Propuesta de Plan Estratégico de Comunicación Interna para la Municipalidad Provincial

Client-based projects allow students to observe, experience, and apply the core concepts of a course (Glick, 2013); lead to the development of critical thinking skills (Devasagayam & Taran, 2009); and enhance leadership skills (Facca-Miess, 2015). This type of project helps immerse students in the material in a “real world” context; and “places the responsibility of learning upon the student—producing student motivation and accountability that transcends traditional boundaries of pedagogy” (Devasagayam & Taran, 2009, p. 28). Students who participate in such projects should be “motivated by intrinsic rewards such as job responsibility, decision making, and authority” (Barram, 2011, p. 108).

Unfortunately, significant barriers exist for the effective implementation and use of client-based projects. Most notably, they require significant commitment on the part of the instructor who must often establish and manage relationships with clients that may have competing interests (the operation of their business versus the learning objectives of the project) or misguided expectations (i.e. free labor). Selecting an appropriate client is a critical

decision and has significant effect on the learning experience for the student and the overall success of the project. The instructor must balance the needs of both the students and the clients—ensuring that the students receive a quality learning experience while ensuring that the quality and content of the work is responsive to the client’s needs (Gilbert, 2014). Clients must be willing to commit appropriate time and resources to the class and remain engaged throughout the process (Gilbert, 2014). The client must also be willing to disclose financial and strategic information that may be propriety or confidential in order for students to provide a comprehensive analysis and informed recommendations (Gundala, Singh, & Baldwin, 2014).

For students, the most common complaints tend to be the limited timeframe (often one term) in which the project must be completed (Razzouk, Seitz, & Rizkallah, 2003); and the process of learning while doing (Razzouk et al., 2003). Students may be too grade oriented, distracted by group dynamics, and fail to fully benefit from the “real world” experience (Gilbert, 2014). In addition, students (particularly non-marketing majors) may not find the client, or project, relevant and thus be less likely to fully engage the project (Grau & Akin, 2011).

Not unlike other client-based projects, the P2P client-based project requires that students work in conjunction with a real client to address an actual marketing issue. However, the P2P client-based project is unique in that it utilizes the branded online peer-to-peer fundraising platform of an established charity. Rather than just act as marketing consultants, students are required to plan, execute, evaluate, and report outcomes on a plan to raise money for a public charity (the client). A 501(c)(3) registered public charity organization with a branded online team peer-to- peer fundraising platform is a very unique and specific type of project client with significant advantages over other clients.

Using charity organizations as clients allows students to experience firsthand how marketing principles can be applied outside of the consumer products and services marketplace with which they are more accustom; in addition with over 1.5 million 501(c)(3) public charities registered in the United States, students can choose a cause (or “client”) that is relevant to them and thus increase the likelihood that they will remain engaged throughout the project. Public charities also tend to publish significantly more information that might be closely guarded by private firms. Raising funds is a common problem for public charities and as with for-profit firms, generating revenue is often the ultimate goal of marketing activities. By tasking students to actually raise funds, they are able to see the effects of their marketing efforts and use the “scorecard” of business—revenue. Many charities have a developed infrastructure and a number of tools available to aid supporters in the fund raising process. Peer-to-peer fundraising has grown in popularity in recent years and is the chief tool that allows this project to be administered.

Peer-to-peer fundraising occurs when the supporters of a charity raise money from their peers on the organization’s behalf. The organization provides motivation and guidance, as well as tools for supporters to create their own personal fundraising effort (Castillo, Petrie, & Wardell, 2014; Saxton & Wang, 2014). Peer-to-peer fundraising is often seen in the form of campaigns, personal events/challenges, or activities (Wu, 2015). Campaigns run for a fixed period of time and supporters of the charity aim to meet personal fundraising goals in an effort to meet the charity’s overall goal. For example, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (http://team.jdrf.org/campaigns/) encourages supporters to join their fundraising effort during National Diabetes Awareness Month in November.

Personal events/challenges focus on individual accomplishments such as a particular event (e.g. anniversary or graduation) or a challenge (e.g. climbing a mountain or growing facial hair). The Movember Foundation (https://us.movember.com/get-involved/moustaches) uses this format during its Moustaches in Movember campaign where men are encouraged to grow facial hair in conjunction with their fundraising. Activities typically consist of a physical challenge such as a marathon or walkathon for which supporters fundraise in order to participate. The American Cancer Society (http://relay.acsevents.org/), for example, hosts Relay for Life events annually throughout the country and supporters are asked to raise money in order to participate.

The proliferation of the internet and increased participation in online social media by the general public has resulted in a significant increase in the use of online peer-to-peer fundraising by many nonprofit organizations (Castillo et al., 2014). Over $22 billion was donated online in 2010, of which a significant portion was raised through peer-to-peer solicitation (Castillo et al., 2014). The online tools available through many charities allow anyone to see the progress of any given fundraiser and thus makes the fund raising and financial transactions more transparent. While online peer-to-peer fundraising can be done in many different ways, typically, a supporter signs up (an individual or as a part of a team) online as a fundraiser for the organization. The organization then provides the donation infrastructure, a personalized fundraising webpage, motivation, and support. The fundraiser establishes a goal and

solicits friends, family, and others in their social network to donate to the organization through their personalized webpage. The fundraiser can also raise money offline and use social media to promote the cause.

Branded online peer-to-peer fundraising platforms should not be confused with crowdfunding sites such as gofundme.com, causes.com, or crowdrise.com where most anyone can create an account to raise money. Often the funds collected through these sites go directly to the account creator who is then expected to donate to the proper cause or “do good” with the funds. Like many crowdfunding platforms, most anyone can create an account on a branded online peer-to-peer fundraising platform; however, unlike crowdfunding sites, the platform is hosted on the charity organization’s website and all funds donated online go directly to the charity.