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Flockittome: an app to support and encourage volunteering for social good, to make it fun to volunteer and be on a team

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Flockittome: an app to support and encourage volunteering for social good, to make it fun to volunteer and be on a team

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Content Running head: Capstone Project and Campaign
Capstone Project Paper
Flockittome: an app to support and encourage volunteering for social
good, to make it fun to volunteer and be on a team
Glenn Thomas
Doctor of Social Work
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
University of Southern California
May 2020
Running head: Capstone Project and Campaign

Table of Contents
1 Executive Summary ......................................................................................................... 1
2 Conceptual Framework .................................................................................................... 6
Statement of Problem and Grand Challenge ................................................................... 6
Literature, Practice, and Innovation Review, and Link to Environmental Context ........ 7
Social Significance .......................................................................................................... 9
Conceptual Framework with Logic Model and Theory of Change .............................. 11
3 Problems of Practice and Innovative Solutions Proposed Innovation ........................... 13
Innovation Effects on the Grand Challenge .................................................................. 13
Stakeholder Perspectives ............................................................................................... 14
Evidence and Current Context for Proposed Innovation .............................................. 16
Contextual Ethical Considerations ............................................................................ 17
Comparative Assessment with Other Opportunities for Innovation ............................. 18
How Innovation Links to Proposed Logic Model and Theory of Change .................... 19
4 Project Structure, Methodology, and Action Components ............................................ 20
Description of Capstone Appropriate Project Deliverable/Artifact .............................. 20
Meaningful Analysis of the Market Relative to Alternative Options ........................... 20
Methods for Project Implementation............................................................................. 21
Financial Plans and Staging .......................................................................................... 21
Revenue Strategy........................................................................................................... 22
Running head: Capstone Project and Campaign

Leadership Strategies .................................................................................................... 24
Methods for Assessment of Project Impact................................................................... 25
Evaluation Goals Process Objectives ........................................................................ 25
Evaluation Goals Outcome objectives ....................................................................... 25
Description of Measures of Outcomes ...................................................................... 26
Relevant Stakeholder Involvement ............................................................................... 27
Internal Stakeholders ................................................................................................. 27
External Stakeholders ................................................................................................ 28
Communications Products and Strategies ..................................................................... 30
Ethical Considerations................................................................................................... 31
5 Conclusions, Actions, & Implications ........................................................................... 31
Discussions of potential future decisions and actions ................................................... 31
Project Conclusions in appropriate context of practice ................................................. 32
Implications of Flockittome Innovative Solution for Practice/ Further Action ............ 33
Limitations and Risks .................................................................................................... 34
Capstone Prototype Readiness to be Shared with Practitioners .................................... 35
Concrete Plan for Advancing Next Steps of Flockittome ............................................. 35
1-5 Review .................................................................................................................... 36
6 Flockittome Prototype .................................................................................................... 37
Description of Innovation.............................................................................................. 37
Running head: Capstone Project and Campaign

Description of Prototype methodology: the wireframe, and non-provisional patent
application ................................................................................................................................. 38
Initial testing results ...................................................................................................... 39
Next Steps and usage of prototype ................................................................................ 39
7 New Campaign............................................................................................................... 40
Old Campaigns Based on Old Model ............................................................................ 41
The Need for a New Campaign ..................................................................................... 42
Target Group ................................................................................................................. 42
7 Effectiveness Projection of New Campaign .................................................................. 42
Theoretical Bases for Projected Effectiveness .............................................................. 42
Research Bases for Projected Effectiveness.................................................................. 43
8 New Campaign............................................................................................................... 44
The New App ................................................................................................................ 45
The New Entertainment Concept .................................................................................. 45
The Company ................................................................................................................ 48
Message Appeal ............................................................................................................ 49
Speakers ........................................................................................................................ 49
Channels/Media ............................................................................................................. 49
Social Media .................................................................................................................. 50
9 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 50
Running head: Capstone Project and Campaign

Appendix A: Flockittome: Gantt Chart/RE-AIM Timelines ............................................ 51
Appendix B: Flockittome Marketing Campaign............................................................... 52
Appendix C: Content Strategy for Mobile App Launch ................................................... 58
Appendix D: Logic Model ................................................................................................ 59
Appendix E: Flockittome Start-Up Budget....................................................................... 60
Appendix F: Flockittome Full Year Budget ..................................................................... 61
Appendix G: Financial Plan and Budget .......................................................................... 62
Appendix H: User Satisfaction Survey ............................................................................. 73
Appendix I. Milestones Table ........................................................................................... 76
Appendix K: Non Provisional Patent Receipt .................................................................. 77
Appendix L: Flockittome Corp. Certificate of Incorporation ........................................... 80
Capstone Project Paper and Prototype References ........................................................... 81

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1 Executive Summary
The capstone project Flockittome links to the Grand Challenge of Social Work “Harness
technology for social good”. It does this linking by using the technology of the internet, to allow
anyone to form groups to volunteer for social good. Stephanie Cosner Berzin, PhD, is the co-
author of chapter nine, “Harness Technology for Social Good”, in the book “Grand Challenges
for Social Work and Society”. Dr. Berzin stated in a phone interview with present author that
Flockittome has a clear linkage to the Grand Challenge of “Harness Technology for Social
Good”(Berzin, 2019).
