NFT Milestone #1: Understand the Organization & Project Objectives

Complete this deliverable using any information NFT has provided and publicly available information. Create a detailed, professional, and concise business report that addresses the following requirements:

Requirements

Look ahead through the milestones and complete your research for milestone one before submitting your report. Submit a clear and concise business report[1] (not an essay) that includes the following: 

1.     Demonstrate your understanding of the client organization’s history, mission, vision, and goals. What is the organization’s value proposition?  What are their key issue areas?  Who are the key stakeholders?

2.     Define the business problem to be solved.

3.     Outline the goals and intended outcomes of looking at the policy landscape. What does a successful outcome of this project look like for the client?

4.     Explain how the organization can use the results of this exercise.

5.     What are the potential barriers?

[1] https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/what-best-practices-writing-clear-concise 

Submit your assignment by 11:59 pm on Sunday in Brightspace and CapSource. Only use Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) or PDF files. For images, put them in a Word or PowerPoint document. Include a properly formatted (APA v. 7) title page, headings, and reference section for your write-up. Include appropriate references and citations. You may use footnotes or endnotes for references and citations if they are appropriately documented. There is an APA template available in our course files.

If you do not have an APA Version 7 style guide, visit https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/ or http://library.potsdam.edu/citing for helpful resources. 

NFT Milestone #2: Determine the Scope of Your Analysis

NFT has disclosed the following problems: 

·       We do not have clear policies of what we do and do not do, that are clear enough for individuals who are a part of our community to understand and employees to apply it. 

·       We have a misunderstanding with individuals about what we can do for them, they see us almost like a Health Savings Account for themselves, and not as a 501(c)3. They believe that the funds are their dedicated funds. We are working in conjunction with marketing materials to change this, but we need our policies to be clear and concise about the limitations of the org and the way that we can assist while highlighting how we can benefit them. 

·       The policies are written that all benefits and limitations apply to everyone equally, but that is not how we operate.

·       We do not have any policies around certain behaviors, i.e. fraud or attempted fraud, how grants are awarded, and how they can be removed/reduced. 

·       We need more guidelines about what financial assistance is/is not, and what are the financial indicators that someone qualifies for assistance. 

Requirements

You will submit a concrete statement of the scope of your analysis, including a list of resources you're going to leverage for your analysis. Clearly respond to each of the following prompts. 

1.     Determine which of the specific issues listed above you will explore. 

2.     Conduct preliminary research into the problem from the organization perspective and explain the goal of your project (what will you discover, explain, solve, or describe for NFT?).

3.     Determine the structure of your final product.  You might consider:

a.     Writing a clear and ethically and morally sound policy that describes the boundaries of what NFT does.

b.     Creating an internal policy and external brochure that clearly explains what NFT does for their clients. What are the limitations of the company?

c.      A policy or guidance that explains how and why some policies may not apply to everyone equally.

d.     Developing a policy around the behaviors listed above (fraud, attempted fraud, the grant award process)

e.     Clear guidelines about what is and is not financial assistance and what are the indicators that someone should qualify for assistance.

4.     Do an initial search to determine if resources are readily available to support the scope of your project. Identify what specific information you need from NFT. 

Submit your assignment by 11:59 pm on Sunday. Only use Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) or PDF files. Include a properly formatted (APA v. 7) title page, headings, and reference section for your write-up. Include appropriate references and citations. You may use footnotes or endnotes for references and citations as long as they are appropriately documented. 

If you do not have an APA Version 7 style guide, visit https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/ or http://library.potsdam.edu/citing for helpful resources. 

Be sure to follow your scope statement from milestone two. Research the topic you chose, ensuring your sources are credible.

Requirements

Submit a clear and concise business report[1] (not an essay) that presents your research. Explore and explain:

1.     What is the over-arching goal of your project?

2.     Why and how does it relate to the client's mission/focus?

3.     Who will your project impact and why?  

4.     What implications are there, if any, if the policy or project is not implemented. 

5.     What are your preliminary findings? 

[1] https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/what-best-practices-writing-clear-concise 

Submit your assignment by 11:59 pm on Sunday. Only use Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) or PDF files. Include a properly formatted (APA v. 7) title page, headings, and reference section for your write-up. Include appropriate references and citations. You may use footnotes or endnotes for references and citations as long as they are appropriately documented. 

If you do not have an APA Version 7 style guide, visit https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/ or http://library.potsdam.edu/citing for helpful resources. 

Now that you’ve completed your research, you will share your draft product for peer review before submitting to NFT. Finalize your project as much as possible before the peer review process. After peer review, you will have the opportunity to make edits before submitting the following to NFT:

Requirements

1.     Summarize your research into a concise memo, report, or tool to be used by the client's senior executives. Consider your audience.  You're writing to the client's senior leadership.  They have a high interest, but limited time. 

2.     Include a fine-tuned and ethically sound final product based on the scope statement you created.  

3.     Include a recommendation for how the client should use the information you're presenting.

4.     Include any supporting materials or content you’ve created, such as training materials, policies, pamphlets, marketing materials, etc.

Submit your assignment by 11:59 pm on Sunday. Only use Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) or PDF files. Include a properly formatted (APA v. 7) title page, headings, and reference section for your write-up. Include appropriate references and citations. You may use footnotes or endnotes for references and citations as long as they are appropriately documented. 

If you do not have an APA Version 7 style guide, visit https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/ or http://library.potsdam.edu/citing for helpful resources. 

This presentation should focus on milestone four.

Requirements

1.     Revisit the feedback you received in the peer review. 

2.     Create a PowerPoint or similar presentation that includes the following:

a.     Title slide

b.     Agenda

c.      Milestone #4 (use as many slides as you need to convey your response)

d.     Conclusion

e.     References

Ensure your presentation is clear, concise, and visually appealing. Visit Encompass Communications and Learning[1], Eight Presentation Styles[2], and Canva[3] for design essentials, tools, and ideas. Do not fill your slides with scripted text. Ensure any graphics are large enough to be seen easily.

[1] https://www.encompasscnl.com/create-better-powerpoint-slides-with-these-5-design-strategies/
[2] https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/types-of-presentation-styles
[3] https://www.canva.com/create/slideshows/

Submit your assignment by 11:59 pm on Sunday. Only use Microsoft PowerPoint or PDF files. If you use Canva or Prezi, please export your presentation. Do not include slides with paragraphs of text. Follow the good design principles that are accessible and visually appealing. You may include a script, use the notes section, or record your presentation. Include appropriate references and citations. You may use footnotes or endnotes for references and citations as long as they are appropriately documented. 

If you do not have an APA Version 7 style guide, visit https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/ or http://library.potsdam.edu/citing for helpful resources.