ProgramsGraduate Business Analytics Consulting Program (Spring 2025)ProjectsDining for Impact: Designing Rethink's Event Ecosystem

Project Title: Dining for Impact: Designing Rethink's Event Ecosystem

Rethink Food NYC, Inc

Details
Project Title Dining for Impact: Designing Rethink's Event Ecosystem
Project Topics Growth Strategy Market Research Marketing Reporting, Financial Planning & Analysis
Skills & Expertise
Project Synopsis: Challenge/Opportunity
Rethink Food is a New York City nonprofit dedicated to building a sustainable and equitable food system. Since 2017, we've transformed excess food into nearly 30 million meals. In early 2024, we expanded to a Greenwich Village facility that doubles our meal-making capacity and includes a versatile dining room for engagement and fundraising.

Our events strategy has already included diverse programming such as private dinners, movie screenings, luncheons, volunteer events, and happy hours. These events aim to introduce and engage potential supporters in our mission. Looking ahead to 2025, we seek to develop a more strategic approach, including refining our events portfolio and creating a targeted pricing strategy.
Project Synopsis: Activities/Actions Required
Some proposed activities: 
  • Site visit and interview with key stakeholders. Conduct brief interviews with stakeholders involved in lifecycle of an event at Rethink from the engagement team, culinary, team, leadership, and attendees.  (Needs to be discussed)
  • Thorough review of all events. We've had numerous events, this is where the data deep dive would take place. Review the financial performance, # of attendees. This will involve interfacing with tools like Quickbooks, Salesforce, Classy, and Instagram, and may involve creating new datasets. 
  • Landscape Analysis. Conduct market research on pricing and overall event strategy for similar spaces across New York and other large cities. 
  • Analysis. Conduct a thorough analysis with the data above.
  • Recommendations. Provide clear recommendations on how the team can best ensure high-quality, high-ROI events. 
Project Synopsis: Expected Results
A few measurable results we're looking for include:
  • Clear, actionable recommendations
  • Tools the engagement team can implement (e.g., a pricing calculator) 
  • A better understanding of what realistic KPIs and goals for fundraising through this avenue might be

