03.14.16 - joanna malcom - capstone project

Streamlining the Processes and Procedures for Tusculum College’s Annual Phonathon Campaign

By

Joanna K. Malcom

Submitted to Dr. Jeff Burleson

as partial fulfillment for the

HRD CONSULTANT PROJECT

Tusculum College

3/14/16

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1—Introduction to the Organizational Need 4

Description of Tusculum College and the Annual Phonathon Fundraising Campaign 4 Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals 5 Significant Client and Participating Parties 9 Problem Statement 10 Desired Outcomes 10 Terms, Definitions, and Acronyms 10

Chapter 2—The Assessment 12

Assessment Objectives 12 Assessment Method 12 Data and Statistical Analysis Description 13 Assessment Findings 13 Recommendation(s) for Intervention 15 Contract for Intervention 16

Chapter 3—The Intervention 17

Description of the Planned Intervention 17 Participants in the Intervention 17 Materials and Methods 18 Change Management Approaches 18 Schedule to Implement the Intervention 19 Projected Costs of the Project 20

Chapter 4—Results of the Intervention 21

Brief Summary 21 Description of Method(s) to Evaluate the Intervention 21

Chapter 5—Recommendations and Lessons Learned 24

Executive Summary of the Project 24 Recommendations to the Client Organization 24 Personal Skills Assessment 25 Lessons Learned in Organizational Assessment and Intervention 27

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Resources 29

Appendices 30

Appendix A Assessment Tool—Client Interview Questions 30 Appendix B The Contract 31 Appendix C Personal Skills Assessment—Core Competencies 34 Appendix D Client Assessment of Consultant 41

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Chapter 1

Introduction to the Organizational Need

Description of Tusculum College and the Annual Phonathon Fundraising Campaign

Tusculum College (TC) was founded in 1794 and is Tennessee’s first college, in addition

to being the oldest coeducational institution affiliated with the US Presbyterian Church (“About

Tusculum College”, n.d.). The Office of Institutional Advancement (IA) is responsible for

fundraising, alumni events, and donor relations. The Tusculum Fund (TF)—housed within IA—

is an annual fundraising campaign that helps to underwrite the College’s operational budget.

The funds given to the TF are put to immediate use for the College’s most pressing needs,

including those that are included in operational budgets. The TF does not fundraise for special

projects such as endowed scholarships or building funds.

The Phonathon Campaign is a part the TF and provides an opportunity for current students

to connect with TC alumni and friends. The organization believes that current students can be

excellent fundraisers for the College because they provide a personal touch to fundraising and

the telling of their story may convince donors more than a letter or phone call from a College

employee. A phone call from a student also provides prospects the opportunity to share their

stories and to request more information about TC events. Additionally, there is simply no time

for IA to reach every single donor and prospect, and the Student Callers help the IA staff in this

way. Finally, the Student Callers are able to do the work of updating donors’ and prospects’

contact information, ensuring that the College is able to communicate with them. Figure 1

shows the organizational chart for IA, including the position of Student Caller.

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Brief History of the Phonathon Campaign at Tusculum College

The Phonathon Campaign had fallen by the wayside for several years and IA had all but

given up on it, deciding that it was not worth investing the time and effort being put into it.

Upon the encouragement of a fundraising consultant in 2010, it was reinvigorated. The budget

for the campaign was very small and the campaign took place over a few weeks each semester,

and the callers were volunteers. As more data collection methods were implemented,

improvement became easier to track, and therefore the program was easier to justify, allowing its

budget to grow. Since 2010, each year’s Phonathon Campaign has set new milestones and

implemented new strategies.

Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals

Mission - Tusculum College

Tusculum College provides a liberal arts education in a Judeo-Christian and civic

arts environment with pathways for career preparation, personal development and civic

engagement (“Mission Statement”, n.d.).

Figure 1. Organizational Chart for IA (“Human Resources”, 2012)

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Mission - Office of Institutional Advancement

The Office of Institutional Advancement at Tusculum College is committed to

generating resources, building relationships, and enhancing the College’s reputation

(“Institutional Advancement”, n.d.).

Mission – The Tusculum Fund

The Tusculum Fund is the College’s annual giving campaign that moves us

beyond what tuition provides and supports day-to-day excellence. Annual gifts build a

foundation of support that allows us to give and enrich our students’ educational

experiences, afford critical resources for our educators, and live out the mission of

Tusculum College. Gifts to the Tusculum Fund reduce barriers for our students and

allow them the freedom and flexibility to be true Pioneers (“The Tusculum Fund”, n.d.).

Vision of Tusculum College

As Tusculum College embarks on a third century of service, the vision for the next

decade is shaped by a commitment to:

• Enhance institutional integrity through aspirational leadership and academic

innovation, including well managed relationships with domestic and international

academic institutions to provide joint academic and co-curricular programs, exchange

opportunities and deep immersion experiences; integration of social media and virtual

experiences to enhance accessibility and academic achievement; increased placement of

graduates in advanced degree programs and professional schools; robust student and

faculty scholarship; and full integration of reflective judgment and critical thinking in all

aspects of our living and learning environment.

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• Distinguish Tusculum College alumni as leading citizen-scholars, through

redevelopment of the “Freshman Experience” to incorporate cultural enhancement

opportunities, providing students with knowledge and skills relevant to their everyday

and professional lives; a co-curricular transcript program to document student

participation and leadership in on- and off-campus organizations, demonstrating their

leadership experiences and dedication to service; and immersive, student-centered

learning and leadership environments conducive to collaborative, problem-based

learning.

