Bunabumali Valley Community Enhancement Project (BVCE)

Project Purpose: Create public awareness for the Bunabumali Valley Community and raise money to send medical supplies to support a healthier community for Bunabumali Valley.

Fundraising Goal: $200 by May 8th 2012

Project Location: Bunabumali Valley is a community located in Uganda, Africa on the slopes of Mt. Elgon. The landscape in the surrounding area is beautiful atop this once volcanic mountain. Due to the location of Bunabumali Valley, landslides are a common occurrence which can leave children orphaned along with the high risk of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Malaria.

Project Summary: Using various marketing strategies, we will create public awareness for Bunabumali Valley and raise money for their medical supplies. We are preparing to fight for the survival of previously infected people. A well equipped hospital center will allow us to safely treat patients and give the community a secure place to store vaccines and medications within the health center that is currently being built. We will also be able to segregate the seriously ill and contagious from other patients to help reduce the spread of diseases to others with suppressed immune systems. Due to the poor conditions in which families live with here, the community is more susceptible to outbreaks and epidemics. This project will allow us to fund supplies for Bunabumali Valley including vaccines and other medical supplies to help fight diseases such as Malaria, Meningitis, Hepatitis, Ebola Fever, and HIV/AIDS.

Project Objectives

Objective 1: Develop a marketing plan to outline our progressObjective 2: Conduct environmental scan analyses Objective 3: Develop communications strategies to inform our target marketsObjective 4: Raise money through fundraisers/donations to demonstrate personal selling by raising at least $200 for Bunabumali Valley Community Enhancement ProjectObjective 5: Assess the effectiveness of our efforts to support BVCE

Project Strategies

Strategy 1: Develop a marketing plan1.1 Create attainable objectives1.2 Set realistic deadlines1.3 Monitor progress with reports and an action plan

Strategy 2: Conduct environmental scans2.1 Research where Bunabumali is located2.2 Research diseases and illnesses specific to Uganda2.3 Research target market areas

Strategy 3: Communications strategy to inform our target markets3.1 Research diseases specific to the Uganda area3.2 Integrate differentiation, segmentation, and target marketing into communications strategies3.3 Create informative pamphlets3.4 Create an online informative website

Strategy 4: Raise money through fundraisers/donations for BVCE4.1 Host a bake sale at USG to raise money

4.1a Design a menu4.1b Research market value for pricings

4.1c Collect proceeds for donations4.1d Distribute pamphlets for other donations

4.2 Distribute pamphlets in our targeted communities for donations4.3 Share the website with family and friends to circulate in the online community for donations

Strategy 5: Assess the effectiveness of our efforts5.1 Document all project progress5.2 Generate detailed reports for each objective and strategy outlined

Project Outcomes

Outcome 1: A marketing plan was created, implemented, and completed. An action plan summary was used to outline our progress.Outcome 2: Environmental scans were performed and the research was used to create pamphlets, a website, and prices for the bake sale.Outcome 3: Communications strategies were implemented and successfully used to inform our targeted markets.Outcome 4: Our goal of $200 was raised from the bake sale fundraiser, totaling $232. We are hoping donations will continue to come through the Hawk Children’s Fund website.Outcome 5: All reports are documented in detail and attached below.

Marketing Plan

1. To develop a health education program complete with medical supplies and storage area for Bunabumali Valley by May 8, 2012

2. To develop and implement a marketing plan to raise money for a hospital center and pharmacy supplies within the health center by March 16, 2012

3. To develop and implement marketing strategies to raise money through fundraisers and donations by March 31, 2012

4. To conduct an environmental scan analysis to research the most commonly found infections and life-threatening diseases within the community by April 7, 2012

5. To develop and carry out a communications strategy to inform our target markets by May 1, 2012

6. To demonstrate personal selling by raising $200 to fund health education program at Bunabumali by May 8, 2012

7. To demonstrate the integration of differentiation, segmentation, and target marketing into our communications strategy by May 8, 2012

8. To complete research by April 7, 2012 to justify and defend our positioning strategy and explain the appropriate components of value as applied to pricing decisions by May 8, 2012

9. Assess the effectiveness of the synergy of the above nine competencies to the overall RESULTS of the Bunabumali Community health education program with an end of the quarter report.