The last U.S. Census from 2015 showed a decline of one and a quarter million losses of
volunteers in America from 2014 to 2015. When we calculate the number of losses a day we find
about three thousand five hundred volunteers leave the American Landscape. Every day we lose
and additional 182,000 volunteer service hours per, or 66,430,000 total service hours in one year
(Bureau, 2020). This is an enormous loss of social good from the United States.
The main purpose of Flockittome is to increase volunteerism. Flockittome fits nicely into
the larger conceptual framework of social learning theory, and social reinforcement theory.
Social learning theory states that we learn behaviors by those modeling them for us. Flockittome
users directly invite friends, and other to join them in volunteer opportunities (Williams,
Katherine, 2017). The reinforcement of competition, and prize components of Flockittome
increases motivation to perform the volunteer opportunities (Bacon & Corr, 2017).
The internet of all things is rapidly expanding our digital capabilities. Creating a web-
based app capstone project, allowing four and a half billion current users to create groups for
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social good, is an idea coming at the right time. Current methods of volunteer recruitment using
volunteer coordinators is struggling to keep up the numbers of our volunteer workforce. The
reduction of volunteering is a real loss to private nonprofits relying on volunteers, to those
vulnerable populations served, and the mental and physical health benefits to the volunteers
themselves.
Volunteerism has been a long-standing practice in social work. Social workers volunteer
in their internships during their social work education, and help coordinate volunteers in private
nonprofit settings. The capstone project is global by nature since it is based on a global app
connected through the internet. Global volunteer efforts are part of the design for the capstone
project.
The problem of loss of volunteerism is clearly tied to current policy practice of volunteer
coordinators, who are struggling to shore up the losses of volunteerism in the last decade.
Flockittome will change the ordinary volunteer practices of these volunteer coordinators.
Volunteer coordinators can use the competition, and challenges components of Flockittome, to
motivate their own volunteers for increased volunteerism. The advanced version of Flockittome
was created with volunteer coordinators in mind, allowing volunteer coordinators to manage
their volunteers Flockittome accounts. Volunteer coordinators can use Flockittome to challenge
another Volunteer coordinator to a competition, adding fun and motivation to their respective
volunteer groups. Research shows that competition can significantly increases the amount of
volunteerism (Schofield, Loewenstein, Kopsic, & Volpp, 2015) .
The project methodology, and methodological tools to increase volunteerism, includes an
online app, allowing anyone to motivate their groups by competing with, and challenging other
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groups to do a volunteer opportunity. Members of groups post a picture, or short video of their
completions of their volunteer behavior, as part of their validation, and proof of completion.
Incentives can be associated with completions, or by completion rates of groups. Corporate
sponsors provide incentives, and prizes for Flockittomes. Flockittome incorporates established
protocols and barriers to possible hate postings, and usage suggested by the Anti-Defamation
League. The ADL is the leading agency against online hate (Chetty & Alathur, 2018).
Corporate sponsorship shows their desire for corporate responsibility. Corporations
increased their spending on corporate social responsibility by eight percent in 2017 alone (Philip
et al., 2018). Companies are realizing that putting money into social responsibility increases their
profitability (Trotter, 2017). In fact many companies are realizing that investing in social
responsibility gives them a competitive edge over their competition (Altenburger, 2018a).
The aims for the Flockittome implementation can be found in the RE-AIM
implementation framework. RE-AIM works well with the differing steps needed for a successful
implementation of Flockittome. RE-AIM framework includes five different stages that include
reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Please see the Gantt chart with
RE-AIM framework timelines in Appendix A.
