Prepared By: John Stratton, Kelly Kim, Teddy Smith, Siobhan Ortolano

“Working today to change the life of youth!”

 Table of Contents:

★Executive Summary -- Page 2

★Introduction -- Page 3
★Rationale -- Page 5
★Deliverables -- Page 6
★Cost Analysis-- Page 7
★Project Success Metrics -- Page 8
★Delivery Schedule -- Page 9
★Staffing -- Page 10
★Discussion -- tbd
★Appendix -- tbd

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Executive Summary

In 2017, about 442,995 children were in foster care in the United States. From foster care, it
takes a child one to three years on average to be adopted. In addition, the average age a child
enters the foster system is eight.

S.T.A.R. Programs is a small, nonprofit organization in San Jose, CA that acts as a foster care
agency and has a Transitional Housing Placement Program for youths ages sixteen to seventeen.

As a smaller foster care agency in Santa Clara County, S.T.A.R. Programs does not receive as
much funding from the state of California nor does it receive as many donations as other, larger
foster care agencies in the area. Furthermore, S.T.A.R. Programs has a very limited online
presence, so it would be more difficult to hear about this organization than a larger, more
well-known agency.

By creating new social media platforms and enhancing the S.T.A.R. Programs official website,
the organization ought to be easier to find for resource parents looking to care for a foster child, a
potential volunteer, or a donor. A social media platform like Instagram will reach younger
generation parents, as ninety percent of Instagram’s users are under the age of 35.

Our main priority is raising awareness for S.T.A.R. Programs. By creating new social media
accounts and updating old ones, we will create a brand for S.T.A.R. Programs that exudes the
feeling of family that only a small organization can provide. Success will be measured by
completion of new social media platforms and reaching the stretch target of increasing funding
for S.T.A.R. Programs. A forecast of further success appears in our Project Success Metrics
section.

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Introduction

About S.T.A.R. Programs Inc:​ ​“H

​ elp us brighten the future of youth in Foster Care!”

S.T.A.R. Programs is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization located in San Jose, California. The
organization includes a Transitional Housing Placement Program (T.H.P.P.) for ages 16-17
aimed at helping youth develop independent living skills necessary once they emancipate from
the dependency or juvenile justice system.

There are many highlights of the T.H.P.P. which provides these young individuals with the best
opportunity to progress towards a successful young adulthood once they are emancipated. The
housing placement program includes a 14 bed facility serving male and female youth who are
part of the child welfare or juvenile justice system. Based on demonstrated positive levels of
responsibility the youth are given an increased independent lifestyle. The housing features
supervision by trained qualified counselors with a Bachelor’s Degree or Associate’s Degree with
equivalent experience. There is required attendance at Independent Living Program (ILP)
workshops following a referral from the authorized representative. They are allotted a savings
fund for that is given to them at the time of emancipation or reunification. Additionally, as the
youth progress towards an age where they start to seek employment and job opportunities, they
are furnished with job development skills such as resume writing, interview skills, job search
strategies, networking, job shadowing and professional appearance/etiquette.

All participants also receive case management services provided by skilled and trained
professionals. These include regular case management meetings to monitor needs, services and
progress on defined goals and referrals to community partners to meet identified needs. The
youth will have frequent contact with Social Workers/Probation Officers, school personnel,
therapeutic service providers and family members or other natural support persons.

S.T.A.R. Foster Family Agency

The “Foster Family Agency (FFA) welcomes prospective resource families from all
backgrounds. They do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, gender
identity, sexual orientation, gender expression, disability, age, religion, marital status or domestic
partnership status. “Successful Resource Parents” are dedicated to protecting, nurturing, and
providing a safe, healthy, trauma-informed environment with positive support for children who
need a family. Based upon the child’s background and any special needs, if a match seems
promising, an interview is conducted with the family and the child to determine compatibility if
it’s a match, the child will become part of the family. The FFA is able to serve Resource Parents

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from the following counties: Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Solano,
San Francisco, and Contra Costa.

About Foster Care in America

Children are in foster care because they or their families are going through a crisis. Often these
children, from babies to teens, have been removed from their parents because they are unsafe,
abused or neglected or their parents are unable to care for them. In 2017, about 442,995 children
were in foster care. Nearly one third of them lived with relatives. Slightly more boys than girls
are in foster care. A new federal law, ​the Family First Prevention Services Act,​ passed in 2018
aims to restructure how child welfare funds are spent, increasing resources available for foster
care prevention and children living in families and reducing funding for group placements that
are clinically unnecessary. Just under half spend less than a year in care. Nearly 40% spend one
to three years. Lengths of stay vary according to the circumstances of children and families, but
they also differ because of choices local, state and federal agencies and communities make about
how children will be cared for and the kinds of services and programs that will be available to
help children return safely to their families.

