REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL LEAD ATLANTA CLASS OF 2015 COHORT COMMUNITY PROJECTS Issued June 25, 2014 By Leadership Atlanta, Ten Peachtree Place, Suite 620, Atlanta, GA 30309. This RFP aims to assist you in preparing a compelling project proposal for the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2015. Please review it carefully and contact Elaine Hudson, Programs Manager, Leadership Atlanta with any questions at elainehudson@leadershipatlanta.org or (404) 876-4770, ext. 104. Completed Proposals are due by Tuesday, July 21, 2014. SECTION ONE: SUMMARY Each year LEAD Atlanta selects approximately 55 of Metro Atlanta s promising young professionals between the ages of 25 and 32 for an intensive eight-month leadership development and community education program. One key element of the program is the Cohort Project, which allows the class to explore their personal leadership skills while collaborating in teams to impact a community issue. LEAD Atlanta seeks to partner with 7-9 area nonprofit organizations. Each selected organization will benefit from a project that an 8-10 member team ( cohort ) of the LEAD Atlanta class can complete within approximately 16 collective hours of work ( Cohort Project ). Project work will begin no earlier than September 13, 2014, and must be completed no later than March 27, 2015. We will not consider direct implementation of fundraising activities or board recruitment projects. The Cohort Projects serve an important role in the LEAD Atlanta curriculum by providing: Value-added support and consultation to a local nonprofit, community coalition, or communityfocused group A civic engagement opportunity for class members to collectively learn about and address a critical community need An opportunity for class members to develop deeper relationships with one another through teamwork An opportunity for class members to learn about how nonprofit organizations operate and address community needs An opportunity for class members to develop leadership skills and styles TO APPLY: All information and instructions required for application are included in this RFP. Please review the RFP carefully and adhere to all guidelines. Responses must be submitted in the format described in Appendix A and in Appendix B. All proposals must be received by 5:00 pm EDT on July 21, 2014. Applications must be submitted via email attachment to elainehudson@leadershipatlanta.org. Page 1 of 7
QUESTIONS: If after reviewing this RFP in its entirety you have questions or concerns, please contact Elaine Hudson, Manager of Marketing and Programs, Leadership Atlanta, at elainehudson@leadershipatlanta.org or at (404) 876-4770, ext. 104. SECTION TWO: BACKGROUND AND SCHEDULE BACKGROUND: Each year LEAD Atlanta brings together approximately 50-55 young leaders between the ages of 25 and 32 from the government, business, academic and nonprofit sectors across metro Atlanta to learn about the problems we face as a community and to develop personal and professional leadership skills. Leadership Atlanta launched LEAD Atlanta 10 years ago in order to inspire adults at an earlier age to exercise real leadership committed to serving the common good. This initiative is distinguished from the core Leadership Atlanta program by its shorter timeframe, the young ages of its participants, and its emphasis on skill development in addition to community issues education. LEAD Atlanta participants meet in six monthly meetings to focus on such topics as: Inclusion and Diversity Leadership and Communication Skills Community Challenges, including but not limited to Poverty, Homelessness and Education Business, Economic Development and Regional Growth Power Structures, Advocacy and How Things Get Done This year s overarching theme is Three Sides of Every Coin, which emphasizes great leaders must recognize and understand all sides of a situation to make effective, consensus driven decisions. This concept is particularly suited to the work groups who will participate in the Cohort Project. LEAD Atlanta class members and alumni represent the next generation of metro Atlanta s leaders. For more information, please visit http://www.leadershipatlanta.org/leadatlanta. PROJECT SCHEDULE: We expect to select final Projects by August 15, 2014. Cohort Projects will begin no earlier than September 13, 2014 and must be completed by March 27, 2015. Each selected organization will be assigned a volunteer LEAD Atlanta alumnus/a as a Project Facilitator. This facilitator will work with the organization to finalize details of the Project during the last half of August or early September. The cohorts may be different sizes, depending on the optimal number of people needed to complete each one. Upon selection, LEAD Atlanta will provide to the agencies additional instructions, timelines and tips for a successful Project. The assigned nonprofit contact(s) from each selected organization must be in attendance at the Class of 2015 Opening Retreat on September 13, 2014. The retreat will be held at Camp Rock Eagle in Eatonton, GA. Further details will be available upon selection. Page 2 of 7
