03.14.16 - Joanna Malcom - Capstone Project

Streamlining the Processes and Procedures for Tusculum College’s Annual Phonathon Campaign
By
Joanna K. Malcom
Submitted to Dr. Jeff Burleson
as partial fulfillment for the
HRD CONSULTANT PROJECT
Tusculum College
3/14/16

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1—Introduction to the Organizational Need 4
Description of Tusculum College and the Annual Phonathon Fundraising Campaign 4
Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals 5
Significant Client and Participating Parties 9
Problem Statement 10
Desired Outcomes 10
Terms, Definitions, and Acronyms 10
Chapter 2—The Assessment 12
Assessment Objectives 12
Assessment Method 12
Data and Statistical Analysis Description 13
Assessment Findings 13
Recommendation(s) for Intervention 15
Contract for Intervention 16
Chapter 3—The Intervention 17
Description of the Planned Intervention 17
Participants in the Intervention 17
Materials and Methods 18
Change Management Approaches 18
Schedule to Implement the Intervention 19
Projected Costs of the Project 20
Chapter 4—Results of the Intervention 21
Brief Summary 21
Description of Method(s) to Evaluate the Intervention 21
Chapter 5—Recommendations and Lessons Learned 24
Executive Summary of the Project 24
Recommendations to the Client Organization 24
Personal Skills Assessment 25
Lessons Learned in Organizational Assessment and Intervention 27

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Resources 29
Appendices 30
Appendix A
Assessment Tool—Client Interview Questions 30
Appendix B
The Contract 31
Appendix C
Personal Skills Assessment—Core Competencies 34
Appendix D
Client Assessment of Consultant 41

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Chapter 1
Introduction to the Organizational Need
Description of Tusculum College and the Annual Phonathon Fundraising Campaign
Tusculum College (TC) was founded in 1794 and is Tennessee’s first college, in addition
to being the oldest coeducational institution affiliated with the US Presbyterian Church (“About
Tusculum College”, n.d.). The Office of Institutional Advancement (IA) is responsible for
fundraising, alumni events, and donor relations. The Tusculum Fund (TF)—housed within IA—
is an annual fundraising campaign that helps to underwrite the College’s operational budget.
The funds given to the TF are put to immediate use for the College’s most pressing needs,
including those that are included in operational budgets. The TF does not fundraise for special
projects such as endowed scholarships or building funds.
The Phonathon Campaign is a part the TF and provides an opportunity for current students
to connect with TC alumni and friends. The organization believes that current students can be
excellent fundraisers for the College because they provide a personal touch to fundraising and
the telling of their story may convince donors more than a letter or phone call from a College
employee. A phone call from a student also provides prospects the opportunity to share their
stories and to request more information about TC events. Additionally, there is simply no time
for IA to reach every single donor and prospect, and the Student Callers help the IA staff in this
way. Finally, the Student Callers are able to do the work of updating donors’ and prospects’
contact information, ensuring that the College is able to communicate with them. Figure 1
shows the organizational chart for IA, including the position of Student Caller.

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Brief History of the Phonathon Campaign at Tusculum College
The Phonathon Campaign had fallen by the wayside for several years and IA had all but
given up on it, deciding that it was not worth investing the time and effort being put into it.
Upon the encouragement of a fundraising consultant in 2010, it was reinvigorated. The budget
for the campaign was very small and the campaign took place over a few weeks each semester,
and the callers were volunteers. As more data collection methods were implemented,
improvement became easier to track, and therefore the program was easier to justify, allowing its
budget to grow. Since 2010, each year’s Phonathon Campaign has set new milestones and
implemented new strategies.
Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals
Mission - Tusculum College
Tusculum College provides a liberal arts education in a Judeo-Christian and civic
arts environment with pathways for career preparation, personal development and civic
engagement (“Mission Statement”, n.d.).
Figure 1. Organizational Chart for IA (“Human Resources”, 2012)

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Mission - Office of Institutional Advancement
The Office of Institutional Advancement at Tusculum College is committed to
generating resources, building relationships, and enhancing the College’s reputation
(“Institutional Advancement”, n.d.).
Mission – The Tusculum Fund
The Tusculum Fund is the College’s annual giving campaign that moves us
beyond what tuition provides and supports day-to-day excellence. Annual gifts build a
foundation of support that allows us to give and enrich our students’ educational
experiences, afford critical resources for our educators, and live out the mission of
Tusculum College. Gifts to the Tusculum Fund reduce barriers for our students and
allow them the freedom and flexibility to be true Pioneers (“The Tusculum Fund”, n.d.).
Vision of Tusculum College
As Tusculum College embarks on a third century of service, the vision for the next
decade is shaped by a commitment to:
• Enhance institutional integrity through aspirational leadership and academic
innovation, including well managed relationships with domestic and international
academic institutions to provide joint academic and co-curricular programs, exchange
opportunities and deep immersion experiences; integration of social media and virtual
experiences to enhance accessibility and academic achievement; increased placement of
graduates in advanced degree programs and professional schools; robust student and
faculty scholarship; and full integration of reflective judgment and critical thinking in all
aspects of our living and learning environment.