Marketing Strategies

Our team decided to organize a bake sale and create an informational document to help market our project and raise money for Bunabumali Valley. These marketing strategies were supported with different communications mix between advertising the bake sale on our university campus by posting signs, promoting our project with merchandising by having a bake sale, discussing our project with students who purchased our products, and by collateral advertising with an informational pamphlet and FaceBook page. These strategies were used to help with our personal selling aspect to raise money for medical supplies for Bunabumali Valley. The bake sale was a huge success, bringing in $232 for the project. We are hoping to generate additional donations online from our strategy to inform the public with collateral advertising.

Environmental Scan Analysis

The citizens of Bunabumali Valley are lacking effective and sufficient medical supplies. They are losing their family, friends, and love ones at a rapid rate due to HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Researching and acknowledging the most commonly infectious and life-threatening diseases will tremendously assist in determining which medical supplies are needed for the treatment of the locals.

While doing extensive research on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website we have learned some interesting facts regarding The Bunabumali Valley and prevalent diseases that affect this community. Bunabumali Valley is at high risk for Malaria which is a serious disease that can be very deadly at times. Humans can contract Malaria from the bite of a mosquito that was infected with the parasite Plasmodium Falciparum. Symptoms of Malaria include fever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and in some cases may also cause anemia and jaundice. Malaria infections with Plasmodium Falciparum that are not promptly treated may cause kidney failure, coma, and death (CDC.gov). Other diseases such as Dengue, Filariasis, Leishmaniasis, and Onchocerciasis (river blindness) are other diseases carried by insects that can affect the citizens of Bunabumali Valley and have similar symptoms of Malaria.

HIV/AIDS affects many people world wide and 15% to 28% of people living in Uganda are living with this virus. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a serious disease that represents the late stage of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).  The HIV virus progressively damages the immune system. Without an effective immune system, life-threatening infections and other noninfectious conditions related to failing immunity (such as certain cancers) eventually develop (CDC). According to the CDC, HIV can be transmitted through sexual contact, needle- or syringe-sharing, medical use of blood or blood components, organ or tissue transplantation, and artificial insemination; it can also be transmitted prenatally from an infected woman to her unborn child.

Meningitis is another common disease found in Uganda. It occurs during the dry seasons in Africa from December to June and is the leading cause of death among people living with HIV/AIDS. Meningitis can be caused by the fungus Cryptococcus, which is found in soil and produces spores that can be inhaled unknowingly. Many people are infected with this fungus at any time and never know. Meningitis develops after the dormant fungus becomes reactivated when the immune system is suppressed, whether is from an HIV infection or simply being sick.

Hepatitis is a disease of the liver which causes swelling, inflammation, and can lead to scarring of the liver known as cirrhosis. Hepatitis has many different viral strands that affect approximately 3% of the world’s population; however, in developing countries like Africa up to 15% of the population are infected. Hepatitis is found in about 5 different viral forms, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D, and Hepatitis E. Hep A is caused by eating or drinking contaminated products with virus A and is the least serious form that typically does not lead to chronic illness or life long disease. Hep B is transmitted through bodily fluid contact, blood contact, sexually, or by using unsterilized needles infected with virus B. Hep B is more serious then Hep A and can lead to cancer if not treated properly. Some people are not able to rid their system completely of Hep B, causing it to become a life long disease for them. Hep C is transmitted the same way as Hep B but is more deadly. Most infected people with Hep C develop a chronic infection which leads to cirrhosis and in most cases death. There is no cure for Hep C, but it can be suppressed if treated early and properly. Hep D is transmitted through blood contact, unsterilized needles, and sexually, however only those previously infected with Hep B are at risk for contracting and developing Hep D. Hep D has the same risks as Hep B. Hep E is contracted through drinking contaminated water with virus E. It causes swelling of the liver but no long term damage. Hep C and E are the most common forms found in Uganda.

