Project Deliverable

Table of Contents

Project deliverable directory

Grants

16

Current Status

Increasing Applications

Grant Success

Metrics

Current Application Data

Federal Grants

Recommendations

Grant Writer

17

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

Consulting Services

26

Industry Outlook

Considerations

Expertise and Goals

Consulting Topics

Pricing Structures

LinkedIn Advertisements

27

28

29

31

34

36

Peer-to-Peer Model

5

Introduction

Napco Research Study

P2P Recommendation

P2P Cost and Profit

P2P Platforms

P2P Implementation

P2P Timeline

P2P Marketing

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Client Profile: Acterra

Acterra’s purpose and impact

50

years of environmental action

1900

community members attend Acterra’s events

205

metric tons of atmospheric carbon emissions avoided

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Acterra: Project Scope

Project details

Vision

In order to increase revenue, Acterra should explore new opportunities through the peer-to-peer model, optimized grant writing, and consulting services.

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Peer-to-Peer Model

01

Introduction

Napco Research Study

P2P Recommendation

P2P Cost and Profit

P2P Implementation

P2P Timeline

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12

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Introduction: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

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The peer-to-peer fundraising model

an approach to fundraising that hinges upon individual donors creating personal fundraising pages on behalf of the organization to help spread the word.

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Peer-to-peer fundraising is,

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Diversification

Spreading Awareness

Diversify the donor base of Acterra

Market “bringing people together to create local solutions for a healthy planet”

Revenue Supplement

Increase revenue by creating a network of individual donors using the power of word of mouth

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Study Background: Napco Research - Nonprofit Pro

Demographics of the Napco Research Study

Types of organizations surveyed: Human Services, Health, Education, Youth Development, Environmental

Study Conducted in 2018

74% of organizations surveyed had fewer than 50 employees

Napco Media is the parent company to Napco Research

Respondents divided into two categories: Those who use P2P and those who don’t

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427 surveyed nonprofit organizations

Napco Research: Goal is to empower information based decision making

Partnership with FrontStream, a fundraising software company. This is a possible conflict of interest

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Peer-to-Peer: Key Findings

Key findings of the Napco research study

Source: Napco Research

45%

49%

43%

45% of surveyed nonprofits say they do not engage in any form of Peer-to-peer implementation

Lack of Engagement

49% of nonprofits that do not currently use P2P believe they do not have the necessary resources to begin peer-to-peer implementation

Lack of Resources

43% of nonprofits that currently use P2P say that P2P fundraising makes up over 50% of their total yearly revenue

P2P as a Source of Revenue

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Peer-to-Peer Strategy: Recommendation

The strategy that Acterra should implement

Source: Classy.org

Low

High

Low

High

Nonprofits with revenues < $5,000,000

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Nonprofits with revenues $6,000,000 - $50,000,000

Competition (non-sport)

Fun run/walk

A “thon” event

Competition (non-sport)

Fun run/walk

A “thon” event

Return on Investment

Ease of Planning

P2P Strategy Types

Acterra can use the COVID-19 limitations as a period of planning to prepare for a future in person event. As COVID-19 begins to subside, holding a peer-to-peer style event can prove to be a viable source of revenue.

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Peer-to-Peer Strategy: Cost Minimization and Profit

Costs of a fun run/walk

Revenue

Profit

$108.28 x 100 participants = $10,800 $10,800 - $2,500 = $8,300 (from the P2P fundraising alone)

Depending on factors such as registration fees, donations amounts and fundraising amounts.

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Napco Research found that on average, participants fundraise around $108.28

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Peer-to-Peer Strategy: Plan

The necessary components of a successful P2P campaign

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Peer-to-Peer Strategy: Possible Platforms

Some of the many great peer-to-peer fundraising platforms

Integrates with most major CRMs to provide a simple experience for existing CRM customers

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Customizable donation pages with options for recurring donations hosted through Donately

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Gather and store donation data

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Variety of plans starting at

$0/month

Donately

Event-specific site management

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‘Badge system’ motivates donors to push harder to reach fundraising goals

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Integrated email outreach for reminders, thank-yous, etc.

