RFP_Collective Impact Volunteering Outreach StrategyMasterpiece on the Mississippi
Dubuque
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AI- America City
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2007 • 2012 • 2013
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Request for Proposals - Collective Impact Volunteering Outreach Strategy
DATE: December 18, 2013
Human Rights Director Kelly Larson recommends City Council approval of the release
of a Request for Proposals for the development of a brand and outreach strategy for
collective impact volunteering under the Volunteer Generation Fund Grant.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director
THE CITY OF
Dui
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director
DATE: December 18, 2013
SUBJECT: Request for Proposals— Collective Impact Volunteering Outreach Strategy
Dubuque
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M- America City
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2007 • 2012 • 2013
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to solicit your approval of a request for proposals and review committee to carry out the
development of a brand and outreach strategy for collective impact volunteering under the Volunteer Generation Fund Grant.
BACKGROUND
On February 6, 2012, the City Council adopted a High Impact Service Plan as part of the requirements of a Cities of
Service /AARP Initiative and Recognition Grant. As a City of Service, Dubuque committed to:
• Developing a comprehensive service plan and a coordinated strategy focused on matching volunteers and
established community partners to the areas of greatest local need.
• Working with other mayors and elected officials to advance strategies and best practices that accelerate the service
movement and produce measureable results. Encouraging other mayors to join in this national effort to engage our
citizens.
• Ensuring that the voice of cities is heard in federal legislative, policy, and program discussions related to service,
which will help the country achieve the ambitious goals of the Serve America Act.
In 2012, a collaborative group consisting of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, AmeriCorps Partners in
Learning, the Multicultural Family Center, Green AmeriCorps, Iowa Campus Compact, Project Concern, the Dubuque
Community School District, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund. Circles
Initiative, and St. Mark Community Center obtained a Volunteer Generation Fund grant from the Iowa Commission on
Volunteer Service to establish a Volunteer Center in Dubuque. On September 4, 2012, the City Council approved
acceptance of the grant in the amount of $45 959.
Over the past several months, the collaborative has been meeting and has laid out a vision, mission, and the following
services to be offered through the center
• Volunteer matching and referral
• Volunteer learning experiences/trainings
• Organizational learning experiences/training and services
• Disaster planning and response
• Volunteerism branding and marketing
• Event planning
The ultimate vision is for the Center to be located in a physical space and to be staffed by a full time director and several core
volunteer positions as support. This may or may not be achievable.
The City is working to carry out the remainder of our grant by no later than February 28. We are doing that by piloting
potential Volunteer Center services using a collective impact approach. The pilot was described in a memo to you dated
October 24, 2013, and approved by the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service through a grant amendment signed on
December2 and retroactively effective as of October 15,2013. The pilot involves creating a replicable model and toolbox
that demonstrates how the services of a Volunteer Center could support a Volunteer Management Group that is working
collaboratively across agencies to collectively impact an identified and significant social issue in a community —in this case,
our pilot project is focused on economic opportunity. Pilot partners are the Circles Initiative, Project Concern and Operation
New View because they have a shared goal of recruiting volunteers to impact economic opportunity, and each of them has a
VISTA member working toward this goal.
One of the specific tasks we have committed to under the grant is hiring a consultant to develop a strategic, shared outreach
plan for highlighting the ways in which agencies working together around a common agenda can collectively impact a major
social issue. There is $13,700 approved for this effort under the grant.
DISCUSSION
We are under significant time constraints to accomplish this portion of our work. The work must be complete and expenses
incurred by no later than February 28. A subcommittee of the Volunteer Collaborative held a meeting earlier this month to
discuss carrying out this work under the grant. This subcommittee included Maggie Baker (Loras Campus Compact), Josh
Jasper (Resources Unite), Anderson Sainci (City of Dubuque), and me. The subcommittee discussed how the work should
be structured and the expectations we would have of the consultant. We also discussed the necessity of working through the
City's request for proposals process. Following this meeting, I also solicited input from Randy Gehl and have put together
the attached RFP.
RECOMMENDATION
I recommend that Maggie Baker, Anderson Sainci and I serve as the RFP review committee, with additional input from
Randy Gehl as needed for any technical questions that arise as we review proposals. I also recommend that the attached
RFP be approved to be released on January 7, 2014.
PROJECT COST - BUDGET IMPACT
The budget impact of this project will be a maximum of $13,700, all of which will be reimbursed through the Volunteer
Generation Fund grant.
ACTION TO BE TAKEN
The action requested is that you approve the RFP committee as outlined above and approve seeking proposals to carry out
this work.
Request for Proposals
Volunteer Generation Fund
Strategic Outreach Plan
The City of Dubuque, Iowa is part of a Volunteer Center Collaborative (Collaborative)
consisting of the following additional organizations: Community Foundation of Greater
Dubuque, Dubuque Community Schools, Loras College Iowa Campus Compact, Project
Concern Foster Grandparent Program, Retired and Senior Volunteer Corps,
AmeriCorps Partners in Learning program, The Circles Initiative, and the Multicultural
Family Center. The Collaborative has received a Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF)
Grant from the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service (ICVS), and the City of Dubuque
is seeking proposals for the creation of a strategic branding and outreach plan to
connect and engage volunteers as part of the implementation of the grant.
