Urban Ecology

http://www.urbanecology.org

Oakland, CA

Round –

Spring 2005

Project Type –

Full team

Project Focus –

Earned Income

Organization Type –

Human Services

Organization

Urban Ecology's mission is to create neighborhoods that are thriving, healthy places to live. Based in downtown Oakland, Urban Ecology specializes in participatory land use planning that creates a vision for change, and policy advocacy that turns a community's vision into reality. They believe that vibrant neighborhoods - with a mix of housing, transportation and open spaces - serve as the building blocks of thriving cities and healthy regions. Their focus is on low-income, ethnically diverse neighborhoods.

Project Objectives

Urban Ecology seeks ways to reduce its philanthropic dependency and to tap into new revenue streams. Urban Ecology asked ACT for help in evaluating the feasibility of a Fee-For-Service (FFS) income program

Project Overview

Met with UE Board Chair, FFS Committee, and Executive Director to initiate project
Interviewed nonprofits with fee-for-service experience
Interviewed potential partners, competitors, and customers to identify market potential and UE strengths and weaknesses
Developed a staffing plan and financial model

Key Recommendations

Fee-for-service projects are feasible for UE, but there are limited opportunities and strong competitors
The new "mentor-staff-intern" strategy makes sense for FFS projects
Major grant funding is still needed, especially if FFS projects do not become visible as quickly as expected
Continue to look for partners for FFS projects, both non-profit and for-profit organizations

Final Report Outline