• Establish transformative living and learning communities, by creating state-of-the-art,

student-centered learning environments; providing contemporary technologies to prepare

students who are academically, intellectually and technically equipped to work in, lead,

and serve their communities; providing places and support that nurture intellectual

curiosity; and creating virtual and physical environments conducive to academic

achievement and success.

• Create the capital to support ongoing institutional self-sufficiency, security, and

innovation, characterized by diversification of revenue streams, alternative funding

mechanisms and opportunities, and decreased student and institution dependence on state

and federal tuition assistance; competitive salaries and benefits designed to attract and

retain exemplary faculty and staff; a doubled endowment and increased unrestricted

funds to allow the College flexibility in supporting new initiatives; a substantial increase

in graduation rates; and active engagement in local and regional economic development.

The realization of this vision, informed by the boldest aspirations of our students,

alumni, faculty, staff, Trustees and trusted friends of the College, requires each person to

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fully embrace his or her role and responsibility with enthusiasm and determination to propel

Tusculum College into her third century (“Vision 20/20”, n.d.).

Values of Tusculum College

Integrity: Encompassing honesty and trustworthiness, all members of the Tusculum

Community value and live with integrity, respect and virtue in communications, relationships

and actions.

Education: We value a balanced education grounded in the civic and liberal arts and

career preparedness. Our goal is for students to develop practical wisdom, global literacy,

critical and independent thinking, and an appreciation for life-long learning, diversity and

inclusion.

Civic Responsibility: We value our unique heritage in the civic arts and the Judeo-

Christian tradition, and seek to develop citizen-scholars who will serve their communities

throughout the world. We develop students as leaders who problem solve with reflective

judgment (“Mission Statement”, n.d.).

Goals

Tusculum College

1. To enhance academic quality

2. To prepare students for success

3. To sustain optimal institutional resources (Tusculum College Strategic Planning

Committee, 2012)

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Annual Phonathon Campaign

1. Secure and increase financial support of the Tusculum Fund: Call sheets will list a

suggested ask amount based on whether or not the constituent has given and the amount of

the gift. If the constituent has never given, the typical ask is $25. If they have given

before, the ask amount is based on a number of factors, including the amount of the

previous gift, the wealth screening, and the ask amount from the previous fiscal year.

2. Retain Current Donors: Retaining donors is of utmost importance. The more donors the

Tusculum Fund has, the less we have to acquire. Treat every person the same and always

thank them multiple times for any previous contributions.

3. Help Establish a Meaningful Connection Between Alumni and Their Alma Mater:

The more connected TC alumni feel to the College, the more likely they are to give of one

of the “Three T’s”: time, talent, and treasure.

4. Increase Alumni Participation: A gift in any amount to TC by its alumni increases our

alumni participation rate. The is important because when seeking corporate and

foundation support, businesses and foundations often examine alumni giving participation

rates when deciding whether or not to support us. Why should they support us financially

if our alumni aren’t?

Significant Client and Participating Parties

The significant client is for this project is IA at TC and the participating parties include

Ms. Heather Patchett, Vice President for IA. The consultant is the Assistant Director of the TF,

and is therefore serving as an internal consultant.

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Problem Statement

There is a lack of information for the supervision of the Phonathon Campaign in IA. If the

Phonathon Supervisor has an extended absence, no one in the office knows how to thoroughly

strategize, plan, and execute the annual campaign. There is no procedure for recording changes,

improvements, or additions in implementation.

Desired Outcome

The desired outcome is twofold. First, the entire IA staff needs to have an understanding

of how the Phonathon Campaign is executed annually. Any one member of the IA staff should

be able to step in and execute all or part of the campaign. Second, there needs to be a tool for

recording changes made to all timelines, procedures, and strategies at the end of every FY.

Terms and Definitions and Acronyms

Institutional Advancement—(1) process of building awareness and support from all

constituencies. (2) programs within the institution that relate to its constituencies,

including alumni relations, communications, marketing, and fundraising. Also,

advancement, development.

CY—calendar year

FY—fiscal year (July 1-June 30 at TC)

HR—Human Resources

HRD—Human Resource Development

IA— (Office of) Institutional Advancement

LYBUNT (Last Year But Unfortunately Not This Year)—a donor who gave last FY

but have not given in the current FY

Not Yet—a prospect who has not yet given a gift to the College

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Phonathon—annual campaign to solicit funds support in which TC students make phone

calls to current and prospective donors

RE—(The) Raiser’s Edge; the name of the database TC uses to manage its donor and

fundraising activity

Refusal—a prospect who refuses to make a gift or pledge over the phone

SYBUNT (Some Year But Unfortunately Not This Year)—a donor who has given

before but have not given in the current FY

TC—Tusculum College

TF—Tusculum Fund; the College’s annual fund

WC—Will Consider; a prospect who says they will consider giving a gift to the College

but does not commit to a specific amount or date

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Chapter 2

Assessment of the Problem

Assessment Objective

The purpose of this assessment is to determine what is needed in order to ensure that IA

runs a consistent annual Phonathon Campaign. Additionally, the assessment will help determine

how to build a foundation for the continued improvement of the campaign.

Assessment Method

The consultant is basing the assessment around Kirkpatrick’s Four Level Evaluation

Model, the four levels of which are Reaction, Learning, Behavior, and Results This

assessment will have the following components: review of current processes and procedures

of the phonathon, observations conducted by the consultant, and an interview with The client.