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Rationale

S.T.A.R. Programs is both a Foster Family Agency and includes a Transitional Housing
Placement Program for youths ages sixteen to seventeen. The organization makes joint efforts to
connect resource parents children within the foster system and provide them with a loving home
as well as helping the youths in their Transitional Housing Placement Program develop
independent living skills necessary for adult life. As one of the smaller foster agencies in Santa
Clara county, S.T.A.R. Programs doesn’t receive as much funding as other, larger agencies.

S.T.A.R. Programs wishes to promote itself as more accessible than larger foster agencies and
wants to be viewed as a close-knit family rather than a mere company. In addition, the
organization would like to increase its relationship with the local Spanish-speaking and bilingual
communities to better serve the children that fit into these communities as well as the resource
parents. StarBright Consulting Group is focused on improving S.T.A.R. Programs’ social media
and online presence in order to promote its desired “family” image.

At StarBright Consulting, our primary goal is to increase public awareness of S.T.A.R.

Programs. By creating new social media platforms, we plan to help S.T.A.R. Programs market
itself as a familial organization that prioritizes making good connections between the children in
the foster care system and the resource parents in the San Jose area.

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Deliverables:
Initial Outreach

● An email was sent to ten potential organizations with an interest to work together.

StarBright Consulting Group Logo

● The logo is used on all of our professional documents, including the cover letter and
proposal.

STAR Facebook Page

● This will be the official Facebook page for STAR Programs.

● The page will include information about the organization, stories of foster children and
success stories, and ways to connect.

STAR Instagram Account

● This will be the official Instagram account for STAR Programs.

● This platform will be the primary tool for personal connection, as well as future
campaigns.

Fundraising Outreach

● We will send out fundraising letters to prospective donors and organizations.

STAR Website Redesign

● The website will be enhanced by including informative and relevant content for
donors/families.

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Cost Analysis:
The project is centered on low-cost sustainable initiatives. The goal is to pass through as much of
the donations as possible to the actual cause, rather than wasting resources on intermediate
activities. Marketing is a key function of the project and free social media platforms such as
Facebook and Instagram will be used for these efforts. In addition, content will be created for the
S.T.A.R. Programs website and this will not cost more than the billable hours it takes for the
team to create the content.

In terms of fundraising efforts, the goal is to find suitable organizations that are willing to partner
with S.T.A.R. Programs. The costs for these efforts will also be dependent on the billable hours
the team reports. The end goal is to compile a strong list of suitable organizations to partner
alongside S.T.A.R. Programs.

As denoted above, the main expense will be the cost of labor. Payoneer, a firm that provides
information about employee salaries estimates the typical freelance consulting hourly rate is $19.
Each member will contribute 10 hours on the project for a total of 40 hours. Therefore, the total
cost of the project is $760. This cost will not be passed onto S.T.A.R. Programs as the team is
donating their time toward the project.

Estimated Budget:

Item Cost Donated By

Labor (10 hours, $19/hour, 4

employees) $760 STAR Bright Consulting

Proposed Total Cost $760

Actual Cost to S.T.A.R. Programs $0

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Project Success Metrics:
The goal of our project is to raise awareness for S.T.A.R. Programs and its core mission of
helping foster children. During the roundtable discussion it became clear, few of us were aware
of the challenges foster children face. The main areas of focus for this project include awareness
and fundraising partnerships. We will revamp the S.T.A.R. Programs with content that clearly
outlines their mission while marketing their work through social media. In addition, our plan
calls for outreach to potential organizations that would be willing to contribute to S.T.A.R.’s
mission.

Minimum Target

The minimum target can be broken down into two objectives. The first target is to have fully
developed and functional social media pages. These will serve as the foundation for the
marketing campaign. Additionally, the team will also create content for the S.T.A.R. Programs
website. The second target is an outreach campaign to compile a list of organizations willing to
help S.T.A.R. in supporting foster children.

Stretch Target

The team has identified a stretch target that includes securing donations from organizations that
are identified as potential partners during the outreach phase of the project. As outlined in our
minimum target, the goal is to compile a list of organizations willing to partner with S.T.A.R.
Programs. The stretch target would include committing these organizations to donate to S.T.A.R.
Programs in the amount of their choosing.

From the social media and marketing side, the team has an ambitious goal or reaching 1,000
followers on social media platforms that are developed. Creating a large Facebook following will
enable S.T.A.R. Programs to spread their mission and hopefully lead to more donations. The idea
here is to create a sustainable plan that can continue to be implemented long after the team
completes the project.

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Delivery Schedule:
Action
Week
1 (July 30) · Compile list of ten
organizations we can partner
with for the project.
2 (August 6) · Meet with Vicky Taylor
(S.T.A.R. Programs) to outline
project goals and discuss
deliverables.
· Disclose project plan to class
for feedback.
3 (August 13) · Create logo for STAR
Consulting.
· Set up social media pages on
Facebook and Instagram.
· Begin fundraising outreach.
4 (August 20) · Enhance company website.
· Follow up on fundraising leads.
· Add 2 informative Facebook
posts during the week.
5 (August 27) · Present results.
Deliverables
· Contact all ten
organizations expressing
interest in working
together.
· Have CCP waiver
signed by Vicky after scope
of work has been agreed
upon.
· Alter plan to
incorporate class
suggestions.
· Fully developed social
media pages.
· Fundraising letters to
be distributed in week four.
· Marketing material
that promotes S.T.A.R.
Programs as an “accessible
family organization”.
· Presentation to Vicky
and the class on our efforts.
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Staffing:

John Stratton, Class of 2019 Finance Major

John is a senior finance major eager to earn his degree at the conclusion
of this summer. John has experience working multiple real estate
internships at Jones Lang LaSalle, Sterling Bay, and Skender
Construction. This project and opportunity to help S.T.A.R. Programs
appealed to him because he has a best friend from Chicago who went
through the foster care system and has first hand experience at being
told stories about the positives and negatives.