Community Background
The city of Dubuque is located on the Mississippi River in northeastern Iowa, adjacent
to Illinois and Wisconsin. As Iowa's oldest city, Dubuque is a community well known for
its historic and architectural beauty. The city is over 30 square miles in area, with a
population of nearly 60,000 persons. The community has a stable and diversified
manufacturing base and a growing service sector. Dubuque is the major retail, medical,
education and employment center for the tri -state area. Tourism continues to be a major
economic force in the community.
The City of Dubuque is governed by an elected Mayor and City Council and managed
by a City Manager. The City funds a full range of municipal services. City government
works in collaboration with the private and non - profit sectors to promote economic
development and sustainability. Sustainability and downtown, neighborhood, and
riverfront planning and revitalization are long- standing priorities of the City Council. The
City's web site is www.cityofdubuque.orq.
Volunteer Generation Fund Grant Background
The Corporation for National and Community Service describes the Volunteer
Generation Fund as "designed to retain and increase the number of people who serve
in meaningful roles as volunteers dedicated to addressing important needs in
communities across America. The Volunteer Generation Fund grants will be used to
develop and/or support community -based entities to recruit, manage, and support
volunteers. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) seeks to fund
effective approaches that expand volunteering, strengthen the capacity of volunteer
connector organizations to recruit and retain skill -based volunteers, and develop
strategies to effectively use volunteers to solve problems. Specifically, the Volunteer
Generation Fund grants will support efforts that expand the capacity of volunteer
connector organizations to recruit, manage, support and retain individuals to serve in
high quality volunteer assignments." In Iowa, the Iowa Commission on Volunteer
Service has sub - granted these funds to communities working to establish a Volunteer
Center that offers the following services:
• Volunteer matching and referral
• Volunteer learning experiences /trainings
• Organizational learning experiences /training and services
• Disaster planning and response
• Volunteerism branding and marketing
• Event planning
Our Project:
The Collaborative is piloting potential Volunteer Center services using a collective
impact approach. The pilot involves creating a replicable model and toolbox that
demonstrates how the services of a Volunteer Center could support a Volunteer
Management Group that is working collaboratively across agencies to collectively
impact an identified and significant social issue in a community. The pilot project is
focused on the issue of economic opportunity.
The City of Dubuque is soliciting bids from qualified consultants to develop a replicable,
strategic outreach plan for highlighting the ways in which agencies working together
around a common agenda can collectively impact a major social issue. The potential
market is volunteers interested in contributing to: 1) collaborative approaches to solving
complex social issues, 2) volunteering as a way to use and develop skills that empower
residents, 3) building social capital within and across groups and agencies in the
community.
The goal of the outreach strategy is to connect and engage volunteers to serve
strategically with agencies who are collaborating to address an identified and significant
social need in the community in sustainable ways. The strategy should emphasize the
concept of collective impact, which involves several organizations coming together to: 1)
work collectively on a common agenda; 2) agree upon shared measures of success; 3)
contribute what they are able to contribute through mutually reinforcing activities
(meaning each agency /group contributes what they do best to the common goal); 4)
develop a plan for constant communication; and 5) identify a backbone organization to
coordinate the efforts. The maximum budget for the project is $13,000.
Scope of Services:
The proposal should include a brief description of the consultant's scope of services and
a contract for services. The responsibilities will include:
1. The consultant will design a logo, tagline, and tri -fold brochure that can be used,
with minimal revision, to collective impact efforts around a variety of social issues
in the community.
a. The design should emphasize the concept of collaborating for collective
impact around one specific and identified social issue in a community.
b. Consultant should demonstrate how the design could be adapted for each
of the following specific social issues:
i. Economic opportunity
H. Education
Hi. Disaster services
iv. Veterans and military families
v. Community safety
vi. Sustainability
2. The consultant will develop a video that describes in an inspiring way:
a. How the collective effort of volunteers can impact a significant and
identified social need in a community
b. The services a Volunteer Center could offer and how those might support
volunteering for impact
c. The ways in which simple actions taken as a volunteer are impacting a
much larger community issue and leading to significant long term
outcomes
d. The ways in which the agencies involved in the pilot have come together
as partners and used the VC services to impact a specific and identified
area of local need
e. How to use the work of the pilot agencies as a replicable model around
significant and identified social issues other than economic impact
3. The consultant will develop an outreach strategy that describes how to identify
and reach targeted audiences in meaningful and engaging ways in order to
spread the concept of collective impact of volunteering in the community
a. The strategy should minimize the use of high -cost outreach such as paid
advertisements and television, and maximize the use of social media,
websites, and distribution of materials at events and through partner
organizations.
b. The strategy should consider potential ways to measure the number of
people reached and the impact of the marketing on the decision to join an
agency as a volunteer.