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• Distinguish Tusculum College alumni as leading citizen-scholars, through
redevelopment of the “Freshman Experience” to incorporate cultural enhancement
opportunities, providing students with knowledge and skills relevant to their everyday
and professional lives; a co-curricular transcript program to document student
participation and leadership in on- and off-campus organizations, demonstrating their
leadership experiences and dedication to service; and immersive, student-centered
learning and leadership environments conducive to collaborative, problem-based
learning.
• Establish transformative living and learning communities, by creating state-of-the-art,
student-centered learning environments; providing contemporary technologies to prepare
students who are academically, intellectually and technically equipped to work in, lead,
and serve their communities; providing places and support that nurture intellectual
curiosity; and creating virtual and physical environments conducive to academic
achievement and success.
• Create the capital to support ongoing institutional self-sufficiency, security, and
innovation, characterized by diversification of revenue streams, alternative funding
mechanisms and opportunities, and decreased student and institution dependence on state
and federal tuition assistance; competitive salaries and benefits designed to attract and
retain exemplary faculty and staff; a doubled endowment and increased unrestricted
funds to allow the College flexibility in supporting new initiatives; a substantial increase
in graduation rates; and active engagement in local and regional economic development.
The realization of this vision, informed by the boldest aspirations of our students,
alumni, faculty, staff, Trustees and trusted friends of the College, requires each person to

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fully embrace his or her role and responsibility with enthusiasm and determination to propel
Tusculum College into her third century (“Vision 20/20”, n.d.).
Values of Tusculum College
Integrity: Encompassing honesty and trustworthiness, all members of the Tusculum
Community value and live with integrity, respect and virtue in communications, relationships
and actions.
Education: We value a balanced education grounded in the civic and liberal arts and
career preparedness. Our goal is for students to develop practical wisdom, global literacy,
critical and independent thinking, and an appreciation for life-long learning, diversity and
inclusion.
Civic Responsibility: We value our unique heritage in the civic arts and the Judeo-
Christian tradition, and seek to develop citizen-scholars who will serve their communities
throughout the world. We develop students as leaders who problem solve with reflective
judgment (“Mission Statement”, n.d.).
Goals
Tusculum College
1. To enhance academic quality
2. To prepare students for success
3. To sustain optimal institutional resources (Tusculum College Strategic Planning
Committee, 2012)

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Annual Phonathon Campaign
1. Secure and increase financial support of the Tusculum Fund: Call sheets will list a
suggested ask amount based on whether or not the constituent has given and the amount of
the gift. If the constituent has never given, the typical ask is $25. If they have given
before, the ask amount is based on a number of factors, including the amount of the
previous gift, the wealth screening, and the ask amount from the previous fiscal year.
2. Retain Current Donors: Retaining donors is of utmost importance. The more donors the
Tusculum Fund has, the less we have to acquire. Treat every person the same and always
thank them multiple times for any previous contributions.
3. Help Establish a Meaningful Connection Between Alumni and Their Alma Mater:
The more connected TC alumni feel to the College, the more likely they are to give of one
of the “Three T’s”: time, talent, and treasure.
4. Increase Alumni Participation: A gift in any amount to TC by its alumni increases our
alumni participation rate. The is important because when seeking corporate and
foundation support, businesses and foundations often examine alumni giving participation
rates when deciding whether or not to support us. Why should they support us financially
if our alumni aren’t?
Significant Client and Participating Parties
The significant client is for this project is IA at TC and the participating parties include
Ms. Heather Patchett, Vice President for IA. The consultant is the Assistant Director of the TF,
and is therefore serving as an internal consultant.

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Problem Statement
There is a lack of information for the supervision of the Phonathon Campaign in IA. If the
Phonathon Supervisor has an extended absence, no one in the office knows how to thoroughly
strategize, plan, and execute the annual campaign. There is no procedure for recording changes,
improvements, or additions in implementation.
Desired Outcome
The desired outcome is twofold. First, the entire IA staff needs to have an understanding
of how the Phonathon Campaign is executed annually. Any one member of the IA staff should
be able to step in and execute all or part of the campaign. Second, there needs to be a tool for
recording changes made to all timelines, procedures, and strategies at the end of every FY.
Terms and Definitions and Acronyms
Institutional Advancement—(1) process of building awareness and support from all
constituencies. (2) programs within the institution that relate to its constituencies,
including alumni relations, communications, marketing, and fundraising. Also,
advancement, development.
CY—calendar year
FY—fiscal year (July 1-June 30 at TC)
HR—Human Resources
HRD—Human Resource Development
IA— (Office of) Institutional Advancement
LYBUNT (Last Year But Unfortunately Not This Year)—a donor who gave last FY
but have not given in the current FY
Not Yet—a prospect who has not yet given a gift to the College

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Phonathon—annual campaign to solicit funds support in which TC students make phone
calls to current and prospective donors
RE—(The) Raiser’s Edge; the name of the database TC uses to manage its donor and
fundraising activity
Refusal—a prospect who refuses to make a gift or pledge over the phone
SYBUNT (Some Year But Unfortunately Not This Year)—a donor who has given
before but have not given in the current FY
TC—Tusculum College
TF—Tusculum Fund; the College’s annual fund
WC—Will Consider; a prospect who says they will consider giving a gift to the College
but does not commit to a specific amount or date

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Chapter 2
Assessment of the Problem
Assessment Objective
The purpose of this assessment is to determine what is needed in order to ensure that IA
runs a consistent annual Phonathon Campaign. Additionally, the assessment will help determine
how to build a foundation for the continued improvement of the campaign.
Assessment Method
The consultant is basing the assessment around Kirkpatrick’s Four Level Evaluation
Model, the four levels of which are Reaction, Learning, Behavior, and Results This
assessment will have the following components: review of current processes and procedures
of the phonathon, observations conducted by the consultant, and an interview with The client.
Review
As the consultant is working internally, a review of the Phonathon Campaign’s history is
already known. Over the last five years it has evolved from recruiting student volunteers to
make fundraising phone calls, to what it is currently: a respected on-campus part-time job with
advancement opportunities and cash bonuses.
Additionally, the record-keeping has become increasingly sophisticated each year. The
callers self-report the number and results of the calls they make. This information is compiled
and recorded in RE. In this way, the supervisor knows how many calls are being made and what
callers are getting gifts the most gifts and pledges. Through these methods of documentation,
averages are calculated and patterns can be read in the data from year to year. This allows for
more efficient goal-setting and provides a means for holding Student Callers accountable for the
work they report.