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Compatible with most CRMs

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Pricing for peer-to-peer package starts from $229/month

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QGiv

Customizable pages allow Acterra to brand its peer-to-peer presence how it sees fit

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Interactive pages allow donors to communicate with one another, keeping the conversation going!

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Donation analytics

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Contact Classy to gather pricing details

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Classy

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Peer-to-Peer Strategy: Implementation

Examining the use of registration fees

Study: Registration Fees

Napco Research

In the Napco Research Study, it was found that out of 427 respondents, 25% said that their most successful events (in terms of revenue) came from events with no registration fee, followed up by 29% with a a registration fee of $26-$50 and 23% with a registration fee of $1-$25.

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Suggestion:

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Acterra should implement a registration fee as this report demonstrates that there is no drop off in revenue when a registration fee is implemented. However, Acterra should take into account the needs and expectations of its own donor base to determine whether or not a registration fee would be appropriate.

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Source: Napco Research

$0 Registration Fee

$26-$50 Registration Fee

$1-$25 Registration Fee

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Peer-to-Peer Strategy: Timeline

Developing a plan for your event

3-4 Months in Advance

Create a fundraising/event fundraising portion to your website

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Create marketing materials for Promotion

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Pitch existing and potential new sponsors for legitimacy

4-6 Weeks in Advance

Continue promotion of event

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Gather resources and supplies necessary for event

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Arrange for talented photographers/videographers to document the event

Day of Event

Host event

1-2 Weeks in Advance

Confirm volunteer tasks

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Continue event promotion

Source: Children in Crisis

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Peer to Peer Strategy: Marketing

Approaches to marketing to fundraisers

List keywords that accurately represent the expected search from the perspective of the searcher

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Use target keywords throughout the event webpage and donations page

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Request that event sponsors link to the event webpage on their own sites

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Link to other pages with event relevance throughout the web pages created for the event

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Use hashtags

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Offer prizes for reaching certain fundraising milestones

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Heavily promote and explain the peer-to-peer model to participants through social media in order to create buzz and understanding surrounding the event’s fundraising goals

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Stay active! Don’t let donors forget the mission

SEO

Social Media Marketing

Sources: Bizzabo, Moz

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Grants

02

Current Status

Increasing Applications

Grant Success

Metrics

Current Application Data

Federal Grants

Recommendations

Grant Writer

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19

20

21

22

23

24

25

Grants: Current Status

Comparison with other nonprofits

In a study by GrantStation including 3,226 nonprofits, almost 30% of the subjects completed anywhere from six to twenty applications. Acterra applied for between thirty one and forty grants, making it part of a smaller subset of the GrantStation surveyees (7%).

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The median total grant funding for a nonprofit according to the Granstation report is $196,925. Acterra raised $529,500 this past year through grants.

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Acterrra’s data on grants

Number of Applications (Per Year)

6 - 20

31 - 40

Total Grant Funding

$196,925

$529,500

Acterra

Average

Source: Grant Station 2020 Grant Seeking Report

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Grants: Current Status

Grants Award Rate Based on Grant Success Rate

In Grant Station’s 2020 report, 157 nonprofits applied to between 31 and 40 grants (similar to Acterra).

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Within the 157 surveyed, 38% received funding from between 21 and 30 grants. 31% received between 11 and 20 grants. 19% received between 6 and 10 grants.

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Acterra had a total of 7 grants received within the last application cycle.

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Acterra’s award rate compared to nonprofit’s with similar application rates

Source: Grant Station 2020 Grant Seeking Report

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Grants: Increasing Number Of Grant Awards

Strategies to accomplish a higher amount of grant awards

Grant Applications and Rewards

Source: Grant Station 2020 Grant Seeking Report

Submitting a higher number of applications increases the likelihood of winning grant awards.