Review

As the consultant is working internally, a review of the Phonathon Campaign’s history is

already known. Over the last five years it has evolved from recruiting student volunteers to

make fundraising phone calls, to what it is currently: a respected on-campus part-time job with

advancement opportunities and cash bonuses.

Additionally, the record-keeping has become increasingly sophisticated each year. The

callers self-report the number and results of the calls they make. This information is compiled

and recorded in RE. In this way, the supervisor knows how many calls are being made and what

callers are getting gifts the most gifts and pledges. Through these methods of documentation,

averages are calculated and patterns can be read in the data from year to year. This allows for

more efficient goal-setting and provides a means for holding Student Callers accountable for the

work they report.

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Observations

When the consultant was hired as the Assistant Director of the Tusculum Fund, there was

no procedure manual or list of steps to take in order to execute the Phonathon Campaign.

Another IA staff member had been overseeing it in the absence of a supervisor in addition to

their own job description. This staff member helped the consultant get started, but there was no

formal training. Clarifying all the necessary components will make future transitions more

seamless and efficient.

Interview

For the interview, the consultant designed an assessment tool consisting of eight questions

(Appendix A). The consultant will ask the questions during an interview with the Vice President

for IA at TC to determine her feelings about the current state of the phonathon and to assess the

specific procedures she deems necessary for the phonathon.

Data and Statistical Analysis

The interview questions were developed based on concerns raised during regular job-

related meetings between The client and the consultant. The type of data needed for this

assessment will consist of answers to questions asked of The client by the consultant during the

interview. Additionally, all recorded phonathon data as well as all reports created regarding its

progress will be available to the consultant.

Assessment Findings

The client expressed to the consultant that there are no official procedures in place to

guide IA staff members through the Phonathon Campaign in the absence of the Phonathon

Supervisor. All necessary timelines, procedures, and tasks need to be recorded for the benefit of

the IA staff. The Phonathon Campaign is a major aspect of the position of Assistant Director of

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the Tusculum Fund and there is no formal training on the intricacies of its various parts. This is

not necessarily due to neglect on the part of the IA staff, but is due in part to the fact that the

Phonathon Campaign has been rapidly evolving over the last several years. It has gradually

become a more established student part-time job with a respectable reputation on campus.

Additionally, because of the current Director of Advancement Services in IA, the data pulls and

data reporting methods, as well as subsequent evaluations made based on said data, have become

increasingly more sophisticated. New ideas and innovative strategies are implemented not only

every year, but at times more than once a semester. It has therefore been somewhat difficult to

record all up-to-date policies and procedures. Now that best practices are more easily identified

and exercised, a procedure manual is more necessary now than it ever has been for the

Phonathon Campaign. A major concern stated by The client is that if the Assistant Director of

the Tusculum Fund suddenly becomes unavailable to do their job, the IA staff would lose time

and money simply trying to figure out how to run the phonathon. There have also been

incidences in the recent past when there was no staff member whose job description included

executing the phonathon and as a result, the goals of the campaign were not met. Additionally,

as the phonathon progresses in its sophistication, many new tasks and procedures are added to

the supervisor’s job and these are not recorded for anyone else on the IA staff to reference.

There is currently no formal assessment of the Phonathon Campaign each year. If all

information about the program was recorded, any changes made throughout the year could be

noted and the procedures could be updated at the end of the annual campaign.

The client also stressed that she found the Human Resources hiring process to be

cumbersome and that the process was often rushed. She felt it necessary to document the

process in detail in order to make sure that the most skilled students were hired to raise money

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for the College in a timely manner. She believes that with the entire process documented, any IA

staff member will be able to step in and know that they are hiring the best students possible,

therefore ensuring that the position of Student Caller for the Phonathon campaign will be a

respected one across campus.

Furthermore, The client felt that the gift ask amounts on each prospect’s call sheet needed

to be appropriate and requested that the process for determining gift ask amounts be

standardized, as well as the method for training Student Callers to make those gift asks. Along

with the standardization of the gift ask amounts, she said that the IA staff needs to know what

transitional phrases the Student Callers should be taught in order to overcome prospects’

objections to making a gift (H. Patchett, personal communication, December 7, 2015).

Recommendation for Intervention

Based upon the findings of this assessment, a procedure manual for executing the

Phonathon Campaign is recommended by the consultant. It should include such information as

• the timeline and goals for the annual Phonathon Campaign;

• how to recruit, interview, hire, and train Student Callers, including all paperwork and

documentation required by the Human Resources Office

• how to schedule Student Callers and motivate them throughout the shift;

• how to pull reports from RE and merge the information into the call sheet template, and

• how to input updated information collected from the callers into RE.

The manual should not only be a how-to guide for implementing the Phonathon

Campaign, but the consultant recommended that it also serve as a method for tracking the

Phonathon Campaign’s successes and deficiencies. It should be a place to record best

practices and findings throughout the fiscal year.

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Contract for Intervention

The consultant made the intervention recommendations to The client, which she agreed

to. A contract (Appendix B) was drawn up and signed by both parties.

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Chapter 3

The Intervention

Description of the Planned Intervention

The client and the consultant discussed the assessment findings and agreed to a single

intervention: a policies and procedures manual for the Phonathon Campaign. Both parties agreed

that the manual should also serve as a guide for any IA staff member to use.

