Date of Award

Summer 2021

Document Type

Consultancy Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Jeffrey Hamilton

Abstract

Prodigal Son Foundation (PSF), an educational nonprofit organization (NPO) based in Charlotte, North Carolina sought to increase its partnerships with other local agencies and to improve fundraising efforts. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a change in day-to-day operations and a need to reimagine the organization’s methods to support the local community. The shift to remote learning and the closure of schools due to the pandemic brought the need to determine how PSF would continue to serve the community. Customer satisfaction and feedback on programming options became the significant challenge for this consultancy project. Through the need for resources and information on effective practices for remote learning, this project involved the creation of a best practices pamphlet and presentation materials to be shared with parents and families. Additionally, the review of literature on collaborations between nonprofits and the school community revealed themes of effective leadership, mission-driven service, COVID-19 educational partnerships, virtual learning research, and best practices for remote instruction. A brief survey was created to measure customer satisfaction and programming feedback. The survey was distributed to parents and families involved in PSF. Results of the survey indicate overall satisfaction with current programming and have also provided an opportunity for the organization to identify specific families that are currently in need of support. The Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted as part of this project was the first of its kind for PSF and will likely become a standard of practice as PSF continues to improve its impact in the community.

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