final paper

Assignment 7

Deanna Buchanan

Southern New Hampshire University

Sufficiently funding our special programs has been our main agenda. So far, we have sustained these programs since the implementation of Native American Alumni. Unfortunately, the fall in contribution has been a critical issue due to the decrease of pledges at a higher margin over the past two years. The previous assessment was undertaken to make recommendations on how to improve the overall pledge fulfillment by 6%. Secondary data collection methods were used to give a clear impression of donations for the past two years. According to the data, donation pledges from various parties have consistently been declining, and varying fulfillment rate was witnessed. Overall, there was an overall decrease rate in the percentage by which the pledges were made. This paper will give recommendations for continuous program improvement, considering the empirical data analysis provided. The paper will also analyze program indicators to ascertain whether goals were met and what needs to be done to help identify the problems and improve the program.

Referring to Bhuiyan & Baghel (2005), continuous improvement is the progressive effort to facilitate incremental changes on a project or within an organization. The approach is based on the belief that these slight changes will contribute to the overall improvement of a business or a project over time. The empirical data donations have been decreasing since 1985. Over the years, there have been fragmented reunion attendance with most of the years registering zero attendance. In some instances, there have been zero contributions making it hard to support our programs. Improving donations is recommendable that program organizers to start looking at the long term effect. Arguably, continuous improvement is more about mindset and actions. In this regard, it means that program organizers need to understand key indicators that could be driving the change.

The key indicators that necessitate the change in program process are occupation, yearly salary, academic major, and age. Indicators are quantifiable information that helps determine the success of a program. However, it is adamant to note that not all indicators can help assess the change but can assist create a better picture of the program (Kirtman & Fullan 2016). In terms of funding, the empirical data indicates an irregular contribution of donation as affected by yearly salary. For example, alumni earning more $100,000 yearly salary make relatively less contribution compared to those with an average of $55,000 yearly salary. Age is another indicator that describes the change in fulfillment rate. Alumni over 55 years have maintained a considerably down decrease over the past two years.

Alumni under 30 years have registered a slight increase in fulfillment rate compared to leaders’ fulfillment that is on a downward trend. The goal has not been met since the overall decline was 7.8% with a slight increase in the fulfillment rate by 1.2%. These figures show that it will be very hard to finance the program. This being the case, it is adamant about identifying the cause issues.

Leadership support is mainly the one factor for the success of any project improvement. To a great extent, leaders must exhibit behaviors that fully demonstrate support for the program so others can emulate. This means that the ultimate comes down to support and guidance contribute to the change. Looking at the pledges and fulfillment trend, leadership has shown commendable commitment. Comparing the planned and actual program results, it is no doubt that this could be the cause for the decline. For instance, in all category, there is a marginal difference between the current and the proposed. This deficit is the main cause of decreasing donations. Although there is a slight increase in fulfillment rate, the overall decrease in all categories is high making it hard to finance the program.

Leadership needs to offer guidance and provide support to ensure the success of the program. Although empirical data shows that leaders have been remarkably fulfilling their pledges, they have a role to play in influencing the behavior of members in other categories. Leadership is the core factor for the success of a project. As Burke (2017) contends, leaders must exhibit behaviors that reflect the overall objective of the program. The empirical data is scary in the sense that some years have 0 attendance and 0 contributions. The program team should devise short-term strategies to prevent the problem. This idea is based on the fact that it can be very challenging to implement changes if there is no time and mental capacity to do so.

To boost donation, the team can also adopt a culture of celebrating and rewarding top donors as well as managers who put out the most fires., use incentives to boost and change the behavior of members. Shifting the mindset of members may require time and additional resources. Continuous improvement is about mindset and actions. This is a promising approach to solving the problem even though it might require time and resources.

In summary, it is vital to measure the extent to which change occurs consistent with the program objectives. The program focused on such evaluation as age, occupation, and annual salary. However, it is imperative to consider other aspects like managerial procedures. As is the case, most programs objectives measure whether the change has occurred. Rather, it is essential to conduct studies to establish causality. Often the program can achieve its objectives, but it is very hard to rule out the confounding factors that could be triggering the change. Impact assessment is critical.

Graphs:

Changes in Pledges

Figure 1

Changes in Fulfilment Rate

Figure 2

Current vs. Planned Results

Figure 3

References

Bhuiyan, N., & Baghel, A. (2005). An overview of continuous improvement: from the past to the present. Management decision, 43(5), 761-771.

Burke, W. W. (2017). Organization change: Theory and practice. Sage Publications.

Kirtman, L., & Fullan, M. (2016). Key competencies for whole-system change. Bloomington, IN.