Project Schedule:
The consultant will be responsible for coordinating, facilitating, and producing materials
throughout the duration of the schedule.
January 14, 2014 Proposals are due.
January 21, 2014 Consultant is selected and contracts are signed.
January 23, 2014 Kick -off meeting to discuss the services.
February 6, 2014 Progress meeting.
February 20, 2014 Progress meeting.
February 28, 2014 Work is completed and approved. Final invoices are submitted
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
All proposals submitted shall be presented in 81/2x 11 inch format in recyclable
materials using Arial font, minimum 11 point font. Failure to provide the required
mandatory information may result in a consultant not being considered. Submitted
proposals will not be returned.
Proposal Requirements: To simplify the review process and obtain the maximum
comparability, the proposal must include the following information at a minimum and be
organized in the following manner.
Letter of Transmittal: Provide a one page letter of transmittal briefly stating the
consultant's interest in this project, outlining the consultant's understanding of the work,
and the name, address, telephone, cell and fax numbers, and email address of the
project manager and signed by the project manager.
Introduction Statement: Provide a one page introduction statement that explains the
consultant's expertise, previous experience, and unique qualifications for this project.
Profile of Firm: Provide general information about the consultant and its area of
expertise as regards this RFP, including the qualifications and contact information for
the project manager and other key personnel to be assigned to the project and recent
professional experience with similar projects, including work specifically involving
engaging volunteers, working with non - profit agencies.
Scope of Services:
Provide a detailed description of how the consultant proposes to approach this project.
Describe the means or strategy by which the consultant would satisfy the scope of
services as outlined above under Scope of Service, or an alternate or hybrid
recommended by the consultant. Expressly address consultant's ability to meet the
project deadlines outlined above. Describe the consultant's understanding of collective
impact.
References
Provide at least three references of clients for whom the consultant has completed
similar projects within the past five years with full name, title, address, email, phone,
and fax numbers.
Certificate of Insurance
The selected consultant will be required to meet the City's insurance requirements for
professional services (see attached Insurance Schedule C).
Fees and Compensation
Provide a proposed cost plus expenses budget for completion of the proposed scope of
services with cost breakdowns by scope element. Quotation of fees and compensation
shall remain firm for a period of at least 90 days from the submission deadline. Please
separate the proposed budget from the other portion of the RFP submittal. Initial
screening will be done without knowing the consultant's proposed fee for services.
Proposal Submittal Deadline:
Four copies of the proposal must be delivered no later than January 14, 2014 at 5:00
p.m. to: Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director, City Hall Annex, 1300 Main Street,
Dubuque, IA 52001.
The proposal shall be clearly labeled: Volunteer Generation Fund Strategic Branding
and Outreach Plan and should include the name, address, telephone number and email
address for the firm's primary contact person for the project.
Each firm assumes full responsibility for delivery and deposit of the proposal on or
before the deadline. The City of Dubuque is not responsible for the loss or delay with
respect to the delivery of the proposal.
Questions:
Questions about the RFP or project may be directed to Kelly Larson, Human Rights
Director, City of Dubuque, by email at klarson(ccityofdubuque.orq or by phone at (563)
589 -4190.
Evaluation Criteria:
Proposals will be screened to ensure that they meet the minimum requirements of the
proposal format. A selection committee will review qualifying proposals, and may invite
consultants to an interview with the selection committee. The objective is to select the
consultant most qualified to provide the services outlined in this request. Evaluations
will be based on the criteria listed below:
• Is everything included that was required by the RFP?
• The quality of written material and presentation, relevant experience, answers to
questions, and overall organization.
• Experience completing similar projects.
• Experience working with volunteers and /or non - profit agencies.
• Ability to successfully complete the scope of services on time and within budget.
• Experience, expertise, and unique qualifications of project manager and other
key individuals.
• Clarity of the consultant's understanding of collective impact.
• Evidence that the consultant understands what it will take to successfully meet
the scope of services.
• Consultant's ability to communicate ideas, reports, and vision(s) in a clear and
concise format
• Reasonableness of fees compared to the scope of services proposed.
• Result of any interview process and information from references.
The City of Dubuque reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to negotiate
changes with any firms.
The City of Dubuque is not liable for any costs incurred by any firms prior to the
execution of an agreement or contract. Nor shall the City of Dubuque be liable for any
costs incurred by the firm that are not specified in the contract.
The City of Dubuque retains the right to use, modify, and distribute products and
materials, both tangible and intellectual, under the contract for services. Any and all
materials and their design will be owned by the City of Dubuque. All materials produced
must be provided to the City of Dubuque in its original Adobe InDesign, Illustrator or
Photoshop format. Consultants interested in submitting a proposal must agree to these
terms.
The City of Dubuque is an equal opportunity employer.