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever is a severe and often fatal disease that appears in outbreaks sporadically in under developed countries. The disease is caused by infection of the Ebola virus that is believed to be transmitted through contact with an infected animal, mainly primates. Once a person is infected with the virus they can transmit it to others through bodily fluids and secretions, blood contact, and contaminated needles. Ebola HF develops within 2 to 21 days and is abrupt. Symptoms include fever,

headache, joint and muscle pain, sore throat, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. A rash, red eyes, hiccups, and internal and external bleeding can develop in some patients. The origination of the virus and exact transmission is unknown. Treatment and prevention methods of the virus are still being researched and studied.

The Communications Mix

Our group decided to target three different market areas within our community; college students and faculty, the online community, and local church communities. Sakura created a flyer to post on bulletin boards around the Shady Grove campus and contacted the Universities at Shady Grove via FaceBook to ask them to make an announcement to inform the students and faculty about our bake sale. Heather designed an informative pamphlet to pass out in the targeted communities with the information from our research. The pamphlet consisted of information about where the community is located in Uganda, Africa and the most common diseases found within Uganda. It has beautiful pictures taken within Bunabumali Valley of the children and at the site of construction for the community. Information about sending medical supplies to the health center summarized our project and also how the money raised from donations will be spent. The Hawk Children’s Fund website address is featured in the pamphlet for anyone who wants to make donations for the project. Heather and Sakura hosted a bake sale on campus for the college students. We had the opportunity to meet many students and faculty on our campus and discuss the Bunabumali Valley project with them. We passed out the pamphlets during our sale to promote more donations. Our sales totaled $232 at the end of the day.

Heather designed a FaceBook page to communicate with the online community. The page outlined the information from the pamphlet and is viewable by anyone in the FaceBook community. Information about the bake sale was posted and various pictures of the community are featured. A link for the Hawk Children’s Fund website is provided for anyone who wants to make a donation towards the project. The FaceBook page is currently circulating throughout the FaceBook community generating “likes” from various people to share with all their friends online.

Kiara, Georgina, and Sofia passed out pamphlets at local churches and community organizations to inform our target markets. We are hoping to generate more donations through the Hawk Children’s Fund website with this effort. We picked to target the local churches and community organizations in the area because many people are charitable contributors within this market. Kiara visited the Tucker Road Community Center, Greater Mt. Nebo A.M.E. Church, and Believers of Faith Ministries to present our cause in hopes for some donations. Georgina distributed pamphlets at local child care subsidies, Starbucks, and Long Wood Community Center. Sofia left our pamphlets at the Church of the Redeemer in Montgomery Village, Covenant Life Church in Montgomery Village, and Lotte Supermarket in the Germantown Shopping Center. We are informing these communities of our cause and promoting our project.

We believe these target markets are a great way to promote our project and optimize our donation amounts. Our FaceBook page is the biggest promotion of our project. We can reach thousands of people through the internet with the help of all our friends. This page will always be available for view within the FaceBook community which is growing larger with each passing day. Even if people do not make donations through our FaceBook page, we are still creating awareness of this small community in Uganda for support.

Personal Selling

Name of the Event: Bunabumali Valley Bale SaleDate of the Event: Monday April 9th, 2012Location: Universities at Shady Grove, Building IIIPurpose: Demonstrate personal selling and inform students about BVCEGoal: Raise $200Target Market: Students and faculty at the USG

We approached the bake sale as a marketing strategy. We had two main objectives to achieve during the bake sale. We needed to demonstrate personal selling by raising at least $200 and to inform people about the Bunabumali Valley Community Enhancement project. We also had the responsibility of representing the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s hotel and restaurant management program. We were very satisfied with our presentation and the demeanor we carried during this event. We have distinguished ourselves from other bake sales that had either taken place or will be taken place at the same location.