John will be the project manager for StarBright Consulting Group

which entails making sure the project runs smoothly. Additionally, John will work on the finance
side of the project and help with other aspects as needed.

Siobhan Ortolano, Class of 2021

Economics, Music Major

Siobhan is a junior economics and music major with a

musical theater minor from Los Angeles, California.
She currently works in the Campus Ministry and
Housing departments at Santa Clara University as a
Music Ministry Intern and as a Desk Assistant for one
of the residence halls. She also works as a Choral
Associate at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Palo
Alto. As a Desk Assistant, she often addresses resident
needs and workplace organization. For the StarBright
Consulting Group, she acts as the writing and editing
specialist in addition to helping with project Outreach.

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 Kelly Kim, Class of 2020
Marketing Major
Kelly is an upcoming senior marketing major from San Jose,
California. She has prior experience assisting social media
marketing campaigns, and creating other content for brands.
Kelly’s customer service background in retail and food
industries, along with her studies in marketing have qualified
her for various roles in the team. In this project, she will be in
charge of the visual aspects, as well as outreach and
communications.

Teddy Smith, Class of 2020

Finance Major
Teddy is a senior at Santa Clara University majoring in finance. He
has spent the last three summers working for HSBC in Bermuda.
Rotating through the core divisions of the bank he has a firm
understanding of how an international bank functions and the role
they play in a global marketplace. His role on the project will focus
on marketing STAR’s mission to spread awareness and drive
donations. In addition, he will play an integral role in helping the
team achieve the outlined project success metrics. Teddy hopes to
bring his enthusiasm for S.T.A.R. Programs core mission and combine that with his finance
background to ensure a successful and meaningful project.

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For the Appendix...

StarBright Consulting Group

500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053

Vicky Taylor
S.T.A.R Programs
811 Sherman Oaks Dr
San Jose, CA 95128
408-605-2744
vickyt@starprogramsinc.org

August 12, 2019

Dear Ms. Vicky Taylor:

StarBright Consulting Group would like to thank you for the opportunity to partner with your
organization. We are more than aware of the current foster care crisis overwhelming the US, and believe
it is so important to support the future of youth in foster care. We are committed to providing even the
smallest amount of help for foster children who go through these difficult situations. So, we would like to
propose a project that will raise awareness about STAR Program and your mission to help these children
reach their fullest potential.

For our project, we intend to expand STAR Program’s social media presence on Facebook and Instagram
to assist their marketing efforts, and also to develop conversations about this issue in our community.
Since much of your work is centered around sourcing families and finding the right home for the child,
we believe stronger online platforms will lead to more donations and more families willing to participate
in the program. In addition to building social media pages, we plan to enhance the organization’s website
by making it more user-friendly and accessible. Lastly, we will distribute fundraising letters to
prospective donors to assist with funding for STAR Programs. We are confident in our abilities to meet
our goals of helping raise awareness and money for STAR, at no cost to you.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I know that by partnering with our organization, you
will greatly increase your capacity and ability to help youth in foster care. Please let me know if you have
any questions, and I look forward to working with you in the future.

Kindest regards,

StarBright Consulting Group

John Stratton, Kelly Kim, Teddy Smith, Siobhan Ortolano

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Sources:

Coing. (2017, September 01). Average freelancing & Consulting hourly Rates (2019). Retrieved
August 3, 2019, from https://clockify.me/average-hourly-rates

Foster Care. (2018). Retrieved August 15, 2019, from

https://www.childrensrights.org/newsroom/fact-sheets/foster-care/

IDH Team. (2019, January 14). Instagram Vs Facebook: Which is better for Marketing?: IDH.
Retrieved August 15, 2019, from https://internationaldigitalhub.com/marketing/social-
media/instagram-vs-facebook/

S.T.A.R. Programs Inc. About Us. (2018). Retrieved July 31, 2019, from
https://starprogramsinc.org/

What is foster care? (n.d.). Retrieved August 4, 2019, from

https://www.aecf.org/blog/what-is-foster-care/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4s7qBRCzARIsAImcA
xacQas4O3mH32lzioIizkhGuwzQOV95shz5a9onGWMe14W41lFUAx4aArP8EALw_w
cB

(n.d.). Retrieved August 6, 2019, from

https://www.payoneer.com/resources/freelance-income-survey/

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