Making Waves Education Foundation
Organization
Founded in 1989, Making Waves Education Foundation’s mission is to advance educational opportunities for college-bound, career-minded, historically underrepresented and underserved youth. In 2007, it launched Making Waves Academy, a rigorous tuition-free public charter middle school and high school that now serves 1,100 students. The Foundation also provides a college and career success program including college and career coaching, need based scholarships, and financial literacy training. The Foundation currently supports over 4,000 students and alumni, continuously striving for educational equity and success for all youth. Its students and alumni, known as Wave-Makers, are passionate about recycling their success and giving back in their careers (in business, law, education, medicine) and in their communities.
Issue
Can Making Waves build self-sustaining revenues from its AI copilot offering?
Situation
Two years ago, Making Waves introduced an AI copilot to provide personalized education and employment coaching. It uses AI as a texting tool to adapt to each student’s needs and interests. It offers tailored suggestions, from educational or college programs to practical career experience. The goal is to provide real-time support and mentorship with an on-going dialogue, offering advice, encouragement, and practical steps in pursuit of a successful career journey. The AI copilot currently serves over 2,500 students nationwide (now primarily in CA). It is free to all users. In order to grow and enhance this program, Making Waves needs to build a revenue stream to make it self-sustaining.
Project Overview
Making Waves is asking for ACT’s help to a) evaluate the market opportunities and b) recommend marketing communication strategies to develop revenue from the AI copilot offering.
Specific questions include:
- Who are the target customers?
- What are similar competitive offerings? Are they sold? Buyers/Pricing?
- What are potential revenue models?
If the market analysis is encouraging:
- What are the compelling value propositions for each target?
- What are the best pathways to achieve awareness?
- What would be the sales process with each target?
- Are there partnership and/or funding (grants) opportunities that could support revenue growth?
The ACT team and Making Waves will need to jointly assess the time required for research and evaluation as the project evolves and possibly eliminate one or more of the above questions
Other
This is a Full Team project:
- Scope: High-priority organizational challenge involving strategy or management
- Team Size: 4-6 consultants, including 1-2 project leaders
- Project Duration: 6 months
- Estimated time Contribution: Team member: 3-4 hrs/week, Project leader: 5-6 hrs/week
Read more about the Full Team Project Consultant role and the Project Leader role.