Menu DesignWe decided which items to sell at the bake sale based on various factors; whether the product is

typically featured at a bake sale, if it is easy to make, if it is trendy, and if it is beneficial. As we learned this semester that customers prefer to have choices and we wanted to create a menu that had a variety of selections so that we would have something to offer for everyone. We decided to offer five varieties of cookies; chocolate chip, double chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, peanut butter, and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. We also had two kinds of brownies, rice crispies, and a very fashionable display of cupcakes. We received a donation from a local bakery that had their cupcakes featured on The Food Network. We took this opportunity to market these cupcakes. The cupcake stand on our table was very eye catching and the cupcakes were the best seller at the bake sale. To further distinguish ourselves we also offered drinks; iced coffee, lemonade, strawberry lemonade, and passion fruit bubble tea. Bubble tea is a fruit flavored sweet tea with the addition of tapioca pearls. The drink was popularized by Chinese bakeries and it is different from other sweetened drinks because the tapioca provides texture to the drink. Since our target market is mostly students, it was a good idea to bring some trendy items that they cannot buy on campus and offer them at a reasonable price.

Market ResearchOur team was very confident about this event because of the research we had done ahead of time.

Before our bake sale, we did an environmental scan and a competition analysis. Since our bake sale took place on a Monday, Sakura visited the venue on a Monday to estimate the traffic situation in the area based on time periods. We figured out the busiest time of day was between 11:00-11:30am. We made sure our supplies were organized in a good presentation on our tables; such as napkins, straws, baskets, change, and drinks. We were prepared to tell all our customers about the Bunabumali Valley Community Enhancement project and also the Hawk Children’s Fund. One of the threats that existed in our SWOT analysis was a team in our class had a bake sale the week before ours. We were afraid that the students and faculty may be more attracted to this bake sale because they had the advantage of hosting their sale first and setting the standards for any sales to follow. One of our team members visited the competition’s bake sale to observe what was available for sale and also how they priced their items. To resolve this threat we turned this into an opportunity to provide food and drinks that were more enticing and in larger quantities. We filled our tables with our products, supplies, treats, and brochures in a manner that left no empty spots. We made sure to deliver the best customer service to everyone and that all our food and drinks were fresh and delicious.

PurchasingPurchasing was one of the most difficult components of this bake sale because we wanted to

purchase high quality ingredients at the lowest possible prices. We visited four grocery stores to compare all prices, recorded which brand of ingredients were on sale, and took the ingredient costs into our food and beverage cost percentages. For the cups, straws, and lids for our drinks we contacted a local Chinese bakery and negotiated wholesale prices for these items. We maintained a very good relationship with Cake Dreams, the local bakery that donated over four dozen cupcakes for our bake sale.

PreparationAll our products were prepared in the commercial kitchen in the Marriott Hospitality Center at

Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. Our products were baked on Friday, April 6th, 2012 and stored in a refrigerator with air tight containers and bags. We labeled everything to prevent cross contamination and bagged all items with gloves. During the morning of the bake sale we borrowed equipment from the Marriott kitchen at the Universities at Shady Grove for our drinks and returned them cleaned at the end of the day. We had a clear design on how to set up our tables and stations. The six foot table provided by student services was used for our product display. We brought in a four foot table that was set up behind our presentation table for mixing drinks and our cash box.

AdvertisingTo promote our event our team did four things. We created a very eye catching flyer that was put

on the bulletin boards in each building by student services. We created a FaceBook page for the Bunabumali Valley Community Enhancement project and posted our flyers and pictures. We contact the Universities at Shady Grove on FaceBook and requested them to make an announcement for us the day of the bake sale. We also prepared a donation page on the Hawk Children’s Fund website so people could make donations via internet.