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Observations
When the consultant was hired as the Assistant Director of the Tusculum Fund, there was
no procedure manual or list of steps to take in order to execute the Phonathon Campaign.
Another IA staff member had been overseeing it in the absence of a supervisor in addition to
their own job description. This staff member helped the consultant get started, but there was no
formal training. Clarifying all the necessary components will make future transitions more
seamless and efficient.
Interview
For the interview, the consultant designed an assessment tool consisting of eight questions
(Appendix A). The consultant will ask the questions during an interview with the Vice President
for IA at TC to determine her feelings about the current state of the phonathon and to assess the
specific procedures she deems necessary for the phonathon.
Data and Statistical Analysis
The interview questions were developed based on concerns raised during regular job-
related meetings between The client and the consultant. The type of data needed for this
assessment will consist of answers to questions asked of The client by the consultant during the
interview. Additionally, all recorded phonathon data as well as all reports created regarding its
progress will be available to the consultant.
Assessment Findings
The client expressed to the consultant that there are no official procedures in place to
guide IA staff members through the Phonathon Campaign in the absence of the Phonathon
Supervisor. All necessary timelines, procedures, and tasks need to be recorded for the benefit of
the IA staff. The Phonathon Campaign is a major aspect of the position of Assistant Director of

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the Tusculum Fund and there is no formal training on the intricacies of its various parts. This is
not necessarily due to neglect on the part of the IA staff, but is due in part to the fact that the
Phonathon Campaign has been rapidly evolving over the last several years. It has gradually
become a more established student part-time job with a respectable reputation on campus.
Additionally, because of the current Director of Advancement Services in IA, the data pulls and
data reporting methods, as well as subsequent evaluations made based on said data, have become
increasingly more sophisticated. New ideas and innovative strategies are implemented not only
every year, but at times more than once a semester. It has therefore been somewhat difficult to
record all up-to-date policies and procedures. Now that best practices are more easily identified
and exercised, a procedure manual is more necessary now than it ever has been for the
Phonathon Campaign. A major concern stated by The client is that if the Assistant Director of
the Tusculum Fund suddenly becomes unavailable to do their job, the IA staff would lose time
and money simply trying to figure out how to run the phonathon. There have also been
incidences in the recent past when there was no staff member whose job description included
executing the phonathon and as a result, the goals of the campaign were not met. Additionally,
as the phonathon progresses in its sophistication, many new tasks and procedures are added to
the supervisor’s job and these are not recorded for anyone else on the IA staff to reference.
There is currently no formal assessment of the Phonathon Campaign each year. If all
information about the program was recorded, any changes made throughout the year could be
noted and the procedures could be updated at the end of the annual campaign.
The client also stressed that she found the Human Resources hiring process to be
cumbersome and that the process was often rushed. She felt it necessary to document the
process in detail in order to make sure that the most skilled students were hired to raise money

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for the College in a timely manner. She believes that with the entire process documented, any IA
staff member will be able to step in and know that they are hiring the best students possible,
therefore ensuring that the position of Student Caller for the Phonathon campaign will be a
respected one across campus.
Furthermore, The client felt that the gift ask amounts on each prospect’s call sheet needed
to be appropriate and requested that the process for determining gift ask amounts be
standardized, as well as the method for training Student Callers to make those gift asks. Along
with the standardization of the gift ask amounts, she said that the IA staff needs to know what
transitional phrases the Student Callers should be taught in order to overcome prospects’
objections to making a gift (H. Patchett, personal communication, December 7, 2015).
Recommendation for Intervention
Based upon the findings of this assessment, a procedure manual for executing the
Phonathon Campaign is recommended by the consultant. It should include such information as
• the timeline and goals for the annual Phonathon Campaign;
• how to recruit, interview, hire, and train Student Callers, including all paperwork and
documentation required by the Human Resources Office
• how to schedule Student Callers and motivate them throughout the shift;
• how to pull reports from RE and merge the information into the call sheet template, and
• how to input updated information collected from the callers into RE.
The manual should not only be a how-to guide for implementing the Phonathon
Campaign, but the consultant recommended that it also serve as a method for tracking the
Phonathon Campaign’s successes and deficiencies. It should be a place to record best
practices and findings throughout the fiscal year.

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Contract for Intervention
The consultant made the intervention recommendations to The client, which she agreed
to. A contract (Appendix B) was drawn up and signed by both parties.

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Chapter 3
The Intervention
Description of the Planned Intervention
The client and the consultant discussed the assessment findings and agreed to a single
intervention: a policies and procedures manual for the Phonathon Campaign. Both parties agreed
that the manual should also serve as a guide for any IA staff member to use.
Participants in the Intervention
The consultant is responsible for organizing all timelines and procedures and for
including all necessary items in the manual. The consultant will receive ongoing feedback from
The client and seek her final approval upon completion of the manual.
The Director for Advancement Services will provide valuable information regarding how
to use RE. He will review the information for errors.
The key stakeholders in the intervention are:
• the Phonathon Supervisor—they will use the manual as a guide for executing the
annual phonathon and they will record any changes they make to the process; they will
review the manual annually to ensure all processes are efficient and effective
• the VP of IA—desires for there to be a process in place ensuring that the Phonathon
Campaign not only utilizes best practices, but that there is a way for all members of the
IA staff to implement the procedures
• Student Callers—they will benefit from consistency throughout the campaign
regardless of who their supervisor is