The first stage is Reach. It answers the question “How do I reach the targeted population
with the intervention?”. Flockittome will use the steps of marketing campaigns directed by its
marketing director, that include campaigns for a students seeking college admissions,
corporation employees seeking volunteer documentation, corporations seeking more social
responsibility exposure, and admissions directors as facilitators. Ian Heinig, author of the 10
Steps to winning pre-launch app marketing strategy, gives an excellent overview of what is
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needed for an app marketing strategy (Heinig, 2018) (Please see content strategy for mobile app
launch in Appendix C). These content strategies within each of the marketing campaigns include
research, ASO (app store optimization), blogging, media coverage, viral marketing, creating
community, and retargeting. The timeline for the differing marketing campaign steps start at the
beginning of Flockittome, and continue ongoing.
The second stage is Effectiveness. It answers the question “How do I know my
intervention is effective?” Lawrence Palinkas defines this stage as the “the intended and negative
outcomes” (Palinkas & Soydan, 2012). The outcomes taken from the logic model for short-term
outcomes include good average of user satisfaction of 5+ on 7 point Likert scale for the pilot,
500 students Flockittome completions of social good, 500 corporate employees Flockittome
completions of social good, good corporate social responsibility satisfaction of 5+ on 7 point
Likert scale, good corporate social responsibility satisfaction of 5+ on 7 point Likert scale, and
good admissions satisfaction of 5+ on 7 point Likert scale. Long-Term Outcomes will be
evaluated for effectiveness based on one to two years post full release of Flockittome. Hate
Containment is measured by the standards of good, or excellent by the Anti-Defamation League.
The third stage is the Adoption. It answers the question “How do I develop organizational
support to deliver my intervention?”. Development of support that is localized is important for
adoption of Flockittome. Design of the Flockittome app will include localization support through
local user postings. Identification of key actors is very important to find early champions, and
early adaptors of Flockittome. Finding key actors with much influence in the online community,
such as celebrities, is essential for adoption of the app. Good collaboration, and support from
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organization entities/settings using technical, and customer support help to ensure the adoption
of Flockittome to the online community.
The fourth stage is Implementation, and the analysis of obstacles. It answers the
questions “How do I ensure the intervention is delivered properly?”. The Gantt chart in
Appendix A displays the top 5 implementation strategies of developing tools for quality
monitoring, implementation scale up, develop resource sharing, use mass media, and access new
funding.
The fifth stage is Maintenance. It answers the question “How do I incorporate the
intervention so that it is delivered over the long term – at least 6 months?”. Important factors in
this stage are making sure there is an effective technical assistance in place to help users for any
usage of Flockittome, positive viewing of Flockittome as an advantage for applying for
admissions to colleges, volunteer record systems including Flockittome into their systems, a
culture established associating Flockittome to social good, and corporations viewing Flockittome
as a very positive association with corporation social responsibility.
Flockittome is an innovative step forward for taking volunteerism from a more local, to a
more global context. Flockittome is literally clickable by any of the four and a half billion users
who has internet service in over one hundred and ninety-five countries. Volunteers from around
the world can join in global volunteer behaviors such as reducing global plastification, pollution,
hunger, and illiteracy. Flockittome will help to produce a global social capital, demonstrating we
can all join for social good.
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2 Conceptual Framework
Statement of Problem and Grand Challenge
A look at current volunteer practices will help to see more of the problem of declining
volunteerism in America. Currently, there are a number of ways to mobilize people to do
volunteering. There are local volunteer agencies like Points of Light helping connect volunteers
with private nonprofits (Gibbons, 2018). Churches and temples have volunteer groups to help
with designated tasks. Sports and school organizations are good examples of volunteering at your
child’s activities.
Most people volunteer at their church or temple, and their child’s school and sports.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2015 latest statistic states that seventy-seven percent of the
volunteering done in the U.S. is for one’s own religion, children’s education or sports. Only four
percent of the U.S. total population volunteers for anything outside of a family’s institution
(Bureau, 2020).
Current volunteering leaves mobilizing people to do social good in the hands of few
individuals. A person with a designated role such as Volunteer Coordinator leads the volunteer
efforts for helping an organization (Blahim, 2016). In a volunteer agency such as Points of Light
there are multiple volunteer coordinators such as Senior, Vista, or Corporation Volunteer
Coordinators (Gibbons, 2018). This results in lower amounts of volunteering opportunities and
innovations.
The mission and purpose of the helping organizations limit volunteering targets.