Participants in the Intervention

The consultant is responsible for organizing all timelines and procedures and for

including all necessary items in the manual. The consultant will receive ongoing feedback from

The client and seek her final approval upon completion of the manual.

The Director for Advancement Services will provide valuable information regarding how

to use RE. He will review the information for errors.

The key stakeholders in the intervention are:

• the Phonathon Supervisor—they will use the manual as a guide for executing the

annual phonathon and they will record any changes they make to the process; they will

review the manual annually to ensure all processes are efficient and effective

• the VP of IA—desires for there to be a process in place ensuring that the Phonathon

Campaign not only utilizes best practices, but that there is a way for all members of the

IA staff to implement the procedures

• Student Callers—they will benefit from consistency throughout the campaign

regardless of who their supervisor is

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Materials and Methods for the Intervention

As an internal consultant in the position as Assistant Director of the Tusculum Fund, the

consultant has all of the resources available to research the history of the phonathon at TC, as

well as the experience supervising the phonathon for 2½ years. Additionally, the consultant has

access to RE and the Director of Advancement Services is a coworker, so all records can be

accessed and data confirmed as part of the consultant’s position.

Data includes fundraising totals from the last five fiscal years, Student Caller information

(how many callers, average calls made per shift, average number of gifts per caller, average

number of refusals, etc.), and how the process of hiring and training has changed over the last

five years. The Student Caller Handbook and all available scripts will also be studied.

Change Management Approaches

Implementing the policies and procedures manual is meant to be helpful for the IA staff.

However, if the need ever arises for them to use the manual in order to execute the phonathon,

having had some practice, or at least ensuring that the manual is studied beforehand, may be

necessary. The consultant will make suggestions to the client regarding ways to divide up the

responsibilities (so that one staff member is not responsible for the whole campaign) and

practical ways to apply the Phonathon Campaign to their own work. For example, the Associate

Director of Alumni Relations could practice pulling lists from RE and merging the information

into call sheets when they have specific people they want contacted for alumni events.

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Schedule to Implement the Intervention

Date(s) Action(s) December 1, 2015 Contract signed by client and consultant

December 7, 2015 Consultant interviews client using assessment tool

December 8-14, 2015 Consultant gathers all observations made regarding Phonathon Campaign as Assistant Director of the TF

January 4, 2016 Client and consultant meet to discuss assessment findings and observations made

January 5, 2016 Consultant determines budget and timeline for intervention implementation

January 6-8, 2016 Consultant reviews and builds list of all processes and procedures necessary for the execution of the annual Phonathon Campaign

January 11-15, 2016 Consultant reviews the hiring process, required signatures, and necessary documents for part-time student employees of TC with Human Resources office

January 25, 2016 First draft of procedure manual due for The client’s review

February 8, 2016 Second draft of procedure manual due for The client’s review

February 22, 2016

• Final draft of procedure manual due for The client’s review and approval

• Intervention evaluation instrument given to The client to complete

February 29, 2016

• Consultant meets with The client to discuss recommendations for the annual Phonathon Campaign

• The client gives complete evaluation to consultant • Copies of the policies and procedures manual are

distributed to IA staff for reference

March 28, 2016 Consultant meets final time with The client to evaluate the effects of the procedure manual and to discuss recommendations for the annual Phonathon Campaign

Table 1: Schedule to Implement the Intervention

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Projected Costs of the Project

The consultant spent approximately 30 hours meeting with the client, researching, and

writing the policies and procedures manual. At the standard consultant’s rate of $100 per hour,

the consultant fee would be $3,000. The cost of binding the policies and procedures manual was

$25. The client was not billed as the consultant was serving internally and created the manual as

part of their position at TC.

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Chapter 4

Results of the Intervention

Brief Summary

The consultant has been employed by TC since November of 2013 and, as part of their

position, has executed the Phonathon Campaign three times. As a member of the IA staff, the

consultant is serving internally. The consultant met with the client, the VP of IA, who

communicated the need to streamline the policies and procedures necessary to execute the annual

Phonathon Campaign. Additionally, the client expressed concern that the consultant was the

only one who fully knew how to execute the Phonathon Campaign.

After conducting the needs analysis—the interview and subsequent discussion—with the

client, the consultant determined that the best course of action was to write a manual. The

manual would serve as a guide for anyone on the IA staff to follow should the need arise for a

temporary Phonathon Supervisor. It would also be useful in determining best practices and in

addressing and tracking changes to the program year after year. This intervention was carried

out by the consultant January-March of 2016. The client provided final approval of the resulting

manual on February 22, 2016.

Description of Method(s) to Evaluate the Intervention.

Level 1—Reaction

The client reacted favorably to the intervention. She felt confident that it would provide

much-needed consistency and stability for the TC Phonathon Campaign and that it would

provide overall benefits to the fundraising efforts of the IA staff.

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Level 2—Learning

The consultant promoted and further defined the essential roles and described all

responsibilities of the Phonathon Supervisor at TC. The client was assured that the Phonathon

Campaign would be able to be carried out smoothly and efficiently regardless of extenuating

circumstances (extended absences due to illness, lack of Phonathon Supervisor on staff, etc.).

The IA staff were able to understand the importance of the Phonathon Campaign and could see

the responsibilities listed in a central location, giving them confidence to execute the campaign

in whole or in part.

Level 3—Behavior

Because the process and timeline of executing the annual Phonathon Campaign was

clearly defined, the client and IA staff gained confidence in their ability to carry out all the

necessary duties related to it. There was, in general, a more positive feeling about the campaign

and a greater understanding of its potential to not only raise funds, but to aid each member of the

IA staff in an aspect of their own position.