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Materials and Methods for the Intervention
As an internal consultant in the position as Assistant Director of the Tusculum Fund, the
consultant has all of the resources available to research the history of the phonathon at TC, as
well as the experience supervising the phonathon for 2½ years. Additionally, the consultant has
access to RE and the Director of Advancement Services is a coworker, so all records can be
accessed and data confirmed as part of the consultant’s position.
Data includes fundraising totals from the last five fiscal years, Student Caller information
(how many callers, average calls made per shift, average number of gifts per caller, average
number of refusals, etc.), and how the process of hiring and training has changed over the last
five years. The Student Caller Handbook and all available scripts will also be studied.
Change Management Approaches
Implementing the policies and procedures manual is meant to be helpful for the IA staff.
However, if the need ever arises for them to use the manual in order to execute the phonathon,
having had some practice, or at least ensuring that the manual is studied beforehand, may be
necessary. The consultant will make suggestions to the client regarding ways to divide up the
responsibilities (so that one staff member is not responsible for the whole campaign) and
practical ways to apply the Phonathon Campaign to their own work. For example, the Associate
Director of Alumni Relations could practice pulling lists from RE and merging the information
into call sheets when they have specific people they want contacted for alumni events.

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Schedule to Implement the Intervention
Date(s) Action(s)
December 1, 2015 Contract signed by client and consultant
December 7, 2015 Consultant interviews client using assessment tool
December 8-14, 2015
Consultant gathers all observations made regarding
Phonathon Campaign as Assistant Director of the TF
January 4, 2016
Client and consultant meet to discuss assessment findings
and observations made
January 5, 2016
Consultant determines budget and timeline for
intervention implementation
January 6-8, 2016
Consultant reviews and builds list of all processes and
procedures necessary for the execution of the annual
Phonathon Campaign
January 11-15, 2016
Consultant reviews the hiring process, required
signatures, and necessary documents for part-time
student employees of TC with Human Resources office
January 25, 2016
First draft of procedure manual due for The client’s
review
February 8, 2016
Second draft of procedure manual due for The client’s
review
February 22, 2016
• Final draft of procedure manual due for The client’s
review and approval
• Intervention evaluation instrument given to The client
to complete
February 29, 2016
• Consultant meets with The client to discuss
recommendations for the annual Phonathon Campaign
• The client gives complete evaluation to consultant
• Copies of the policies and procedures manual are
distributed to IA staff for reference
March 28, 2016
Consultant meets final time with The client to evaluate
the effects of the procedure manual and to discuss
recommendations for the annual Phonathon Campaign
Table 1: Schedule to Implement the Intervention

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Projected Costs of the Project
The consultant spent approximately 30 hours meeting with the client, researching, and
writing the policies and procedures manual. At the standard consultant’s rate of $100 per hour,
the consultant fee would be $3,000. The cost of binding the policies and procedures manual was
$25. The client was not billed as the consultant was serving internally and created the manual as
part of their position at TC.

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Chapter 4
Results of the Intervention
Brief Summary
The consultant has been employed by TC since November of 2013 and, as part of their
position, has executed the Phonathon Campaign three times. As a member of the IA staff, the
consultant is serving internally. The consultant met with the client, the VP of IA, who
communicated the need to streamline the policies and procedures necessary to execute the annual
Phonathon Campaign. Additionally, the client expressed concern that the consultant was the
only one who fully knew how to execute the Phonathon Campaign.
After conducting the needs analysis—the interview and subsequent discussion—with the
client, the consultant determined that the best course of action was to write a manual. The
manual would serve as a guide for anyone on the IA staff to follow should the need arise for a
temporary Phonathon Supervisor. It would also be useful in determining best practices and in
addressing and tracking changes to the program year after year. This intervention was carried
out by the consultant January-March of 2016. The client provided final approval of the resulting
manual on February 22, 2016.
Description of Method(s) to Evaluate the Intervention.
Level 1—Reaction
The client reacted favorably to the intervention. She felt confident that it would provide
much-needed consistency and stability for the TC Phonathon Campaign and that it would
provide overall benefits to the fundraising efforts of the IA staff.

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Level 2—Learning
The consultant promoted and further defined the essential roles and described all
responsibilities of the Phonathon Supervisor at TC. The client was assured that the Phonathon
Campaign would be able to be carried out smoothly and efficiently regardless of extenuating
circumstances (extended absences due to illness, lack of Phonathon Supervisor on staff, etc.).
The IA staff were able to understand the importance of the Phonathon Campaign and could see
the responsibilities listed in a central location, giving them confidence to execute the campaign
in whole or in part.
Level 3—Behavior
Because the process and timeline of executing the annual Phonathon Campaign was
clearly defined, the client and IA staff gained confidence in their ability to carry out all the
necessary duties related to it. There was, in general, a more positive feeling about the campaign
and a greater understanding of its potential to not only raise funds, but to aid each member of the
IA staff in an aspect of their own position.
Level 4—Results
The objective of the intervention was to provide a streamlined process for the execution
of the annual Phonathon Campaign. Several copies of the manual were provided to the IA staff
to reference in the event that an individual or group needed to take over for any amount of time.
As such, the results of the intervention will be measured in a qualitative manner should the need
for their assistance arise.
At the end of each FY, the Phonathon Supervisor, and/or any member of the IA staff who
assisted in executing the Phonathon Campaign, will review the campaign and note any changes
that should be made to the manual. Recommended changes will be based on inefficient

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processes or any mistakes made in gathering, recording, or reporting data. Additionally, if the
fundraising goals of the campaign are not met, the timeline put forth in the manual will be
examined and adjusted accordingly.
Recommended changes will be discussed with any member of the IA staff involved in the
campaign. Recommended changes will be presented to the client for her approval.