Milestone Date Organization to Provide Proposals Due July 21, 2014 Proposal submission Finalist Candidate Interviews As needed week of August 4, 2014 Projects Announced By August 15, 2014 On-Site Visit/Planning Week of September 1, 2014 Availability for a 30 minute interview during this week Availability for on-site visit from LEAD Atlanta representatives (to be scheduled) LEAD Atlanta Opening Retreat September 13, 2014 (exact time TBD) Project Contacts to attend Opening Retreat and meet with Cohort Team Project Work Begins September 13, 2014 Ongoing communication and access to relevant staff and information; access to senior manager Review Project Progress November 2014 Availability to meet (time TBD) to discuss progress and challenges Project Work Completed March 27, 2015 Feedback on Cohort Project and process. SECTION THREE: CRITERIA APPLICATION SELECTION CRITERIA: Applications will be evaluated by a committee of LEAD Atlanta alumni according to the following criteria: The project s ability to help participants learn about a critical community issue, and provide the participants the opportunity to engage in creative problem solving. The extent to which the participants will have a realistic opportunity to produce something specific, tangible, and of value as a result of their work. The commitment of the agency, its ability to take full advantage of the output of the project team, and its willingness to allow cohort members to experience the day-to-day operations of a nonprofit/community organization. The willingness of the agency to dedicate the time and the resources, including but not limited to, timely and frequent access to information and employees needed to make the project a mutually beneficial and impactful experience. The agency s willingness to work closely with LEAD Atlanta to monitor the progress of the project. NOTE: We may ask for in-person interviews to discuss your proposal ORGANIZATION CRITERIA: It is very important that selected organizations are fully committed through the duration of the project. Criteria for the selection committee will consider include: The organization should be of a size and degree of stability such that working with the cohort will not place an undue burden on the organization. The organization s demonstrated commitment, as described in its project proposal, to designate a senior member of the organization to act as the primary interface with the cohort. Please note that due to class members roles as young leaders, we strongly encourage the Executive Page 3 of 7
Director, CEO or other senior managers of the selected agencies to work with cohorts in some capacity. This person must be available to meet with LEAD Atlanta in a group meeting to discuss goals, strategies and guidelines for the projects during the latter half of August 2014. He or she must also be available to meet with the cohort at the Opening Retreat on September 13, 2014 (exact time to be determined). He or she must be available to meet with LEAD Atlanta staff and volunteer facilitators periodically throughout the project. He or she must be available to the cohort as they work to complete the Project. Provision of timely information and resources is a critical component of successful Projects. Whether your organization has participated in a LEAD Atlanta Community Leadership Project in the preceding Class year (September 2014-March 2015). In order to ensure diversity in the Cohort Projects, it is the policy of LEAD Atlanta not to choose organizations that have completed a Project with members of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2015. ACCEPTABLE TYPES OF PROJECTS We welcome a variety of projects which will encourage participants to demonstrate leadership and teambuilding skills. It has been the experience of LEAD Atlanta that the most successful cohort projects involve the planning and execution of an activity, project, curriculum, event, etc. for a group of people that an organization serves. Projects that focus on the identification of creative solutions or approaches to intrinsic organizational challenges also have been effective. The following are examples of the type of projects we will consider. However, you are not limited to the examples listed. Please be creative! Suggestion of feasible, creative solutions for a persistent organizational problem Developing and facilitating a mentorship program Process improvement for critical organization functions Planning and conducting an activity or event for a group of people that your organization serves Reviewing and/or producing marketing collateral Participating in a process to evaluate and facilitate collaborative partnerships with other nonprofits, businesses or government programs. Developing the concept and template for a signature event We will not consider