Level 4—Results

The objective of the intervention was to provide a streamlined process for the execution

of the annual Phonathon Campaign. Several copies of the manual were provided to the IA staff

to reference in the event that an individual or group needed to take over for any amount of time.

As such, the results of the intervention will be measured in a qualitative manner should the need

for their assistance arise.

At the end of each FY, the Phonathon Supervisor, and/or any member of the IA staff who

assisted in executing the Phonathon Campaign, will review the campaign and note any changes

that should be made to the manual. Recommended changes will be based on inefficient

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processes or any mistakes made in gathering, recording, or reporting data. Additionally, if the

fundraising goals of the campaign are not met, the timeline put forth in the manual will be

examined and adjusted accordingly.

Recommended changes will be discussed with any member of the IA staff involved in the

campaign. Recommended changes will be presented to the client for her approval.

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Chapter 5

Recommendations and Lessons Learned

Executive Summary of the Project

The client felt that there was a lack of understanding on the part of the IA staff on how to

execute the annual Phonathon Campaign, an effort that raises money primarily for the Tusculum

Fund and is a tool for updating the contact information of TC’s alumni and friends. The client

also wanted a way to track and record best practices, as well as any change made to the

campaign throughout its duration. Lastly, the client recognized the lack of an in-depth

assessment tool to be completed annually upon the completion of the Phonathon Campaign.

The consultant proposed that a phonathon procedure manual be written for any member

of the IA staff to follow in case of the absence of a Phonathon Supervisor. The manual may also

provide an opportunity for other members of the IA staff to utilize the Phonathon Campaign to

aid them in their own positions.

The consultant submitted the completed manual to the client, who in turn provided copies

for reference to the IA staff. The consultant met again with the client upon the completion of the

intervention to gather feedback and to provide an opportunity to make suggestions for the

consultant.

Recommendations to the Client Organization

The consultant recommends that the members of the IA staff review the manual and

practice different aspects of executing the Phonathon Campaign. In order to gain a greater

understanding of the Phonathon Campaign, the staff members could also assist and observe the

Phonathon Supervisor during any aspects of the campaign for which they would like further

clarification or practice in carrying out. Each staff member may also suggest ways for the

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execution of the Phonathon Campaign could be integrated into their own positions. For example,

the Associate Director of Alumni Relations may provide details about upcoming alumni events

to which the phonathon students can invite alumni.

Personal Skills Assessment

The consultant completed an assessment (Appendix C) of their professional HRD skills

that the intervention required in order to be planned, implemented, and conducted successfully.

The assessment is adapted from Rothwell, Hohne, & King’s sample assessment in their Human

Performance Improvement: Building Practitioner Competence.

The consultant found several professional HRD skills that this project required to be

planned, implemented, and conducted successfully. The following are those HRD skills that the

consultant believed they performed strongly in:

Industry Awareness—Understanding the vision, strategy, goals, and culture of not only the

client organization, but of the advancement industry as a whole, is necessary for recording

timelines, best practices, and benchmarks for a phonathon fundraising campaign. The consultant

feels they have a thorough understanding of the requirements for a successful Phonathon

Campaign, especially since they served as an internal consultant.

Buy-in/Advocacy Skills—While the consultant worked closely with a single client rather than a

client group, the client’s “buy-in” was necessary for moving the intervention forward. The

consultant worked to ensure the client that creating a manual for implementing the Phonathon

Campaign was the best way to guarantee the success of the Campaign year after year, and for the

entire IA staff to have an understanding of the essential processes and procedures of the

campaign.

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Ability to See “Big Picture”—While documenting every facet of the campaign is crucial to

being able to implement it, the consultant regularly reflected on the contents of the manual to

make certain that it was relevant to the overall success of the campaign’s ultimate goals. The

consultant found that it is easy to get caught up in very small details when planning and

executing a Phonathon Campaign. In the manual, the essentials are discussed at great length, and

examples are provided as necessary.

Standard-Setting Skills—As they were serving internally, the consultant was able to track and

record the effectiveness and efficiency of all processes and procedures especially well. Not only

this, but the consultant believes that there are ample methods in place to track and record any

changes made to these standards throughout the campaign.

Ability to Assess Impact on Culture—The consultant feels confident that the intervention had a

positive impact on the culture of the IA staff. There is ample information and instruction

regarding the Phonathon Campaign contained in the manual. Additionally, the establishment of

official instructions, best practices, and systems for evaluating success generate confidence in the

campaign and its value to the client and the IA staff as a whole.

Through the self-assessment, the consultant also realized several HRD skills that they

need to develop:

Coping Skills—The ability to deal with stress and handle ambiguity within a project is a skill

that the consultant has recognized within themselves on previous projects. Using the self-

assessment tool to reflect on the intervention and its implementation reinforced to the consultant

this fact.

Project Management Skills—The consultant found that they can easily become overwhelmed

with planning, costing, organizing, resourcing, and managing complex projects. It will be

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necessary for the consultant to develop personal methods to aid them in strategizing for future

interventions, as well as holding themselves accountable to timelines and regular reflection on

the implementation of the intervention.

Goal Interpretation Skills—The consultant recognizes that being able to convert goals into

actions, despite conflicting priorities, lack of resources, or ambiguity can be difficult for them.

