Case Studies

Non-Profit Agency

Situation:

• The client, Junior Achievement of Brown County ( a non-profit agency)
• Leadership and direction lacking.
• Community interest in agency was eroding fast.
• No strategy in place to achieve targeted funding and student participation levels.
  

Before:

• During the 1996-7 fiscal year, strong consideration given to closing Junior Achievement of Brown County.
• There had been a continued decline in student participation and number of classrooms Junior Achievement was reaching out to.
• Board members were adding no value and not participating in generating community interest or garnering funds from organizations within Brown County.
• No metrics in place to measure accountability among the organization.

• Took over leadership of Junior Achievement as President
• Established commitments from the board members to maintain their position.
• Enhanced Junior Achievement by adding a Senior Advisory Board.
• Newly formed Senior Advisory Board would be comprised of leaders in the community that have long standing roots.
• Created and designed a sales presentation to attract corporate sponsors.
• Implemented a more aggressive approach to fundraising by requiring at a minimum three year commitments from sponsors.
• Focused on certain metrics (e.g. number of students participating, number of classrooms, funding targets, cost per student) to continually keep accountability and goals within the organization.
• See Appendix for detail metrics.
  

After:

• Senior Advisory Board active in overseeing that Junior Achievement of Brown County will succeed for the long haul. A retreat is held annually.
• Board members committed to working together on various committees.
• One committee that has thrived is the Business Bowl Challenge. Sponsorship has increased from $3,000 to $15,000 a year for that specific event alone.
• Sales presentation to corporate sponsors has increased funding in every year and employers are seeing the positive impact that the volunteers participating in Junior Achievement have within their own organizations. This has created a win/ win atmosphere.
• An established leadership succession plan is in place and providing positive results.
• Community interest in Junior Achievement has been strengthened by the success of the Business Bowl Challenge, increased student participation, increase in volunteers, board membership, and number of classrooms reached.
• Cost per student has decreased after much investment of time and energy. See Appendix for detail metrics.