Differentiation, Segmentation, and Target Marketing

We were able to effectively market our project by targeting our markets with detailed pamphlets, creating a FaceBook page, and hosting a bake sale. The pamphlets and FaceBook page made people aware of our cause. FaceBook has become the hotspot for promoting many causes. With FaceBook we have the opportunity to get our message across to thousands of people. However, traditional methods of advertising such as distributing pamphlets continue to remain an effective campaigning tactic. The bake sale gave us the opportunity to discuss our cause while selling baked goods and drinks to raise money.

Our pamphlet contained information about our cause for the project.  It also included our website so people can make further donations. We had the opportunity to speak with the staff members at the community centers, clinics, and churches that we left the pamphlets at. By doing this, we believe people who receive these will more likely pay attention to the contents of the pamphlet.

Creating a FaceBook page gave us an opportunity to reach out to our target market and create an ongoing relationship with our potential supporters. By using social media, we provided a continuously open window into our group's activities. We are able to show them where their donations are going and how the money will be used. The pamphlets and FaceBook page were very effective because it explained to the donators everything they need to know about our project.

The success of our project relied on how we differentiated ourselves from other teams. This was demonstrated best during our personal selling aspect. Our bake sale was distinguished from the others with our presentation, variety, and the overall quality of our products. Our product differentiation strategy goes hand in hand with our market segmentation for this strategy. We also differentiated ourselves by having more than one strategy for raising money. We decided to promote the Hawk Children’s Fund website with informative pamphlets and a FaceBook page.

Segmentation of the market for our pamphlets was done throughout our community of different community organizations and local churches. We segmented the market into these target markets to optimize our chances of reaching charitable organizations to promote our cause for donations. Church groups and community centers are close organizations that are known for their willingness to help others in need. Child care subsidies can relate to our cause of helping children in underdeveloped countries. The more people we are able to reach, the greater our cause becomes. Even if they do not decide to donate, they can pass on the information to others who would be inclined to make a donation.

For the online community, we segmented to FaceBook since they are the fastest growing social network. Not only is FaceBook a place where people in interact socially at their convenience, but it is a place of information. We created a fan page with the material used in our pamphlets to target the FaceBook community. The more people who visit our page and click on the like button, the faster it circulates throughout the FaceBook market. This enables us to reach far more people at a faster rate than any other type of promotion available. Even if the viewers of the online community decide not to donate at this time, they are aware of our cause and can share the information with others.

Our bake sale was the main contributor for our efforts to raise money; therefore it was the most involved for segmentation and target marketing. The Universities at Shady Grove is composed of diverse groups of people. We know that they may all have different needs and wants. That is why we created a menu that provided a variety of cookies, cupcakes, and other treats along with various drink options. This helped to differentiate our team’s bake sale from the other bake sales on campus. Our team felt that it was also very important that our products were maintained at a high quality so our target market not only perceived they had contributed to our fundraiser, but they also got delicious food. The following outlines our process of market segmentation and target marketing for our bake sale.

Needs and wants of the market placeWe have determined that our target markets for the bake sale would contribute more if our

products exceed their expectation. We also learned from our research that many students and faculty prefer trendy items. Therefore we went a step further and provided cupcakes and drinks. At the end of the

day, those two items sold better as compared of the others. We asked advice from student services and the security staff around the campus about how the traffic situation in the area is and what other bake sales had.

Projecting wants and needs of potential marketsOur research also included pricing. We compared our prices to the cafeteria prices of similar

items along with quality comparison. We wanted to ensure our products would be perceived as better quality and value against our competition. Our projection of the bake sale was $200 and we exceeded this value.