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Acterra should allocate more time to apply to more grants in order to increase the number of grants they receive and thus increase their revenues.

Benefits of Increasing Applications

Over 60

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25

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15

10

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Grant Rewards

51-60

41-50

Grant Applications

33.3%

28.6%

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Grant Success: Measuring Grant Success

Comparing grant success rates to other grant success indicators

Rate

Quantity

Writing many grants can lower a percentage and be misleading

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Nonprofit credibility

Older nonprofits seem more reliable because of stronger track records.

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Nonprofit project experience

Advantage to those with specific project experience

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Funding priorities

Trending funding topics impact grants available to nonprofits

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Knowing the grant

Knowledge on specific grants can give an advantage

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Indicators

The types and number of grants secured

Topics of grants secured is notable

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How well you are aware of priority shifts

Staying updated with political and economic climate as well as foundations through social media

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How well you know the grant or agency

Develop relationships with people that influence the funding source decisions

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How much funding you have secured

Amount of money secured is noteworthy

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Source: grantwritingandfunding.com

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Grant Success: Metrics

Six metrics to measure grant success

Stage of Grant Management

Establish a grant management plan by conducting research to build a portfolio of prospective foundations

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Tip: Requires yearly update

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Number of Grants Written

Can potentially submit 20 to 40 private foundation proposals requesting a total $50,000 or more

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Tip: Not all grant submissions will be in the form of full proposals

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Types of Grants Submitted

Different types of funders require varying amounts of effort

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Tips: Avoid “boilerplate” language. Submitting a continuation will take less time

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Number of Funders

Review the number of grants submitted over the past two years to see trend rates

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Tip: Compare your organization to others of similar size and scope services

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Number of Grants Awarded

End goal is to raise as much money as possible through grants

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Tip: Caution when over 20% of funding relies on grants

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Professionalism of Grant Management

Successful grant application requires input and collaboration from stakeholders

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Tip: Grant manager/writer has to know how to work with others and facilitate group processes

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Grants: Breakdown of Grant Application Data

Increase Private Grant Applications

According to The 2020 State of Grantseeking

Report by GrantStation, although government awards are still “big money,” private foundations are more frequent funders.

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Private foundations were most frequently reported as the largest source of total funding (38%) and the source of the largest award (37%). Private foundations were also the largest source of total grant funding for organizations of every mission focus.

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Acterra should allocate time and energy to more frequent funding sources such as private foundation grants to increase chances of successful repeatable grant funding.

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Source: The 2020 State of Grantseeking Report

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Private

Foundation

Analyzing the types of grants Acterra has applied to

Public

Foundation

State/Local Government

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Grants: Federal Grants

Currently Acterra is not receiving any revenue through federal grants

Median federal grant award

Increases credibility within the government, Special Assistance (Technical)

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“Biden’s climate and environmental justice proposal will make a federal investment of $1.7 trillion over the next ten years, leveraging additional private sector and state and local investments to total to more than $5 trillion.”

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In the United States, on average, 80% of nonprofit grant revenue comes from federal grants, compared to 4% coming from foundations.

Why and how Acterra can benefit from Federal grants

Source: The Nonprofit Times, The Balance Small Business, Joe Biden.com, and Grant station 2020 report

0%

$608,575

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80%

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Federal Grants: Recommendations

Potential grants that Acterra may explore

Grant

Energy Program for Innovation Clusters

Department of Energy Headquarters

Mechanism for Time-Sensitive Research Opportunities in Environmental Health Sciences

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Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health

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Due Date

Feb. 3, 2021

Oct. 3, 2022

Amount & Description

500,000 - 1,000,000

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“seeks to support the formation and development of regional clusters supporting entrepreneurs and startups by funding innovation-accelerating organizations that demonstrate the ability to advance energy and related technologies “

200,000K

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"primary motivation of the FOA is to understand the consequences of natural and human-made disasters, emerging environmental public health threats, and policy changes in the U.S. and abroad

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Source: Grants.gov

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Grants: Grant Writer

Benefits of a Grant Writer

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To increase grant revenue received, Acterra should prioritize more frequent funding sources (private foundation grants) to the current grant writer and outsource an additional grant writer to focus on larger funding (government grants). With Acterra’s current institutional knowledge and a grant writer’s experience, Acterra can increase the amount of grants applied to, effectively increasing the amount of grants attained through more government grant applications.