Project Timeline

Rethink Food NYC, Inc - Dining for Impact: Designing Rethink's Event Ecosystem
Due Date
Activities
Deliverables
Status
Action
Wed, 05/15/24
12:00 AM UTC
Student Pre-Kick-off Self-Assessment Form
Required Evaluation
Evaluation submission is required.
View
Wed, 05/15/24
12:00 AM UTC
Program Kickoff
No Deliverables
No deliverables are required for this action item.
Location:
Wed, 05/29/24
12:00 AM UTC
Deep-dive on the Organization
Required Deliverable
  • Become familiar with the company’s mission, core competencies, and current portfolio and product offerings. What is their value proposition? Who are the key stakeholders?
  • What are some of the current challenges and needs for data management in the various industries Realogic is a part of?
  • Become familiar with the broad organizational structure and how data are currently managed across the organization.
  • What business decisions are the dashboard data expected to inform?
  • How are progress and success measured and benchmarked? What are the KPI’s and how are they measured, communicated, and used in strategic planning and decision-making?
Required Deliverable
Deliverable submission is required.
Guiding Questions:
  • Become familiar with the company’s mission, core competencies, and current portfolio and product offerings. What is their value proposition? Who are the key stakeholders?
  • What are some of the current challenges and needs for data management in the various industries Realogic is a part of?
  • Become familiar with the broad organizational structure and how data are currently managed across the organization.
  • What business decisions are the dashboard data expected to inform?
  • How are progress and success measured and benchmarked? What are the KPI’s and how are they measured, communicated, and used in strategic planning and decision-making?
Deliverable Instructions:
Infographic overview of the organization and project objectives (internal); questions for industry mentor; Initial thoughts on the type of data analytics that could help make the organization more data-driven.
Wed, 05/29/24
12:00 AM UTC
Student Temperature Check
Required Evaluation
Evaluation submission is required.
View
Wed, 06/12/24
12:00 AM UTC
Define Needs & Select KPI’s
Required Deliverable
  • Who will work with the KPIs featured in the dashboard? 
  • What kind of information will they need? 
  • Do you need to present your dashboard to C-level management or other employees? 
  • What technologies are used to support the dashboard?
  • Are you creating a dashboard for daily operational tasks or do you need to showcase the strategic performance of long-term goals? 
  • What is the best viable way to present the information?
  • What metrics should be presented in the dashboard?   How do they align to specific short-term objectives or more long-term goals? How do the metrics add value? 
Required Deliverable
Deliverable submission is required.
Guiding Questions:
  • Who will work with the KPIs featured in the dashboard? 
  • What kind of information will they need? 
  • Do you need to present your dashboard to C-level management or other employees? 
  • What technologies are used to support the dashboard?
  • Are you creating a dashboard for daily operational tasks or do you need to showcase the strategic performance of long-term goals? 
  • What is the best viable way to present the information?
  • What metrics should be presented in the dashboard?   How do they align to specific short-term objectives or more long-term goals? How do the metrics add value? 
Deliverable Instructions:
KPI inventory, map of goal/objectives alignment, dashboard usage map or table
Wed, 06/19/24
12:00 AM UTC
Design prototype dashboard and data-stream
Required Deliverable
  • What types of dashboard designs meet the company’s needs?
  • Can you create a draft and define the chart type you suggest the company use?
  • What kind of relationship, composition, distribution, or comparison of data are most useful? What types of visualizations should be used in the dashboard design, and why?
  • Which KPIs should be included, and how are these expected to promote productivity and facilitate a cost-effective working environment?
  • Can you map the dataflow logic that takes into account all dashboard audiences?
Several open-ended questions we may want to answer (this is a starting point and should be defined iteratively)
  • Operations: How does the various work distribute between employees, both in terms of handling Crelate (recruiting activities) and in terms of using calls and messages (through RingCentral?). Ideally we could see a method to track effectiveness.
  • Operations: Can we track the effectiveness of our recruiting process?
  • Social Media: How are our engagement levels looking, month to month, across every criteria - likes, shares, comments - for every one of the pages? What seems to affect engagement? 
Required Deliverable
Deliverable submission is required.
Guiding Questions:
  • What types of dashboard designs meet the company’s needs?
  • Can you create a draft and define the chart type you suggest the company use?
  • What kind of relationship, composition, distribution, or comparison of data are most useful? What types of visualizations should be used in the dashboard design, and why?
  • Which KPIs should be included, and how are these expected to promote productivity and facilitate a cost-effective working environment?
  • Can you map the dataflow logic that takes into account all dashboard audiences?
Several open-ended questions we may want to answer (this is a starting point and should be defined iteratively)
  • Operations: How does the various work distribute between employees, both in terms of handling Crelate (recruiting activities) and in terms of using calls and messages (through RingCentral?). Ideally we could see a method to track effectiveness.
  • Operations: Can we track the effectiveness of our recruiting process?
  • Social Media: How are our engagement levels looking, month to month, across every criteria - likes, shares, comments - for every one of the pages? What seems to affect engagement? 

Deliverable Instructions:
Prototype Dashboard and Dataflow Map
Wed, 06/26/24
12:00 AM UTC
Student Temperature Check
Required Evaluation
Evaluation submission is required.
View
Thu, 07/11/24
12:00 AM UTC
Create KPI Dashboard Template & Map of Dataflow Logistics
Required Deliverable
  • What are the most effective ways for creating powerful data visualizations in the dashboard environment?
  • How can you effectively and parsimoniously use a combination of designs, colors, etc., and create a dashboard useful to different audience segments? Can you align your visualizations with brand standards?
  • What additional insights can be gleaned from the dashboard?
  • What recommendations do you have for integrating the dashboard into daily operations and decision-making frameworks? Can you create user stories to illustrate how the dashboard can be used to gain business insights and inform high-quality decision-making?
Required Deliverable
Deliverable submission is required.
Guiding Questions:
  • What are the most effective ways for creating powerful data visualizations in the dashboard environment?
  • How can you effectively and parsimoniously use a combination of designs, colors, etc., and create a dashboard useful to different audience segments? Can you align your visualizations with brand standards?
  • What additional insights can be gleaned from the dashboard?
  • What recommendations do you have for integrating the dashboard into daily operations and decision-making frameworks? Can you create user stories to illustrate how the dashboard can be used to gain business insights and inform high-quality decision-making?

Deliverable Instructions:
Dashboard, User stories, Recommendations
Fri, 07/12/24
12:00 AM UTC
Student Post-Engagement Self-Assessment Form
Required Evaluation
Evaluation submission is required.
View
Fri, 07/12/24
12:00 AM UTC
Student Post-Engagement Peer Assessment Form
Required Evaluation
Evaluation submission is required.
View
Mon, 07/15/24
12:00 AM UTC
Project Complete
No Deliverables
No deliverables are required for this action item.
Location: In Person

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