Matching the market and capabilitiesOnce we completed our menu design, our team leader delegated out responsibilities. Heather and

Sakura were in charged of the bake sale. Heather designed the FaceBook page before our bake sale and Sakura did all the purchasing and baking of all ingredients. In terms of capabilities, the two team members both have ServSafe certifications and have experience in food production. We determined we needed out side help; Sakura contacted the Marriott Hospitality Center and obtained permission to use their kitchen. The day of the bake sale, our team borrowed some equipment from the kitchen at USG. Overall, we were capable of doing all the work necessary for this fundraiser.

Segmenting the marketThe products that were sold during the bake sale could be very broad. At this stage we had

narrowed down specifically which items to sell. We went over our ideas from stage one and we eliminated a few items that were not beneficial for this target market.

Selecting target markets from identified segmentsOur target market for this event included the faculty and students. More importantly, we

narrowed down to a group of people we would approach more for donations. When we encountered people who were more interested in our fundraiser than our baked goods, we had the perfect opportunity to ask for donations instead of purchasing our treats. We also approached people who were not paying attention to our table by asking about making a donation.

Pricing Strategy and Components of Value

In order to raise money to provide the necessary medical supplies for the health center in Bunabumali Valley, we hosted a bake sale. Our positioning strategy was to create attention and interest from other students about our project. The bake sale took place in Building III in front of the library at the Universities at Shady Grove Campus. This spot was a poplar traffic site for many students and faculty so we could optimize the number of people we could inform about the Bunabumali Valley Community and their needs. The bake sale consisted of brownies, cupcakes, cookies, rice crispies, lemonade, ice coffee, strawberry lemonade, and bubble tea. All the production for the bake sale was done at the Marriott Hospitality Center at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland.

The bake sale was held from 9:30am to 4:00pm. This time frame has the most foot traffic at the Universities at Shady Grove on any given Monday. The main objective was to gain the most students’ and faculty’s attention and gather their support for our fundraiser. For the bake sale we offered reasonable prices for the products as follows:

• Rice crispies $0.75• Cookies $1.00• Brownies $ 1.50• Cupcakes $2.50• Lemonade $1.00• Strawberry lemonade $1.50• Iced coffee $2.00• Bubble tea $2.50

When determining the appropriate prices for our baked goods and drinks we conducted research on campus as well as in local bakeries. The USG cafe also provides students with baked treats such as brownies and cookies. Therefore we lowered the prices of these items, offered them in larger sizes, and they were fresh baked from scratch. Several bakeries price their cupcakes anywhere from $2.75 to $3.15; therefore we made our cupcakes $2.50 each. The cupcakes were donated from a local bakery featured on The Food Network. We made sure to take advantage of this promotion and the cupcake presentation was eye catching. Our drinks were all under the regular market price. Our agenda was very clear; we wanted to make sure our products were inexpensive compared to the market prices and to make sure our products tasted better at the same time. There were customers who purchased some baked goods simply to support our fundraiser. However, they returned later to purchase more baked goods because our products tasted better than their expectations.

The location of our bake sale was near the library entrance and amazing smell and the beautiful display of sweets attracted many students and faculty. At the time when they were purchasing our products, we had to opportunity to inform them about Bunabumali Valley and ask for additional donations. We are part of the hotel and restaurant management program at UMES and the quality of our production along with presentation were crucial aspects to achieving our goal. The displays of our products were very professional and eye catching, which captured many customers’ attention. We raised $232 from the bake sale. We achieved our initial goal of raising $200. The bake sale was a success.

BVCE Assessment Rating

The health education program to raise funding for medical supplies was a success. Our team was able to inform various markets about our cause and collect donations. Our team feels we did a great job at meeting all the objectives that were outlined in our project. We met all the deadlines in a timely manner and raised over $200 for Bunabumali Valley Community Enhancement Project. This is a good amount to start off with to launch sending medical supplies to Bunabumali Valley. We have set up some ongoing promotions for our project in hopes that donations will continue to come in through the Hawk Children’s Fund website for BVCE and we will be able to continue to send medical supplies to Bunabumali Valley. We are excited to have gained so much support throughout our communities and we are glad we got to be a part of this project.