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.org. 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 ii. Education iii. 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 January 21, 2014 January 23, 2014 February 6, 2014 Proposals are due. Consultant is selected and contracts are signed. Kick-off meeting to discuss the services. 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 8 ½ x 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@cityofdubuque.org 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.