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Chapter 5
Recommendations and Lessons Learned
Executive Summary of the Project
The client felt that there was a lack of understanding on the part of the IA staff on how to
execute the annual Phonathon Campaign, an effort that raises money primarily for the Tusculum
Fund and is a tool for updating the contact information of TC’s alumni and friends. The client
also wanted a way to track and record best practices, as well as any change made to the
campaign throughout its duration. Lastly, the client recognized the lack of an in-depth
assessment tool to be completed annually upon the completion of the Phonathon Campaign.
The consultant proposed that a phonathon procedure manual be written for any member
of the IA staff to follow in case of the absence of a Phonathon Supervisor. The manual may also
provide an opportunity for other members of the IA staff to utilize the Phonathon Campaign to
aid them in their own positions.
The consultant submitted the completed manual to the client, who in turn provided copies
for reference to the IA staff. The consultant met again with the client upon the completion of the
intervention to gather feedback and to provide an opportunity to make suggestions for the
consultant.
Recommendations to the Client Organization
The consultant recommends that the members of the IA staff review the manual and
practice different aspects of executing the Phonathon Campaign. In order to gain a greater
understanding of the Phonathon Campaign, the staff members could also assist and observe the
Phonathon Supervisor during any aspects of the campaign for which they would like further
clarification or practice in carrying out. Each staff member may also suggest ways for the

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execution of the Phonathon Campaign could be integrated into their own positions. For example,
the Associate Director of Alumni Relations may provide details about upcoming alumni events
to which the phonathon students can invite alumni.
Personal Skills Assessment
The consultant completed an assessment (Appendix C) of their professional HRD skills
that the intervention required in order to be planned, implemented, and conducted successfully.
The assessment is adapted from Rothwell, Hohne, & King’s sample assessment in their Human
Performance Improvement: Building Practitioner Competence.
The consultant found several professional HRD skills that this project required to be
planned, implemented, and conducted successfully. The following are those HRD skills that the
consultant believed they performed strongly in:
Industry Awareness—Understanding the vision, strategy, goals, and culture of not only the
client organization, but of the advancement industry as a whole, is necessary for recording
timelines, best practices, and benchmarks for a phonathon fundraising campaign. The consultant
feels they have a thorough understanding of the requirements for a successful Phonathon
Campaign, especially since they served as an internal consultant.
Buy-in/Advocacy Skills—While the consultant worked closely with a single client rather than a
client group, the client’s “buy-in” was necessary for moving the intervention forward. The
consultant worked to ensure the client that creating a manual for implementing the Phonathon
Campaign was the best way to guarantee the success of the Campaign year after year, and for the
entire IA staff to have an understanding of the essential processes and procedures of the
campaign.

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Ability to See “Big Picture”—While documenting every facet of the campaign is crucial to
being able to implement it, the consultant regularly reflected on the contents of the manual to
make certain that it was relevant to the overall success of the campaign’s ultimate goals. The
consultant found that it is easy to get caught up in very small details when planning and
executing a Phonathon Campaign. In the manual, the essentials are discussed at great length, and
examples are provided as necessary.
Standard-Setting Skills—As they were serving internally, the consultant was able to track and
record the effectiveness and efficiency of all processes and procedures especially well. Not only
this, but the consultant believes that there are ample methods in place to track and record any
changes made to these standards throughout the campaign.
Ability to Assess Impact on Culture—The consultant feels confident that the intervention had a
positive impact on the culture of the IA staff. There is ample information and instruction
regarding the Phonathon Campaign contained in the manual. Additionally, the establishment of
official instructions, best practices, and systems for evaluating success generate confidence in the
campaign and its value to the client and the IA staff as a whole.
Through the self-assessment, the consultant also realized several HRD skills that they
need to develop:
Coping Skills—The ability to deal with stress and handle ambiguity within a project is a skill
that the consultant has recognized within themselves on previous projects. Using the self-
assessment tool to reflect on the intervention and its implementation reinforced to the consultant
this fact.
Project Management Skills—The consultant found that they can easily become overwhelmed
with planning, costing, organizing, resourcing, and managing complex projects. It will be

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necessary for the consultant to develop personal methods to aid them in strategizing for future
interventions, as well as holding themselves accountable to timelines and regular reflection on
the implementation of the intervention.
Goal Interpretation Skills—The consultant recognizes that being able to convert goals into
actions, despite conflicting priorities, lack of resources, or ambiguity can be difficult for them.
This is due to being new to the field of consulting, and goes along with project management
skills, and goal interpretation skills. Further research into Phonathon Campaigns and other
aspects of the advancement profession will be helpful to the consultant in developing their goal
interpretation skills.
Analytical Skills (Synthesis)—The consultant found that breaking down the components of a larger
whole is difficult for them. The same plans for improving coping skills, project management skills, and
goal interpretation skills will be useful for improving analytical skills.
The consultant prepared an assessment (Appendix D) for the client to complete regarding
their performance as consultant for this intervention. Based on its completion as well as regular
meetings about the project, the consultant found that their personal skills assessment and the
client’s assessment were very similar. The client felt that the consultant needed to improve
analytical skills, coping skills, time management, and project management skills. The client felt
that the consultant was strong in the areas of research, seeing the “big picture”, influencing
others in a positive way, and in recognizing industry standards and best practices.
Lessons Learned in Organizational Assessment and Intervention
The consultant realized the intensity level of organizational skills that are required in
order to compile a complete procedure manual. Even though the consultant was serving
internally, the number of tasks and the depth of their intricacies were not fully known until the
project was undertaken. The consultant had been learning and absorbing the job of Phonathon

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Supervisor and learning as they went. Gathering all of the information related to the job was
more time-consuming than the consultant had been previously aware of. Had the same
intervention been conducted by an external consultant, even more time and a broader assessment
tool would have been necessary.
The consultant learned from the Creative Pattern that is a part of their DiSC profile that
they judge others heavily by their own personal standards, often without having formally made
said standards official. As a Creative person, the consultant tends to make impulsive decisions.
When such decisions are made without recording benchmarks or noting best practices within a
program, colleagues and/or subordinates can be left wondering why such actions were taken.
Therefore, the progressive actions that a Creative person takes in order to accomplish tasks may
be lost on the individual attempting to follow them.
The consultant learned that they needed to be more thorough and proactive in their
communication with the client. Because of “C” dimension of their DiSC profile, the consultant
can be evasive and vague when it comes to plans and ideas. More scheduled meetings and
structured feedback sessions should be implemented to counteract the negative effects that this
trait can have on consultant projects.

