Visualizing Insights

 To demonstrate visualizing insights I analyzed the retailer loyalty programs.

Business Model Analysis Report: Alzheimer's Association

For my business model analysis I would like to explore the Alzheimer’s Association. The Alzheimer’s Association is a non-profit organization which works to provide resources and support to people with Alzheimer’s as well as conduct research to ultimately find a cure for this disease. The organization’s services include connecting individuals with doctors and other resources once a person has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. They hold and attend various events to spread awareness about the disease and preventative measures that can be taken to, hopefully, avoid developing the disease. They also host walks to raise money for the organization. The organization sells merchandise such as clothes, pins, and literature for commercial and individual use. It’s difficult to place non-profits as far as positioning goes in the marketplace since the services and products that they provide vary across the board.  Top NonProfits recently published their “Top 100 Nonprofits on the Web” which is based on how much internet traction nonprofits receive on the web. It takes in measurements such as Facebook likes, Twitter followers, Google pageranks, Charity Navigator’s rating of the organization, and other social media measurements. The Alzheimer’s Association is not currently ranked in those top 100 nonprofits on the web. CharityNavigator is a site that evaluates non-profit organizations based on the organization’s financial statements and their level of transparency. They have many top ten lists published on their site, such as ‘Top 10 Charities Expanding in a Hurry’, ‘Top 10 Charities Worth Watching’, ‘10 of the Best Charities Everyone’s Heard of’ and so on.  The Alzheimer’s Association is not in any of these lists. Fortunately, this also means that it’s not in any of the following lists: ’10 Consistently Low Rated Charities’, ’10 Charities Routinely in the Red’, and ’10 Charities in Deep Financial Trouble.’

I’ve always loved working with non-profit organizations when I believe in the cause they’re fighting for. When I was younger it was more about volunteering, but now I really focus on knowing the organization’s mission. This organization is interesting to me, because I feel a big connection to their cause. Two of my grandparents were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. It runs on both sides of my family, and I’ve seen how it takes a person away from you while they’re still living. As someone who has seen the toll that the disease takes on a person, I wouldn’t want it to happen to anybody else. Since I wasn’t able to do anything to help my grandparents, I want to do everything that I am capable of doing to spread awareness and to raise money for the cause.

I’ve volunteered for two Alzheimer’s Association chapters and have participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. I think that there are certain non-profit organizations that get all of the attention in the public eye, some of which aren’t being 100% truthful with their donors. I would like to study the Alzheimer’s Association business model to evaluate how it can better advertise the cause and grow to a national visibility level like some of these other organizations. In my opinion, there is a lot of room for potential growth to spread awareness which could raise donations and ultimately increase the amount of research that can be conducted.

The three primary customer segments that are targeted by non-profits are individual donors, corporate donors, and the people that are benefiting from the services and research that the organization provides. Individual and corporate donors need to be convinced that their money is being used wisely by the organization. The organization needs to have a certain level of transparency to ensure that people trust it enough to donate. Individual repeat donors are mostly going to consist of individuals who have personal connections with the cause. These persons will want to see progress within the organization to give them a reason to continue to donate. One-time donors will include people who repeat donors contact to help with their fundraising efforts. Both of these groups should be targeted differently, but I don’t think that one-time donors are necessarily primary customers. Corporate donors will build relationships with organizations that share the same values. I think that for corporate sponsors it’s more about building their corporate social responsibility level rather than seeing any developments in the organization. The third segment, the individuals benefiting from the organization, need to see results based on the fundraising efforts of the organization. They need to see continuous updates on the resources provided based on new research results. In summary, the organization needs to attract different types of donors and deliver the news and resources that individuals who are dealing with the disease are looking for.

There are many amazing non-profit organizations that are overlooked by individuals because they don’t have a heart-wrenching campaign or a large platform to “spread awareness” of the organization. I think that the Alzheimer’s Association is one of those organizations. By evaluating the organization’s business model I can analyze ways that it can be improved to better deliver its message to a larger audience.