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Solution

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Consulting Services

03

Industry Outlook

Considerations

Expertise and Goals

Consulting Topics

Pricing Structures

LinkedIn Advertisements

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Consulting: Industry Outlook

Current industry prospects and statistics

Market Statistics

COVID-19’s Impact

Proposal

The global environmental

Revenue for the industry

We suggest

consulting industry was valued at $29.7 and $32.1 billion in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

is expected to drop 7.4% in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Acterra launch the new consulting services as the COVID-19 pandemic stagnates.

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However,

With the incoming

according to IBIS World Reports, as government spending increases to stimulate the economy, the industry should rebound to previous growth trends.

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presidential administration, there is a high chance that new environmental policies and regulations will be put into place which can boost interest and demand for environmental consulting services.

The US industry

employs 134, 098 people within 58,338 businesses and has a market size of $15 billion.

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Sources: IBIS World, News Financial Analyst, and The Innovative Report

The Biden Plan Will:

Ensure the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050.

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Make historic investments in clean energy and climate research and innovation.

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Incentivize the rapid deployment of clean energy innovations across the economy, especially in communities most impacted by climate change.

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Via The Biden Plan for A Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice

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Consulting: Considerations

Factors for Acterra to consider when building up consulting services

Given the current industry outlook,

Content Ideas

Pricing Structures

Synthesizing Acterra’s expertise and goals to create programs

Different approaches to pricing consulting services

Marketing for consulting services

Using social media to advertise

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01

02

180 Degrees Consulting recommends Acterra to look into the three following aspects of consulting, in preparation for these new consulting services..

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Consulting: Acterra’s Expertise and Goals

Examining Acterra’s expertise and goals to establish consulting topics

Acterra’s staff has expertise in a variety of topics such as:

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Public Outreach

Food Sustainability

Sustainable Business Practices

Environmental Education

Environmental Activism

Staff Expertise

Acterra has expressed interest in working with many types of clients such as:

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Small, medium and large corporations

Appliance manufacturers

Businesses in the food industry

Cities and Municipalities

Target Clients

Acterra has also expressed interest in taking on

projects that concern:

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Workplace Sustainability

Climate Action Planning

Helping cities reach codes and regulations

Transitioning from gas to electric appliances

Topic Areas of Interest

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02

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Consulting: Topics and Content

Potential topics for consulting

we have drafted content and structure ideas to give Acterra ideas for building up their consulting services.

Based on Acterra’s interests and expertise,

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Food Sustainability

General Environmental Consulting

Examining how food is produced, packaged, and marketed

Helping governments, municipalities and businesses reach goals and regulations

Corporate Responsibility and Sustainable Leadership

Making environmental consciousness a part of the

firm’s mission, operations and culture

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Consulting Topic: Food Sustainability

Format and content ideas for food sustainability consulting

Acterra will most likely be interacting with restaurants, as well as retailers or businesses in the food industry.

Expected and Target Clientele

Potential Formats

Content Ideas

Depending on the requests of the clients, Acterra can provide one-time workshops/consulting sessions or take on full service consulting projects.

Topic areas for food sustainability consulting can include:

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Finding producers and suppliers

Resource management

Packaging decisions

Brand image and reputation

Menu labeling

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Consulting Topic: Environmental Consulting

Format and content ideas general environmental consulting

Acterra has previously expressed interest in working with municipalities. Government entities, as well as businesses are likely to request general environmental consulting services.