29
Resources
About Tusculum College. About Tusculum. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2016, from
http://web.tusculum.edu/about/
Human Resources. (2016, February 3). Retrieved March 10, 2016, from
http://www3.tusculum.edu/hr/organizational-charts/
Institutional Advancement. (n.d.). Retrieved February 101, 2016, from
http://www3.tusculum.edu/giving/
Mission Statement. About Tusculum. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2016, from
http://web.tusculum.edu/about/mission-statement/
Rothwell, W. J., Hohne, C. K., & King, S. B. (2013). Human performance improvement:
Building practitioner competence (Second ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
The Tusculum Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2016, from
http://www3.tusculum.edu/giving/the-tusculum-fund/
Tusculum College Strategic Planning Committee. (2012). Strategic Plan 2012-2017. 28
September 2012. Retrieved from: http://web.tusculum.edu/oie/wp-
content/uploads/2013/01/2012-2017-Tusculum-College-Strategic-Plan-9-28-12-
FINAL.pdf
Vision 20/20. About Tusculum. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2016, from
http://web.tusculum.edu/about/vision-2020/
Wiley, John. (2003). DiSC Classic 2.0 Plus [measurement instrument completed in 2014].

30
Appendix A
Client Interview Questions
1) Do you have concerns regarding the hiring of Student Callers callers? Why or why not?
2) Do you know the process required by Tusculum College Human Resources for hiring
students? What questions do you have regarding this process?
3) Do you have concerns regarding the training of Student Callers callers? What are they?
4) Do you know how to merge records into call sheets? What data should be included for
the Student Callers to reference?
5) Do you have an understanding of the annual timeline and the best times to call certain
constituency groups? What clarifications do you need?
6) Do you have an understanding of updating the information gathered by the Student
Callers to upload in RE? What do you need to know?
7) Should there be a plan for evaluating individual Student Callers? Why or why not?
8) Do you know how to set goals for the Phonathon Campaign (for individual Student
Callers and the campaign as a whole)? What is your understanding of the timeline?

31
Appendix B
Client-Consultant Agreement
STREAMLINING THE PROCESSES
AND PROCEDURES FOR TUSCULUM
COLLEGE’S ANNUAL PHONATHON
CAMPAIGN
This Consulting Agreement (the “Agreement” or “Consulting Agreement”) states the terms and
conditions that govern the contractual agreement between Malcom Phonathon Solutions having its
principal place of business at 208 Linda Street, Greeneville, TN 37743 (the “Consultant”), and Heather
Patchett (the “Client”) who agrees to be bound by this Agreement.
WHEREAS, the Consultant offers consulting services in the field of phonathon fundraising; and
WHEREAS, the Client desires to retain the services of the Consultant to render consulting services with
regard to streamlining the processes and procedures for Tusculum College’s annual Phonathon Campaign
according to the terms and conditions herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and promises made by the parties hereto,
the Consultant and the Client (individually, each a “Party” and collectively, the “Parties”) covenant and
agree as follows:
1 TERM
This agreement shall begin on December 1, 2015 and end on March 31, 2016.
Either party may terminate this Agreement for any reason with 30 days written notice to the other
Party.
2 CONSULTING SERVICES
The Consultant agrees that it shall provide its expertise to the Client for all things pertaining to
streamlining the processes and procedures for the Tusculum College annual Phonathon Campaign
(the “Consulting Services”).

32
Appendix B (continued)
3 COMPENSATION
In consideration for the Consulting Services, the Client shall pay the Consultant at the rate of
$100 per hour. The Consultant shall invoice the Client once every 30 days and such invoices
shall be due and payable within 30 days of the Client’s receipt of the notice.
4 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN WORK PRODUCT
The parties acknowledge and agree that the Client will hold all intellectual property rights in any
work product resulting from the Consulting Services including, but not limited to, copyright and
trademark rights. The Consultant agrees not to claim any such ownership in such work product’s
intellectual property at any time prior to or after the completion and delivery of such work
product to the Client.
5 CONFIDENTIALITY
The Consultant shall not disclose to any third party any details regarding the Client’s business,
including, without limitation any information regarding any of the Client’s customer information,
business plans, or price points (the “Confidential Information”), (ii) make copies of any
Confidential Information or any content based on the concepts contained within the Confidential
Information for personal use or for distribution unless requested to do so by the Client, or (iii) use
Confidential Information other than solely for the benefit of the Client.
6 NONSOLICITATION OF CUSTOMERS
During the term of this agreement and for 6 months thereafter, the Consultant shall not, directly
or indirectly, solicit or attempt to solicit any business from any of the Company’s clients,
prospects, employees or contractors.
7 NONSOLICITATION OF EMPLOYEES
During the term of this Agreement and for 6 months thereafter, the Consultant will not, directly of
indirectly, recruit, solicit, or induce, or attempt to recruit, solicit, or induce, any of the Company’s
employees, or contractors for work at another company.

