Competency
In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competency:
Demonstrate basic budgeting and financial analysis and reporting in relation to the execution of communication projects
Scenario
Your employer, D.O.W.S., a nonprofit nongovernmental organization (NGO) that helps people with water access and public health issues, has recently launched a marketing campaign with a focus on increasing clean water access for children living in urban poverty with little control over the water they consume. The mission of this campaign is to provide free tap filters for urban homes so all children can have unrestricted access to clean drinking water without the interference or issues that often come with government-issued supports. In an effort to attract more sponsors to fund the distribution of these filters, your supervisor has suggested sending a team to the NGO Expo, and she has asked you to generate an exploratory report that examines the costs and project needs associated with attending this trade show as well as an explanation of your recommendations.
Directions
Your employer, D.O.W.S., is looking to launch a new marketing campaign that will provide free tap filters for urban homes so all children can have unrestricted access to clean drinking water without the interference or issues that often come with government-issued supports. Although your company is a nonprofit, it still needs to ensure that all projects generate some level of profit in order to keep reinvesting back into the organization to continue its much-needed work. Your supervisor has expressed interest in sending a team of four to the NGO Expo in New York City, and has tasked you with determining if this is a financially viable method of soliciting investors for your organization. You will need to develop an exploratory report for your supervisor that examines the costs and project needs for sending a team to the NGO Expo and makes recommendations for attending this expo.
Exploratory Report
Your exploratory report will need to include the following:
Return on Investment (ROI)
Evaluation of ROI
Determine the ROI based on the following:
Normal retail cost of units $99
Discounted cost per unit to organization $21
Billed unit sales 39
Determine the payback period based on ROI.
Costs
Estimate the top-down costs.
Previous expo exhibit-space fees have ranged from $2,500 to $3,500 for two attendees.
There will be four people attending the expo.
The team will be traveling from San Francisco to New York City.
The expo takes place over two days.
Estimate the bottom-up costs.
What are your expenses for attending this expo?
Consider some of the following (you may also wish to consider other expenses not listed here):
Travel: hotels, food, transportation, etc.
Expo exhibit expenses
Materials: booth displays, giveaways, etc.
Video presentation for booth
Similar video presentations have cost between $1,000 and $1,500 in the past.
Project Schedule
Create a resource-loaded project schedule assuming 10 weeks to complete this project.
What tasks need to be completed?
Identify key milestones that will need to be created.
Identify the estimated cost of achieving each milestone.
Recommendations Presentation
Given the organization’s goals of distributing these filters at no cost while still making a profit to continue this and other valuable work, what are your recommendations for attending this expo? Consider some of the following as you make your recommendations:
Is this a good use of your organization’s resources? Does the ROI support this?
What alternatives have been considered?
Can this project be completed in the allotted time frame?
What led you to this decision?
Executive Summary
Write an executive summary of your report and recommendations. Consider including the following:
What is this report about?
What is the purpose of this report?
What are your recommendations?
What to Submit
Every project has a deliverable or deliverables, which are the files that must be submitted before your project can be assessed. For this project, you must submit the following:
Exploratory Report
Your 750- to 1,000-word report should be written in a Word document with 12-point Times New Roman font and double spacing. You may include charts or graphs as appropriate.
Recommendations
Your recommendations should be presented in a 3- to 5-slide PowerPoint presentation. Your executive summary should be a maximum of 100 words.
Supporting Materials
The following resource(s) may help support your work on the project:
Citation Help
Need help citing your sources? Use the CfA Citation Guide and Citation Maker.