Generative Research

The other day when Prof. Walls asked if we could go day without music, I really could not imagine a day without it. I pay for spotify and use it on a daily basis. My playlists are the soundtracks of my life and the people around me like my friends and family are the ones who are there for me day in and day out. 

I put football, but really I love a lot of sports. I honestly feel like a part of me is missing in the small time in between sports seasons. I'm sure my twitter followers love it though since during football season especially I basically tweet play by plays. 

I love reading for fun. I'm not necessarily a fan of school readings (except when it comes to marketing). During the summer my friends and I even started a book club to fulfill our love for immersing ourselves into books. 

I'm that one girl that is always on Twitter. Whether I'm tweeting or just checking my feed, it is by far my most-used app on my phone. I follow a variety of news sources (sports, national, local, international, etc.). Once I see something that catches my attention on Twitter, I will look it up and find other sources for the piece of information. Most of my news does come from this platform, anything else will most likely come from either The Daily Show with Jon Stewart or The Colbert Report.

My days are usually packed, so my connection with the outside world usually varies and is sometimes very limited. This is why, I think that I use twitter a lot since it puts all types of information into one place whether it's a tour update from Marilyn Manson or an update on what's going on in Syria. It's simply more convenient.

Empathy Map

 

I have known this person, who from now on I will refer to as Legolas, for about a decade now. Our friendship was really strong at one point early on, but we drifted away for quite some time. Fast-forward to now we have a somewhat new friendship that stands somewhere in between the two extremes at which we've been in the past. I think that he preoccupies himself with thoughts of what others think. In smaller circles surrounded by people who we have known for years, he is freer. However, when it comes to new friends or acquaintances, Legolas is more reserved and thinks twice before doing anything would be deemed silly or slightly embarrassing. He puts too much weight on others’ opinions of him. I say that he puts too much weight on others' opinions, because I don’t put much weight on what other people think of me. On this note, he thinks that what really counts is the appearance that you put forth out to the world. This form of thinking can be good in a sense since he’s working hard and striving towards achieving great success. On the other hand, it can be viewed negatively because ultimately he’s not working hard for himself but rather for others. His biggest worries are dependent on the assumptions of others. I think that he feels pressure from others that is really stemmed from his own insecurities. 

 

Legolas sees an environment that is obsessed with what you possess. Things are validation of your success to attain them. His friends offer a great support system. He has seen his fair share of trials and tribulations, but he has been able to grow a lot throughout the years and really identify the kind of person he is. He’s found individuals who understand him better and share more of his common interests. Legolas truly values his friendships and is willing to get himself in questionable situations to help friends out. He’s sees the market as an open field of things that he can have once he achieves success. 

 

In public, as mentioned, he tends to stay a bit reserved. He won’t do anything that others will judge him on. Legolas has a clean and “good guy” appearance on a daily basis. He will also try to be nice and approachable with new people. Generally, he doesn’t want others to think of him with a negative light.

He hears everything that others have to say, both the positive and the negative. As mentioned, he puts a lot of weight into other opinions especially those of people who are in higher positions than he is. Legolas wants to have the respect of those that he surrounds himself with and for this reason he takes their opinions to heart. However, when it regards other topics he is very closed-minded to others opinions. His beliefs are strong and sometimes give him an air of arrogance. 

Legolas is not one to let others see his weaknesses. He wants to portray someone that is seemingly going through life without having any major trials and tribulations. For this reason I’m not sure what he fears or what he has been through that would cause pain. The one event that comes to mind is not mine to retell. I will say that instead of dealing with issues he tends to suppress them. I’m unaware of him dealing with his issues on his own which is eventually going to hurt him, I think. Once he reaches a breaking point, it won’t be a pretty situation. 

Legolas wants to have as many things as he can get. He measures his level of success by what others can see and deem as being successful. Although throughout the years he has accumulated quite a bit of debt, he doesn’t see that as a great obstacle and takes it on as a form of motivation. He is prepared to enter the workforce and strive towards having financial stability. His biggest obstacle is managing all that he has taken on and prioritizing all the things that really matter. Because he does really value the relationships that he has built throughout the years, he often holds others’ needs before his own. He's an amazing friend that will always be by your side.