This is due to being new to the field of consulting, and goes along with project management

skills, and goal interpretation skills. Further research into Phonathon Campaigns and other

aspects of the advancement profession will be helpful to the consultant in developing their goal

interpretation skills.

Analytical Skills (Synthesis)—The consultant found that breaking down the components of a larger

whole is difficult for them. The same plans for improving coping skills, project management skills, and

goal interpretation skills will be useful for improving analytical skills.

The consultant prepared an assessment (Appendix D) for the client to complete regarding

their performance as consultant for this intervention. Based on its completion as well as regular

meetings about the project, the consultant found that their personal skills assessment and the

client’s assessment were very similar. The client felt that the consultant needed to improve

analytical skills, coping skills, time management, and project management skills. The client felt

that the consultant was strong in the areas of research, seeing the “big picture”, influencing

others in a positive way, and in recognizing industry standards and best practices.

Lessons Learned in Organizational Assessment and Intervention

The consultant realized the intensity level of organizational skills that are required in

order to compile a complete procedure manual. Even though the consultant was serving

internally, the number of tasks and the depth of their intricacies were not fully known until the

project was undertaken. The consultant had been learning and absorbing the job of Phonathon

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Supervisor and learning as they went. Gathering all of the information related to the job was

more time-consuming than the consultant had been previously aware of. Had the same

intervention been conducted by an external consultant, even more time and a broader assessment

tool would have been necessary.

The consultant learned from the Creative Pattern that is a part of their DiSC profile that

they judge others heavily by their own personal standards, often without having formally made

said standards official. As a Creative person, the consultant tends to make impulsive decisions.

When such decisions are made without recording benchmarks or noting best practices within a

program, colleagues and/or subordinates can be left wondering why such actions were taken.

Therefore, the progressive actions that a Creative person takes in order to accomplish tasks may

be lost on the individual attempting to follow them.

The consultant learned that they needed to be more thorough and proactive in their

communication with the client. Because of “C” dimension of their DiSC profile, the consultant

can be evasive and vague when it comes to plans and ideas. More scheduled meetings and

structured feedback sessions should be implemented to counteract the negative effects that this

trait can have on consultant projects.

29

Resources

About Tusculum College. About Tusculum. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2016, from http://web.tusculum.edu/about/

Human Resources. (2016, February 3). Retrieved March 10, 2016, from http://www3.tusculum.edu/hr/organizational-charts/

Institutional Advancement. (n.d.). Retrieved February 101, 2016, from http://www3.tusculum.edu/giving/

Mission Statement. About Tusculum. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2016, from http://web.tusculum.edu/about/mission-statement/

Rothwell, W. J., Hohne, C. K., & King, S. B. (2013). Human performance improvement: Building practitioner competence (Second ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

The Tusculum Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2016, from http://www3.tusculum.edu/giving/the-tusculum-fund/

Tusculum College Strategic Planning Committee. (2012). Strategic Plan 2012-2017. 28 September 2012. Retrieved from: http://web.tusculum.edu/oie/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2012-2017-Tusculum-College-Strategic-Plan-9-28-12-FINAL.pdf

Vision 20/20. About Tusculum. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2016, from http://web.tusculum.edu/about/vision-2020/

Wiley, John. (2003). DiSC Classic 2.0 Plus [measurement instrument completed in 2014].

30

Appendix A

Client Interview Questions

1) Do you have concerns regarding the hiring of Student Callers callers? Why or why not? 2) Do you know the process required by Tusculum College Human Resources for hiring

students? What questions do you have regarding this process? 3) Do you have concerns regarding the training of Student Callers callers? What are they?

4) Do you know how to merge records into call sheets? What data should be included for

the Student Callers to reference?

5) Do you have an understanding of the annual timeline and the best times to call certain constituency groups? What clarifications do you need?

6) Do you have an understanding of updating the information gathered by the Student Callers to upload in RE? What do you need to know?

7) Should there be a plan for evaluating individual Student Callers? Why or why not?

8) Do you know how to set goals for the Phonathon Campaign (for individual Student Callers and the campaign as a whole)? What is your understanding of the timeline?

31

Appendix B

Client-Consultant Agreement

STREAMLINING THE PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES FOR TUSCULUM COLLEGE’S ANNUAL PHONATHON CAMPAIGN This Consulting Agreement (the “Agreement” or “Consulting Agreement”) states the terms and conditions that govern the contractual agreement between Malcom Phonathon Solutions having its principal place of business at 208 Linda Street, Greeneville, TN 37743 (the “Consultant”), and Heather Patchett (the “Client”) who agrees to be bound by this Agreement.

WHEREAS, the Consultant offers consulting services in the field of phonathon fundraising; and

WHEREAS, the Client desires to retain the services of the Consultant to render consulting services with regard to streamlining the processes and procedures for Tusculum College’s annual Phonathon Campaign according to the terms and conditions herein.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and promises made by the parties hereto, the Consultant and the Client (individually, each a “Party” and collectively, the “Parties”) covenant and agree as follows:

1 TERM This agreement shall begin on December 1, 2015 and end on March 31, 2016.

Either party may terminate this Agreement for any reason with 30 days written notice to the other Party.

2 CONSULTING SERVICES The Consultant agrees that it shall provide its expertise to the Client for all things pertaining to streamlining the processes and procedures for the Tusculum College annual Phonathon Campaign (the “Consulting Services”).

32

Appendix B (continued)


3 COMPENSATION In consideration for the Consulting Services, the Client shall pay the Consultant at the rate of $100 per hour. The Consultant shall invoice the Client once every 30 days and such invoices shall be due and payable within 30 days of the Client’s receipt of the notice.