exclusively clean-up/fix-up projects or activity-based projects (such as stuffing envelopes, painting walls, filing, or telemarketing) that are not placed within the context of a larger, more meaningful project. We will not consider direct implementation of fundraising activities or board recruitment projects. SECTION FOUR: LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS We will accept proposals only from nonprofit organizations whose tax status is 501(c)(3) or from community coalitions or other community-focused programs affiliated with 501(c)(3)s. We will consider proposals from joint nonprofit/for-profit ventures, as long as at least one body involved is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We will not consider projects that include direct implementation of fundraising activities or board recruitment. There is no funding available from LEAD Atlanta for the project. The project must be able to be completed through the donated time and efforts of the 8-10 class members. Page 4 of 7
LEAD Atlanta is under no obligation to select any project that may be proposed. LEAD Atlanta is not responsible or liable in any manner for any risks, costs or expenses incurred by any proposing organization in the preparation of a proposal in response to this RFP or any revisions of a proposing organization s proposal. LEAD Atlanta reserves the right to withdraw participation in a project for any reason, including but not limited to, lack of oversight and involvement by the proposing organization, lack of sufficient resources from the proposing organization to complete the project, change in project scope, or any other reason. LEAD Atlanta is not responsible for any expenses incurred by the proposing organization as a result of Leadership Atlanta s selection of the project, Class Members participation in the project, or withdrawal from the project. If the proposing organization intends to seek or actually seeks media coverage of the project, LEAD Atlanta staff must be contacted at least one week in advance so that the proposing organization may request LEAD Atlanta s approval to include mention of LEAD Atlanta, its Class Members, or its logo in the media coverage. Page 5 of 7
APPENDIX A LEAD ATLANTA COHORT COMMUNITY PROJECT PROPOSAL Submit electronically via email attachment to: Elaine Hudson Manager, Programs and Marketing elainehudson@leadershipatlanta.org Due to LEAD Atlanta no later than July 21, 2014, at 5:00 pm EDT. Proposing organizations should refer to LEAD Atlanta s Request for Proposal to assure that this project proposal contains the information required for consideration, as outlined in the RFP. Proposals must be prepared and submitted according to the following specifications. 1. Project proposals must not exceed 4 pages (count includes the required LEAD Atlanta cover sheet). 2. Project Proposals must include the attached Cohort Community Project Cover Sheet (Appendix B) as its first page. 3. Project proposals should succinctly address the following questions. a) What problem is your organization encountering that you seek to address? What is your proposed solution? b) How amenable is your organization to changes of the proposed solution recommended by LEAD Atlanta Cohort? c) What is the purpose of your proposed project? d) How will this project benefit your organization and/or the population(s) you serve? e) What is your plan for project completion? How long do you expect it to take, and what timeline will you ask LEAD Atlanta members to follow? f) How will your organization interact with the cohort team throughout the experience? What experience does your organization have working with volunteers? g) What do you expect LEAD Atlanta class members to learn through their experience working on your project? 4. Please attach to this proposal a list of the organization s current board members and a copy of its IRS determination letter. (If you are a community coalition or other organization, describe the coalition and/or your relationship with a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization.) 5. The proposal must be signed by the Executive Director or CEO of the organization(s). Page 6 of 7
CONTACT INFORMATION: Name of Agency: Agency Address: Agency Website: Name of Person Submitting Proposal: APPENDIX B LEAD ATLANTA COHORT COMMUNITY PROJECT PROPOSAL REQUIRED COVER SHEET Submit electronically via email attachment to: Elaine Hudson Manager, Programs and Marketing elainehudson@leadershipatlanta.org Due to LEAD Atlanta no later than July 21, 2014, at 5:00 pm EDT. Name and Title of Person Assigned to Work with the Project Team: Approximate Number of Hours Available per Month to Work with the Project Team: Project Contact s Email Address: Project Contact s Phone Number: AGENCY INFORMATION: Date Founded: Total Number of Employees: Operating budget or last two completed fiscal years ( 2012 and 2013) Mission Statement: Names and Titles of Key Management Team: Population(s) served Page 7 of 7