33
Appendix B (continued)
8 INDEMNIFICATION
The Client agrees to indemnify, defend, and protect the Consultant against all lawsuits and costs
of every kind pertaining to the Client’s business including reasonable legal fees due to any act or
failure to act by the Client based upon the Consulting Services.
9 NO MODIFICATION UNLESS IN WRITING
No modification of the Agreement shall be valid unless in writing and agreed upon by both
Parties.
10 APPLICABLE LAW
The Consulting Agreement and the interpretation of its terms shall be governed by and construed
in accordance with the laws of the State of Tennessee and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of
the federal and state courts located in Greene County, Tennessee.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the Parties has executed this Consulting Agreement, both
Parties by its duly authorized officer, as of the day and year set forth below.
Malcom Phonathon Solutions
Joanna Malcom Date
Fundraising Phonathon Campaign Consultant
Tusculum College Office of Institutional Advancement
Heather Patchett Date
Vice President for Institutional Advancement

34
Appendix C
Core Competencies
Column A
Current Level of
Aptitude
Column B
Importance to Job
Column C
Priority (A x B)
0—Expert
1—Intermediate
2—Novice
3—None
0—N/A
1—Low
2—Medium
3—High
Industry Awareness: Understanding the
vision, strategy, goals, and culture of an
industry; linking human performance
improvement interventions to
organizational goals.
0 3 0
Leadership Skills: Knowing how to lead
or influence others positively to achieve
desired work results.
1 2 2
Interpersonal Relationship Skills:
Working effectively with others to achieve
common goals and exercising effective
interpersonal influence.
2 2 4
Technological Awareness and
Understanding: Using existing or new
technology and different types of software
and hardware; understanding
performance support systems and
applying them as appropriate.
0 1 0
Problem-Solving Skills: Detecting
performance gaps and helping other
people discover ways to close the
performance gaps in the present and
future; closing performance gaps between
actual and ideal performance.
1 3 3

35
Appendix C (continued)
Core Competencies
Column A
Current Level of
Aptitude
Column B
Importance to Job
Column C
Priority (A x B)
0—Expert
1—Intermediate
2—Novice
3—None
0—N/A
1—Low
2—Medium
3—High
Systems Thinking and Understanding:
Identifying inputs, throughputs, and
outputs of a subsystem, system or
suprasystem and applying that
information to improve human
performance; realizing the implications of
interventions on many parts of an
organization, process, or individual and
taking steps to address any side effects of
human performance improvement
interventions.
1 3 3
Performance Understanding:
Distinguishing between activities and
results, recognizing implications,
outcomes and consequences.
1 3 3
Knowledge of Interventions:
Demonstrating an understanding of the
many ways that human performance can
be improved in organizational settings;
showing how to apply specific human
performance improvement interventions
to close existing or anticipated
performance gaps.
1 3 3
Business Understandings: Demonstrating
awareness of the inner workings of
business functions and how business
decisions affect financial or nonfinancial
work results (McLagan, 1989).
1 1 1
Organization Understanding: Seeing
organizations as dynamic, political
economic, and social systems that have
multiple goals; using this larger
perspective as a framework for
understanding and influencing events and
change (McLagan, 1989).
2 1 2

36
Core Competencies
Column A
Current Level of
Aptitude
Column B
Importance to Job
Column C
Priority (A x B)
0—Expert
1—Intermediate
2—Novice
3—None
0—N/A
1—Low
2—Medium
3—High
Negotiating/Contracting Skills:
Organizing preparing, overseeing, and
evaluating work performed by vendors,
contingent workers, or outsourcing
agents.
2 2 4
Buy-in/Advocacy Skills: Building
ownership or support for change among
affected individuals, groups, and other
stakeholders.
0 3 0
Coping Skills: Knowing how to deal with
ambiguity and how to handle the stress
resulting from change and from multiple
meanings or possibilities.
2 3 6
Ability to See “Big Picture”: Looking
beyond details to see overarching goals
and results.
0 3 0
Consulting Skills: Understanding the
results that stakeholders desire from a
process and providing insight into how
efficiently and effectively those results can
be achieved.
1 3 3
Project Management Skills: Planning,
costing, organizing, resourcing, and
managing complex projects.
1 3 3

37
Role Competencies
Column A
Current Level of
Aptitude
Column B
Importance to Job
Column C
Priority (A x B)
Analyst
0—Expert
1—Intermediate
2—Novice
3—None
0—N/A
1—Low
2—Medium
3—High
Performance Analysis Skills (Front-End
Analysis): The process of comparing
actual and ideal performance in order to
identify gaps or opportunities.
1 3 3
Needs Analysis Survey Design and
Developmental Skills (Open-Ended and
Structured): Preparing written, oral, or
electronic surveys using open-ended
(essay) and closed (scale) questions in
order to identify human performance
improvement needs.
1 3 3
Competency Identification Skills:
Identifying the knowledge and skill
requirements of teams, jobs, tasks, roles
and work (McLagan, 1989).
1 3 3
Questioning Skills: Gathering pertinent
information to stimulate insight in
individuals and groups through use of
interviews and other probing methods
(McLagan, 1989).
1 3 3
Analytical Skills (Synthesis): Breaking
down the components of a larger whole
and reassembling them to achieve
improved human performance.
2 3 6
Work Environment Analytical Skills:
Examining work environments for issues
or characteristics affecting human
performance.
1 3 3