4 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN WORK PRODUCT The parties acknowledge and agree that the Client will hold all intellectual property rights in any work product resulting from the Consulting Services including, but not limited to, copyright and trademark rights. The Consultant agrees not to claim any such ownership in such work product’s intellectual property at any time prior to or after the completion and delivery of such work product to the Client.

5 CONFIDENTIALITY The Consultant shall not disclose to any third party any details regarding the Client’s business, including, without limitation any information regarding any of the Client’s customer information, business plans, or price points (the “Confidential Information”), (ii) make copies of any Confidential Information or any content based on the concepts contained within the Confidential Information for personal use or for distribution unless requested to do so by the Client, or (iii) use Confidential Information other than solely for the benefit of the Client.

6 NONSOLICITATION OF CUSTOMERS During the term of this agreement and for 6 months thereafter, the Consultant shall not, directly or indirectly, solicit or attempt to solicit any business from any of the Company’s clients, prospects, employees or contractors.

7 NONSOLICITATION OF EMPLOYEES During the term of this Agreement and for 6 months thereafter, the Consultant will not, directly of indirectly, recruit, solicit, or induce, or attempt to recruit, solicit, or induce, any of the Company’s employees, or contractors for work at another company.

33

Appendix B (continued)


8 INDEMNIFICATION The Client agrees to indemnify, defend, and protect the Consultant against all lawsuits and costs of every kind pertaining to the Client’s business including reasonable legal fees due to any act or failure to act by the Client based upon the Consulting Services.

9 NO MODIFICATION UNLESS IN WRITING No modification of the Agreement shall be valid unless in writing and agreed upon by both Parties.

10 APPLICABLE LAW The Consulting Agreement and the interpretation of its terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Tennessee and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal and state courts located in Greene County, Tennessee.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the Parties has executed this Consulting Agreement, both Parties by its duly authorized officer, as of the day and year set forth below.

Malcom Phonathon Solutions

Joanna Malcom Date Fundraising Phonathon Campaign Consultant

Tusculum College Office of Institutional Advancement

Heather Patchett Date Vice President for Institutional Advancement

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Appendix C


Core Competencies Column A

Current Level of Aptitude

Column B Importance to Job

Column C Priority (A x B)

0—Expert 1—Intermediate 2—Novice 3—None

0—N/A 1—Low 2—Medium 3—High

Industry Awareness: Understanding the vision, strategy, goals, and culture of an industry; linking human performance improvement interventions to organizational goals.

0 3 0

Leadership Skills: Knowing how to lead or influence others positively to achieve desired work results.

1 2 2

Interpersonal Relationship Skills: Working effectively with others to achieve common goals and exercising effective interpersonal influence.

2 2 4

Technological Awareness and Understanding: Using existing or new technology and different types of software and hardware; understanding performance support systems and applying them as appropriate.

0 1 0

Problem-Solving Skills: Detecting performance gaps and helping other people discover ways to close the performance gaps in the present and future; closing performance gaps between actual and ideal performance.

1 3 3

35

Appendix C (continued)








Systems Thinking and Understanding: Identifying inputs, throughputs, and outputs of a subsystem, system or suprasystem and applying that information to improve human performance; realizing the implications of interventions on many parts of an organization, process, or individual and taking steps to address any side effects of human performance improvement interventions.

1 3 3

Performance Understanding: Distinguishing between activities and results, recognizing implications, outcomes and consequences.

1 3 3

Knowledge of Interventions: Demonstrating an understanding of the many ways that human performance can be improved in organizational settings; showing how to apply specific human performance improvement interventions to close existing or anticipated performance gaps.

1 3 3

Business Understandings: Demonstrating awareness of the inner workings of business functions and how business decisions affect financial or nonfinancial work results (McLagan, 1989).

1 1 1

Organization Understanding: Seeing organizations as dynamic, political economic, and social systems that have multiple goals; using this larger perspective as a framework for understanding and influencing events and change (McLagan, 1989).

2 1 2

36









Negotiating/Contracting Skills: Organizing preparing, overseeing, and evaluating work performed by vendors, contingent workers, or outsourcing agents.

2 2 4

Buy-in/Advocacy Skills: Building ownership or support for change among affected individuals, groups, and other stakeholders.

0 3 0

Coping Skills: Knowing how to deal with ambiguity and how to handle the stress resulting from change and from multiple meanings or possibilities.

2 3 6

Ability to See “Big Picture”: Looking beyond details to see overarching goals and results.

0 3 0

Consulting Skills: Understanding the results that stakeholders desire from a process and providing insight into how efficiently and effectively those results can be achieved.

1 3 3

Project Management Skills: Planning, costing, organizing, resourcing, and managing complex projects.

1 3 3

37



Role Competencies Column A




Analyst



Performance Analysis Skills (Front-End Analysis): The process of comparing actual and ideal performance in order to identify gaps or opportunities.

1 3 3

Needs Analysis Survey Design and Developmental Skills (Open-Ended and Structured): Preparing written, oral, or electronic surveys using open-ended (essay) and closed (scale) questions in order to identify human performance improvement needs.

1 3 3

Competency Identification Skills: Identifying the knowledge and skill requirements of teams, jobs, tasks, roles and work (McLagan, 1989).

1 3 3

Questioning Skills: Gathering pertinent information to stimulate insight in individuals and groups through use of interviews and other probing methods (McLagan, 1989).

