval to go into a school is a critical success factor.     Format: ·      Approx. 15- 20 pages in length or whatever is needed to thoroughly cover the topics above.  ·      12-point type ·      Double space (no extra space between paragraphs ·      Paper is presented in a professional format  ·      Correct and appropriate grammar, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary (Use the right word!  Avoid colloquialisms in your writing.) ·      Major Components of proposal have accurate and supportable statements  ·      Effectively integrates material from course to demonstrate best practice in nonprofit management ·      Demonstrates health care professional leadership thinking and analysis  ·      Creativity and ability to communicate ideas   RUBRIC   Problem Statement or Rationale                                                                                 10% Description of the Mission, Purpose and Goals of the Organization                         10% Means to Achieve Results (Description of Programs or Services)                            10% Market/Service Analysis                                                                                            10% SWOT Analysis                                                                                                          10% Governance and Staffing                                                                                            10% Marketing and Communication                                                                                  10% Funding: Sources and Use of Money Raised                                                             10% Measures of Success                                                                                                   10% Critical Success Factors                                                                                               5% APA References                                                                                                           5%