38
Role Competencies
Column A
Current Level of
Aptitude
Column B
Importance to Job
Column C
Priority (A x B)
Intervention Specialist
0—Expert
1—Intermediate
2—Novice
3—None
0—N/A
1—Low
2—Medium
3—High
Performance Information Interpretation
Skills: Finding useful meaning from the
results of performance analysis and
helping performers, performers’
managers, process owners, and other
stakeholders to do so.
0 3 0
Intervention Selection Skills: Selecting
human performance improvement
interventions that address the root
cause(s) of performance gaps rather than
symptoms or side effects.
2 3 6
Performance Change Interpretation
Skills: Forecasting and analyzing the
effects of interventions and their
consequences.
1 3 3
Ability to Assess Relationship Among
Interventions: Examining the effects of
multiple human performance
improvement interventions on parts of an
organization, its interactions with
customers, suppliers, distributors, and
workers.
1 2 2
Ability to Identify Critical Business Issues
and Changes: Determining key business
issues and applying that information
during the implementation of a human
performance improvement intervention.
2 1 2
Goal Interpretation Skills: Ensuring that
goals are converted effectively into actions
to close existing or pending performance
gaps; getting results despite conflicting
priorities, lack of resources, or ambiguity.
2 3 6

39
Role Competencies
Column A
Current Level of
Aptitude
Column B
Importance to Job
Column C
Priority (A x B)
Change Manager
0—Expert
1—Intermediate
2—Novice
3—None
0—N/A
1—Low
2—Medium
3—High
Change Implementation Skills:
Understanding the nature of individual
and organizational change and applying
that knowledge to effectively lead
organizations successfully through
change.
2 1 2
Change Impetus Skills: Determining what
the organization should do to address the
cause(s) of a human performance gap at
present and in the future.
1 3 3
Communication Channel, Informal
Network, and Alliance Understanding:
Knowing how communication moves
through an organization by various
channels, networks, and alliances;
building such channels, networks, and
alliances to achieve improvements in
productivity and performance.
2 2 4
Groups Dynamics Process Understanding:
Understanding how groups function;
influencing people so that group work and
individuals’ needs are addressed
(McLagan, 1989).
N/A
Process Consultation Skills: Observing
individuals and groups for their
interactions and the effects of their
interactions with others.
2 1 2
Facilitation Skills: Helping performers,
performers’ managers, process owners,
and stakeholders to discover new insights.
N/A

40
Role Competencies
Column A
Current Level of
Aptitude
Column B
Importance to Job
Column C
Priority (A x B)
Evaluator
0—Expert
1—Intermediate
2—Novice
3—None
0—N/A
1—Low
2—Medium
3—High
Groups Dynamic Process Understanding,
Performance Gap Evaluation Skills:
Measuring or helping others to measure
the difference between actual
performance and ideal performance.
2 2 4
Ability to Evaluate Results Against
Organizational Goals: Assessing how well
the results of a human performance
improvement intervention match
intentions.
1 3 3
Standard-Setting Skills: Measuring
desired results of organizations, processes,
or individuals; helping others to establish
and measure work expectations.
0 3 0
Ability to Assess Impact on Culture:
Examining the effects of human
performance gaps and human
performance improvement interventions
in shared beliefs and assumptions about
“right” and “wrong” ways of behaving
and acting in one organizational setting.
0 3 0
Human Performance Improvement
Intervention Reviewing Skills: Finding
ways to evaluate and continuously
improve human performance
improvement interventions before and
during implementation.
1 3 3
Feedback Skills: Collecting information
about performance and feeding it back
clearly, specifically, an on a timely basis to
affected individuals or groups (McLagan,
1989).
N/A

41
Appendix D
Client Assessment of Consultant
Client Name___________________________________________ Project Title___________________________
Consultant Name__________________________________________________________ Date______________
Scoring
This consultant assessment form is to be completed by the client to assess the consultant’s overall
performance for the duration of the intervention. Under each heading the interviewer should circle a
numerical rating and write specific project-related comments in the space provided. The numerical rating
system is based on the following:
1—Unsatisfactory 2—Satisfactory 3—Average 4—Above Average 5—Exceptional
Industry Awareness: Understanding of the vision, strategy, goals, and culture of the industry; linking
the project’s goals to that of the industry.
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
Interpersonal Relationship Skills: Working effectively with others to achieve common goals and
exercising effective interpersonal influence.
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
Problem-Solving Skills: Detecting performance gaps and helping the client organization discover
ways to close said gaps during the present and in the future; closing
performance gaps between actual and ideal performance.
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments:

42
Appendix D (continued)
Performance Understanding: Distinguishing between activities and results; recognizing implications,
outcomes, and consequences.
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
Knowledge of Intervention: Demonstrating an understanding of ways that human performance can be
improved in organizational settings; proposing the appropriate
intervention(s) to close existing or anticipated performance gaps within
the organization.
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
Buy-In/Advocacy Skills: Building ownership or support for the intervention among the affected
individuals, groups, and other stakeholders.
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
Project Management/Coping Skills: Planning, costing, organizing, resourcing, and managing the
chosen intervention; knowing how to deal with ambiguity and
how to handle the stress resulting from change.
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments:

43
Consulting Skills: Understanding the results that stakeholders desire from the intervention; providing
insight into how efficiently and effectively those results can be achieved.
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
Performance Analysis Skills (Front-End Analysis): The process of comparing actual and ideal
performance in order to identify gaps or
opportunities.
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
Goal Interpretation Skills: Ensuring that goals are converted effectively into actions to close existing
or pending performance gaps; getting results despite conflicting priorities,
lack of resources, or ambiguity; ability to assess how well the results of an
intervention match intentions.
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
Intervention Reviewing Skills: Finding ways to evaluate and continuously improve human
performance improvements before and during intervention
implementation.
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments:

44
Communication/Feedback Skills: Collecting information about performance and relating it to the
client in a timely manner; updating the client regularly about the
progress of the intervention.
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
Add each rating together and divide by the number of questions for a final score.
FINAL SCORE: _____/60 = _____

03.14.16 - Joanna Malcom - Capstone Project

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