Churches, temples, schools, and sports all have a mission statement and stated purpose. All
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activities of these organizations must follow their mission and purpose. A sports program
focuses on organizing teams, locating sporting spaces, holding sporting events, and providing an
awards program. Sports program volunteer activities are limited to these purposes. The same
limitation is true for religious and educational purposes.
Most volunteering hours are meager. The Points of Lights is the largest volunteer
organization in the United States. It reported five million people volunteered for 20 million
hours. On the average people volunteered only four hours in the past 12 months (Gibbons, 2018).
L.A. Works is the largest volunteer agency in Los Angeles (Baig, 2018). It reported in an
interview that 80% of its volunteers only volunteer two hours a year (Ferguson, 2018).
Research shows that most people overstate their volunteer hours (Bekkers, R. H. F. P &
Wiepking, 2011). This is due to what is called the “respondent’s potential social desirability
bias”. Many people want others to think better of them (Böhm & Regner, 2013). Volunteering
for social good ups the “good” meter in most people’s mind (McAndrew & Perilloux, 2012). We
all end up with actual less volunteering, and less social good.
Society needs an easy way, by utilizing one of the Grand Challenges for Social Work:
“Harnessing Technology for Social Work” to harness technology, allowing everyone to form
groups to do social good, motivate members, and keep track of the results. This would reverse
the present loss of social good resulting from declining volunteerism.
Literature, Practice, and Innovation Review, and Link to Environmental Context
The problem of volunteer scarcity and declining volunteerism is concerning to social
work and other organizations that depend on volunteer work and volunteer coordinators (York,
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York, & Sherr, 2009). Volunteers help fill an organization’s service gaps, office duties, repair
and beautify facilities, and do public good. Private nonprofits often struggle with budget
concerns that volunteers help to reduce (Marwell & Calabrese, 2015). However, the current
paradigm of using volunteer coordinators follows the confines of the organization employing
them.
The newest usage of technology such as the largest on-line app ww.Volunteermatch.com
maintains the Volunteer Coordinators position by only allowing 501(c) Nonprofits, schools, non-
us NGO, and other State-level Tax Exempt organizations (Greg, 2019). GiveGab.com, another
on-line app only allows nonprofit giving platform to post volunteer opportunities and keep track
of financial donations (Mulligan & Charlie, 2019). Samaritan Technologies, an on-line tool,
states its’ tools are to help Volunteer Coordinators and Program Managers maximize the impact
of their organizations volunteers (Behymer, 2019). Signup.com, an online app, provides
electronic signup sheets and volunteer scheduling (Bantuveris, 2019). Volunteerlocal.com, an
online app, schedules volunteers, collects volunteer data, and credit card information (Williams,
Kaylee, 2019). Whentowork.com, an online app, is suggested as a scheduling app for volunteers,
even though it is made for traditional organizations (Royston, 2019) . Yourvolunteers.com is a
similar scheduling, managing, and tracking volunteers on-line app (Rogers, 2019). Overall, a
review of present innovations for volunteerism supports the view that traditional methods of
volunteerism are being supported by new technologies.
The capstone project connects with current volunteering practices by establishing a
greater pool of volunteers that might look for other volunteer opportunities in their communities
after using Flockittome. Organizational volunteers might use present author’s capstone project to
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recruit their friends to help with something innovative, or join them with their present volunteer
opportunity.
Volunteer agencies can challenge other volunteer groups and even other volunteer
agencies to a competition using Flockittome challenges component. For example, a volunteer
coordinator from one church could send out a challenge from Flockittome to another volunteer
coordinator from another church to a volunteering contest. The completing church volunteer
coordinators gather up their volunteers and compete for the most completions in their volunteer
groups. The winning churches’ volunteers get a prize identified in Flockittome by the
challenging church volunteer coordinator, such as a lunch served by the losing volunteer group.
Flockittome helps the current church volunteer by adding fun and increased volunteer
performance to their established volunteer organization.
Social Significance
Volunteering provides an indispensable value to our country. It contributes to our social
capital, and our sense of community involvement (Omoto & Packard, 2016). Studies show that
volunteering provides a workforce, binding the members of the community together (Cox et al.,
2018). It reduces the amount of social isolation in our communities by bringing people together
in volunteer efforts. It contributes to our sense of togetherness, and of building community trust
(Barbosa Neves, Fonseca, Amaro, Pasqualotti, & Barbosa Neves, 2018). It increases our
understanding of our differences. Not only does volunteering help the community, it also helps
the volunteer (Neves, 2013). Volunteering deepens the relationship with the community and can
attract board members to private nonprofits.
