FY 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08   Project Sparrow Launch / National Model Development  

Case Statement for a New Phase of Project Sparrow Launch  

Phase One of Project Sparrow Launch has been successful in both facilitating measurable results and in teaching us some valuable lessons. Two major factors in particular have come to light that have helped us to construct an exciting model for the future expansion of Sparrow Clubs.  

First, we have realized that the most effective and efficient way to launch, sustain and expand Sparrow Clubs is to grow them from localized bases of operations or Regional Offices. These satellite offices or chapters, like we have Southern Oregon, would each become self-sustaining with its own local staff, budget and advisory council. We firmly believe that community-based operations are the key to Sparrow Club sustainability.  

Second, with two or more functioning Regional Offices, we have recognized the need for a National Office with specific centralized functions. These functions would include administrative, program and development support to promote greater efficiency, effectiveness and accountability for the Regional Offices as well as basic controls to protect the organization as we expand our borders.

The Regional Office Model

Sparrow Projects can be started anywhere as “reactive”, crisis intervention projects that support classmates in need. However, when these projects are well-serviced and successful, teachers and students often seek to sustain the powerful influence by establishing a Sparrow Club as an ongoing way to do life-changing service projects in their schools. We found that, even when there was no medical crisis within the student population, these clubs quickly shift into a “proactive” mode the following year. This requires a new level of service from the organization, especially in networking with the medical community to identify and adopt other qualified sparrows. By observing both the Central and Southern Oregon regions, we have discovered many other distinct needs that a regionally-focused office and staff can effectively and efficiently meet that a distant, centralized organization could not.

Regional Office functions include

• Ensuring a higher level of accountability for the Sparrow Projects; seeing that state and local regulations, organizational guidelines and best practices are followed
  
• Building ongoing relationships within the business, medical and educational communities which, in turn, ensures program sustainability in three ways:
  
1. By developing ongoing business sponsors for sparrow projects.
   
2. By collaborating with doctors, hospital social workers and school nurses to identify and qualify new sparrow.
   
3. By maintaining trained teacher/advisor volunteers at the school level who champion and facilitate the student’s efforts in the cause.
   
• Providing program benefits such as student leadership workshops, inspiring sparrow videos, school assemblies, community service vouchers, guidance and recognition for advisors and students of clubs.
  
• Screening Sparrow Applications and interviewing families to ensure that all the necessary project information is accurate and complete.
  
• Enhancing and facilitating Sparrow-Club-Sponsor interactions that give Sparrow Projects greater meaning and long-term impact.
  
• Collaborating with other local non-profit agencies to produce a regionally-focused Community Service Handbook—making Sparrow Clubs a clearinghouse for youth service projects and ongoing source of passionate youth volunteers. 

• Promoting positive recognition of youth, schools and sponsors by developing relationships with local print and broadcast media.
  
• Recruiting and developing a local team of volunteers including a regional board of advisors that focuses on raising funds to sustain the regional office.

We believe that each of these functions of a Regional Office are keys to advancing the organization’s mission, sustaining Sparrow Clubs and facilitating the highest level of Sparrow Projects to benefit more young people.

The National Office Model

Based on our findings, at our annual meeting in October 2003, the Sparrow Clubs USA Board of Directors approved a strategic multi-year plan for expansion that included a Sparrow Clubs USA National Office. This new level of infrastructure would have five primary functions that are vital to managing the continued growth and success of Regional Offices.  The improved service to Regional Offices would, in turn, leverage remarkable improvements to our school-based charity clubs.  

National Office functions include

• To provide centralized receipting, accounting, administration and disbursements for all individual Sparrow Project Account (designated monies raised  for Sparrow kids)
  
• To provide direct support, training, payroll services, administrative oversight and accountability for Sparrow Club Regional Offices & Staff
  
• To provide direct support for all Sparrow Clubs & Projects that occur on an ad hoc basis outside the geographic reach or service area of Regional Offices
  
• To produce and distribute high quality educational materials, multi-media presentations, website, marketing and fund raising tools that are consistent with Sparrow Clubs USA brand
  
• To develop foundation and corporate relationships on a national level that would facilitate grants, sponsorships and business support within regions
  

Goals of Project Sparrow Launch Phase Two

 This is a three-year, $1.37 million capacity-building plan that would launch three new Regional Offices in key Pacific Northwest markets and establish a National Office that would share physical space with the Central Oregon Regional Office but would operate distinctly for national purposes. The new Regional Offices include the Seattle/Puget Sound region, Portland/Metro region and the Western Oregon region extending from Salem to Eugene.   The project goal is to secure start-up funding for initial staff hires and infrastructure to establish at least 30 local Sparrow Clubs within each region. Each new office would be self-sustainable by the end of FY 2007-08. Project funding would also provide necessary staffing and resource upgrades at the National Office level as well as initial seed money to sponsor 10 Sparrow Projects in each region.  

The purpose and goals of this project extend beyond the launch of these three Regional Offices and 90 or more new Sparrow Clubs that will be established. What we expect to learn from this project may prove to be far more valuable than these worthwhile, tangible results.  Based on the information and results of this project, we expect to learn most appropriate staff member-to-club ratios and to better define staff roles and responsibilities at both the Regional and National Office levels.

We should also learn what resources will be needed at the National Office level for effectively and efficiently servicing Regional Offices and Sparrow Projects when we are ready to rollout Phase 3 of Project Sparrow Launch—our plan (to be developed and launched from Phase 2) to prepare Sparrow Clubs for nationwide expansion.