1 3 3

Analytical Skills (Synthesis): Breaking down the components of a larger whole and reassembling them to achieve improved human performance.

2 3 6

Work Environment Analytical Skills: Examining work environments for issues or characteristics affecting human performance.

1 3 3

38







Intervention Specialist



Performance Information Interpretation Skills: Finding useful meaning from the results of performance analysis and helping performers, performers’ managers, process owners, and other stakeholders to do so.

0 3 0

Intervention Selection Skills: Selecting human performance improvement interventions that address the root cause(s) of performance gaps rather than symptoms or side effects.

2 3 6

Performance Change Interpretation Skills: Forecasting and analyzing the effects of interventions and their consequences.

1 3 3

Ability to Assess Relationship Among Interventions: Examining the effects of multiple human performance improvement interventions on parts of an organization, its interactions with customers, suppliers, distributors, and workers.

1 2 2

Ability to Identify Critical Business Issues and Changes: Determining key business issues and applying that information during the implementation of a human performance improvement intervention.

2 1 2

Goal Interpretation Skills: Ensuring that goals are converted effectively into actions to close existing or pending performance gaps; getting results despite conflicting priorities, lack of resources, or ambiguity.

2 3 6

39







Change Manager



Change Implementation Skills: Understanding the nature of individual and organizational change and applying that knowledge to effectively lead organizations successfully through change.

2 1 2

Change Impetus Skills: Determining what the organization should do to address the cause(s) of a human performance gap at present and in the future.

1 3 3

Communication Channel, Informal Network, and Alliance Understanding: Knowing how communication moves through an organization by various channels, networks, and alliances; building such channels, networks, and alliances to achieve improvements in productivity and performance.

2 2 4

Groups Dynamics Process Understanding: Understanding how groups function; influencing people so that group work and individuals’ needs are addressed (McLagan, 1989).

N/A

Process Consultation Skills: Observing individuals and groups for their interactions and the effects of their interactions with others.

2 1 2

Facilitation Skills: Helping performers, performers’ managers, process owners, and stakeholders to discover new insights.

N/A

40







Evaluator



Groups Dynamic Process Understanding, Performance Gap Evaluation Skills: Measuring or helping others to measure the difference between actual performance and ideal performance.

2

2 4

Ability to Evaluate Results Against Organizational Goals: Assessing how well the results of a human performance improvement intervention match intentions.

1 3 3

Standard-Setting Skills: Measuring desired results of organizations, processes, or individuals; helping others to establish and measure work expectations.

0 3 0

Ability to Assess Impact on Culture: Examining the effects of human performance gaps and human performance improvement interventions in shared beliefs and assumptions about “right” and “wrong” ways of behaving and acting in one organizational setting.

0 3 0

Human Performance Improvement Intervention Reviewing Skills: Finding ways to evaluate and continuously improve human performance improvement interventions before and during implementation.

1 3 3

Feedback Skills: Collecting information about performance and feeding it back clearly, specifically, an on a timely basis to affected individuals or groups (McLagan, 1989).

N/A

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Appendix D Client Assessment of Consultant

Client Name___________________________________________ Project Title___________________________

Consultant Name__________________________________________________________ Date______________

Scoring

This consultant assessment form is to be completed by the client to assess the consultant’s overall

performance for the duration of the intervention. Under each heading the interviewer should circle a

numerical rating and write specific project-related comments in the space provided. The numerical rating

system is based on the following:

1—Unsatisfactory 2—Satisfactory 3—Average 4—Above Average 5—Exceptional

Industry Awareness: Understanding of the vision, strategy, goals, and culture of the industry; linking the project’s goals to that of the industry.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

Interpersonal Relationship Skills: Working effectively with others to achieve common goals and exercising effective interpersonal influence.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

Problem-Solving Skills: Detecting performance gaps and helping the client organization discover ways to close said gaps during the present and in the future; closing performance gaps between actual and ideal performance.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

42

Appendix D (continued) Client Assessment of Consultant

Performance Understanding: Distinguishing between activities and results; recognizing implications, outcomes, and consequences.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

Knowledge of Intervention: Demonstrating an understanding of ways that human performance can be improved in organizational settings; proposing the appropriate intervention(s) to close existing or anticipated performance gaps within the organization.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

Buy-In/Advocacy Skills: Building ownership or support for the intervention among the affected individuals, groups, and other stakeholders.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

Project Management/Coping Skills: Planning, costing, organizing, resourcing, and managing the chosen intervention; knowing how to deal with ambiguity and how to handle the stress resulting from change.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

43


Consulting Skills: Understanding the results that stakeholders desire from the intervention; providing insight into how efficiently and effectively those results can be achieved.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

Performance Analysis Skills (Front-End Analysis): The process of comparing actual and ideal performance in order to identify gaps or opportunities.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

Goal Interpretation Skills: Ensuring that goals are converted effectively into actions to close existing or pending performance gaps; getting results despite conflicting priorities, lack of resources, or ambiguity; ability to assess how well the results of an intervention match intentions.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

Intervention Reviewing Skills: Finding ways to evaluate and continuously improve human performance improvements before and during intervention implementation.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

44


Communication/Feedback Skills: Collecting information about performance and relating it to the client in a timely manner; updating the client regularly about the progress of the intervention.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

Add each rating together and divide by the number of questions for a final score.

FINAL SCORE: _____/60 = _____

03.14.16 - joanna malcom - capstone project

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