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Volunteering promotes a variety of health benefits for those who volunteer. Numerous
studies show the benefits of volunteering for volunteers (Murimi, 2017) . Volunteers benefit
from increased physical health. Volunteering increasing self-confidence, makes one happier, and
provides a sense of purpose for volunteers. Even stress, anxiety and depression rates decrease for
volunteers. Volunteering benefits volunteers in positive ways.
Advancing in one’s career benefits from volunteering. Doors swing a little more open in
schools and companies when an applicant can show social good through volunteering
(Pelczarski, 2016). Volunteering also increases your job skills, and public speaking. You would
think more people would be volunteering, unfortunately, the opposite is true.
This decline in volunteers negatively affects the needs of private nonprofits that have
grown by 20 percent in the past decade (NonProfit sector staffing is on the rise with salaries
growing.). Reporting data that volunteer hours have stayed the same hides the fact that the need
has increased. Every private nonprofit needs volunteers to help with everyday work activities
from office help, to providing direct services to the most needy (Nesbit, Christensen, & Brudney,
2018). Skill based volunteers can fill the gaps in an organization’s expertise. Volunteers save
hours of work that would typically be paid, saving the sometimes scarce budget of private
nonprofits (Stefanick, Best-Bertwistle, & Race, 2018). About 86% of private nonprofits annual
budget is under $500,000. Many of these nonprofits are underfunded and could use volunteers to
help with staffing and services. A recent study shows that 71% of private nonprofits are
understaffed (2015 digital outlook report).
Everyone suffers harmful effects when our volunteer population declines from those who
might have gotten direct service, to society as a whole, and to the absent volunteer themselves.
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The decline of four million volunteers in the last decade, while the population increased 25
million should alarm anyone. Putting these statistics alongside the increase of 20 percent over the
same period of private nonprofits is discouraging. We should not be deluded into thinking our
volunteer situation is normal by using the statistics for the same amount of volunteer hours. The
additional 20 percent of private nonprofits adds a large additional need for more volunteers in a
time when volunteers are dwindling.
Conceptual Framework with Logic Model and Theory of Change
The proposed capstone project is guided by what is known about the decline of
volunteerism in America, and a logic model that makes clear the theory of change.
The proposed capstone project has to take in consideration what current institutions and
practices shape the current volunteerism community. It should have a natural fit into our
community’s volunteer practices. It has to be innovative and effective enough to encourage
adoption by existing stakeholders, and support current volunteer structures. Its’ logic model has
to show how the outcomes will increase volunteerism and its’ resulting social good. The
proposed capstone project does all that.
The capstone projects include a number of activities of a logic model (see Appendix D).
The activity of developing a web application that is easy to use, and effective for volunteering,
will produce outcomes related to user satisfaction. Users having high user satisfaction, will want
to continue using the proposed capstone project for their volunteering effects. Having the activity
of developing a social media campaign, increases the number of users, thereby increasing the
amount of social good done through volunteering. By having an activity of developing a
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Corporate Partnering Campaign, corporate sponsors will enjoy outcomes of being seen as having
greater social responsibility to the community, and will want to continue to support the capstone
project. The activity of Hate Usage Containment helps users enjoy a community that is richer in
social capital, resulting in higher user satisfaction.
The proposed capstone project’s theory of change fits nicely into the current conceptual
framework. Social Learning Theory advances the idea that as we view other’s behavior as a
model, we learn how to develop a new behavior (Williams, Katherine, 2017). We already know
that many people do not volunteer because they think they are not like whatever they stereotype
as being a volunteer. What if our capstone project allows a friend, someone they identify with, to
ask them to volunteer with them? Now a friend is modeling, and directly inviting a friend to copy
their own behavior. This is a perfect fit with social learning theory, and should produce more
volunteers. When other corporations view other modeling corporations enjoying high social
responsibility profiles as the result of being associated with the proposed capstone project, they
too will adapt the new behavior of corporate partnership. Social learning theory also supports the
idea that if users view others as being more appropriate, they too will act more appropriate,
reducing cyber hate (Nodeland & Morris, 2018).
Social reinforcement theory is a powerful predictor of increased rates of behavior. (Bacon
& Corr, 2017). We should also use rewards and incentives for users to perform the volunteer
behaviors as a way to increase rates of volunteerism. By incorporating rewards and incentives
into the proposed capstone project, we can predict we will increase the numbers of volunteers,
and the social good they produce from their volunteering behaviors.
