Media and Fundraising Research for a Non-Profit, Ethical Jewelry Brand

Muse Group is American 501(c)3 non-profit organization creating economic opportunities for low-income women in the Ivory Coast, West Africa. Its ethical jewelry brand, Callia, sources organic beads from village women’s associations, then trains disadvantaged urban women to transform these beads into imaginative, multifunction jewelry for export. Must Group is seeking a world-class consultant to conduct online research that will form the basis of its media engagement and fundraising strategies. The consultancy has two primary objectives: 1. Prioritize media outlets (online publications and blogs) to be targeted for an upcoming crowdfunding campaign, and design an outreach strategy for each outlet prioritized (contact information and method). 2. Identify and prioritize private foundation and/or institutional donors from whom Muse Group would be eligible to receive grant funding; compile a proposal development plan for each prioritized donor. Excel-based data collection templates will be provided for both work streams (see attached). Media Strategy The consultant will use Muse Group’s pre-identified list of media outlets and competitors to identify and prioritize the best media outlets to be approached to promote its upcoming crowdfunding campaign. Specifically, the consultant will: 1. Identify media outlets that have covered Callia’s competitors (list of competitors provided) and add them to the media outlet candidate list. 2. Rank each outlet on the candidate list by: • Relevance: would their readers be interested in Callia? • Readership: how much traffic does their site get? (e.g. via SEO for Chrome extension) • Reach: do they “push” their content through email, newsletters, RSS feed, social media and other channels, or would they expect Callia to drive all of the traffic to their site? 3. Collect contact information for top 20 ranked media outlets. 4. Research common connections (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) between Muse Group Founder and media outlet points of contact. Rank top 20 in terms of “ease of access” based on common connections. 5. For top 10-15 media outlets, recommend an outreach strategy, including point of contact, contact method, and key talking points. Fundraising Strategy 1. Review Muse Group’s existing project proposals, proposal budgets and already approached list of donors. 2. Identify 20-30 donors from whom Muse Group would be eligible for funding. This may include foundations, institutions, corporations, or corporate employee contribution funds. 3. Rank donors by: • Relevance: Do they fund the type of work that Muse Group does? • Eligibility: Does Muse Group meet their eligibility requirements? • Size of funding: What are the average and maximum grant sizes they award? • Competitiveness: Will Muse Group be competitive, given the number and type of other projects seeking funding from that donor? • Level of Effort Required: How much effort will their application process require? Could Muse Group submit an existing proposal, or would a new proposal need to be developed? 4. For top 15 donors, recommend a proposal strategy, including: • Content: What aspects of Muse Group’s work will be most appealing to the donor? • Funding value: Based on the donor’s funding habits, what amount should be asked from that donor? • Application format: What work needs to be done to put Muse Group’s existing content into the donor’s application format? • Timing: What are the submission deadlines for the donor? What is the timeline for a funding decision?