Expected and Target Clientele

Potential Formats

Content Ideas

In the case of government entities, Acterra may be asked to take on large-scale projects or provide full service consulting. It is likely that businesses will ask for either one time consulting services or full service consulting.

Key ideas for general environmental

consulting can include:

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Climate Action Plans

Greenhouse Gas Monitoring

Sustainable Planning and Development

Program Development

Educational Campaigns

Community Outreach

Goal setting and evaluation

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Consulting Topic: Responsibility and Leadership

Format and content ideas, corporate responsibility, and sustainable leadership

Expected and Target Clientele

Acterra will most likely be interacting with retailers or businesses.

Potential Formats

Content Ideas

Acterra may be asked to provide one-time workshops, full service consulting, or seminar series.

Content concerning corporate responsibility and sustainable leadership may include:

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Workplace sustainability

Sustainable investments

Evaluating and assessing processes

Communicating goals and progress

to customers

Long term transformation

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Consulting: Pricing Structures

Pricing structures for consulting services

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Source: Consulting Success

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Consulting: Calculating Pricing Structures

Formula for retainer based consulting rates

Retainer Based Pricing Structures

When an organization calculates a retainer-based consulting fee, there are different factors it should consider. Organizations need to factor in costs of salaries of consultants, and the overhead and operational costs. Once an organization calculates these figures, it should determine how much time it will spend with a client. To calculate a monthly retainer rate, multiply organizational costs by time spent on clients.

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Source: Consulting.com

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Marketing: LinkedIn Advertisements

Introduction to LinkedIn advertisements

Through LinkedIn, Acterra has access to over 600 million users. Acterra, however, is currently not taking advantage of Linkedin’s self-service advertisements and only utilizes LinkedIn through posting social media content. LinkedIn advertisements boast lead conversion rates that are 3 times higher than any other major ad platforms. Campaigns can be easily evaluated through accessing analytics and Acterra can choose from over twenty different audience attribute categories in order to reach the desired clientele.

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Overview

Source: LinkedIn

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Marketing: LinkedIn Advertisements

Types of advertisements provided by LinkedIn

Sponsored content helps build relationships, drive leads, and build brand awareness through the LinkedIn feed. The ad headline should be short and concise to increase engagement. A large thumbnail should be included as they can increase click-through rates by 38%. Sharing stories from real people can also help to form a connection between Acterra and the audience.

Sponsored Content

Message advertisements will allow Acterra to reach prospects through targeted messages. They are opened by more than 50% of prospects. Reporting features will allow Acterra to view who has viewed the advertisement. Content for message advertisements can include an invitation to a webinar, providing industry trends, or sharing success stories.

Message Advertisements

Text advertisements are simple advertisements that appear by the LinkedIn feed. As they are smaller text ads, Acterra should utilize a strong call to action or headline to grab the audience’s attention. The text advertisement should also link the audience to a landing page. In this case, it should take the reader to Acterra’s website which features information regarding consulting services.

Text Advertisements

Source: LinkedIn

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Marketing: LinkedIn Advertisements

Sponsored content appears in the LinkedIn feed

Sponsored Content

Message Advertisements

Text Advertisements

Message ads are sent to the desired audience

Text ads appear on on the right side of LinkedIn feed

Types of advertisements provided by LinkedIn

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Marketing: LinkedIn Pricing

Types of pricing models for LinkedIn advertisements

Source: WebFX

Source: WebFX

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Acterra: Project Summary

An overview of our solutions

Project Summary

Peer-to-Peer Model

Utilizing peer-to-peer fundraising can help Acterra to increase revenue through donations. Online and in person strategies can be implemented to reach out to new audiences as well as retain the interest of existing supporters.

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Grants

Strategies such as measuring grant success, applying for federal grants, and utilizing a grant writer can increase revenue through this already existing stream.

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Consulting Services

As Acterra is looking into providing consulting services, areas that need to be considered prior to implementation include consulting topics, pricing structures, and marketing.

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Questions?

Thank You