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3 Problems of Practice and Innovative Solutions Proposed Innovation
Innovation Effects on the Grand Challenge
Now anyone with access to the internet worldwide, and when you think of the diversity,
the shear permutations of human experience and ability of 4.5 billon users, you start to
understand the possibilities of Flockittome. It is not the application that is so interesting in the
end. Like a paintbrush, it’s the artist, the creator that makes the masterpiece. It is not the piece of
wood and horsehair paint brush. The improvements will come from those who hurt, those who
think outside the norm. It will come from those who are inspired, or by happenstance, discover
something new and useful. It is the myriad intertwining, the interweaving humankind that will
deliver the improvements Flockittome presents to its’ users.
Flockittomes’ data analysis of successful Flockittomes will feedback to the Flockittome
community what works through social media, what is making the world a better place.
Volunteerism is a recent study for the behavioral sciences. Recent research by Carolyn Brayko
suggests that volunteerism is a ripe area for behavior analysis is to improve the volunteer field
(Brayko, Houmanfar, & Ghezzi, 2016). Flockittome collects data on volunteer completion rates,
number of volunteer members, categories of volunteerism, place of volunteerism, length of
volunteer behavior, repeating volunteerism, and types of incentives. All data is analyzed with
user permission. Data analysis feeds back to the Flockittome community to inform and educate
its’ members about what does and doesn’t work. Other ways to know what is keeping users from
using Flockittome is to look at the norms.
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We know there are norms, and hidden norms within our volunteering structures in place
today. A common norm is the idea that volunteering takes time away from family commitments
and duties. A category of volunteerism within Flockittome is family volunteering. Families as a
group could compete with another family for incentives, creating family fun and social good.
Hidden norms within traditional volunteering agencies include the “right way” to do traditional
volunteer management. With so many different users, the “right way” will change to “my way”.
We can also gain knowledge from our mistakes with Flockittome.
The excitement from Flockittome is the openness of the toolkit. It will bring innovation,
and it will bring problems. From systems theory we know that the introduction of any new
element into a system brings opportunities and problems (Gibson, 2018). A baby that learns how
to walk and use its balance and legs now can enter areas of danger. Learning what works and
does not work within the Flockittome world creates the improvements for creating lasting and
impactful Flockittomes. Much can be learned from problems and how to solve them. The goal of
Flockittome is to make it easy for anyone to build groups for social good. This will keep the
company focused for improving the world.
Stakeholder Perspectives
When we look closely at the problem of declining volunteerism across America we see a
number of stakeholders who are closely connected to the problem. Private nonprofits benefit
from volunteer work. Volunteer agencies struggle to recruit enough volunteers. Volunteer
coordinators within private nonprofits find themselves with volunteer shortages. Vulnerable
populations benefiting from volunteerism are losing precious support. Corporations relying on
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corporate volunteers for their social responsibility visibility, need more volunteers. Potential
volunteers lose an increase of health, and a contribution to societies’ social capital by not
volunteering. The number of stakeholders who depend on volunteering are more numerous than
you might think. The current decline in numbers of volunteers in the past decade is a real
problem for these stakeholders. These same stakeholders can utilize the capstone project,
Flockittome, to increase the numbers of volunteers, the fun of volunteering, the motivation for
volunteering, and the public’s viewing of their efforts.
Volunteer agencies such as Points of Light, and L.A. Works, and volunteer coordinators
readily state their concerns about the decline of volunteerism in America (Gibbons, 2018). These
agencies mission to match volunteers with private nonprofit volunteer opportunities is impacted
by the current decline of volunteerism.
Vulnerable populations receive less hours of service with every volunteer that leaves the
volunteer workforce. Each volunteer performs about 52 hours of volunteering a year.
Multiplying the 52 hours times the four million volunteers lost between 2005 and 2015 is a
staggering loss of direct service (Raposa, Dietz, & Rhodes, 2017a)
Corporations desire to show a high profile of social responsibility to the public, their own
employees, and their shareholders (Altenburger, 2018b). A decline of volunteerism can affect the
corporations ability to project their commitment to social responsibility, and their bottom dollar
(Bishop, 2013).
Flockittome provides an innovative method for all the stakeholders to incentivize
volunteer groups, increase motivation for volunteering, and bring more fun to volunteering
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events. All stakeholders can adapt Flockittome into their current volunteerism structure for
positive results. Adding an app to their current volunteer recruitment that groups volunteers into
competing groups with incentive prizes helps to bring fun, and increase the rates of volunteerism.
Flockittome is not a competitor to these stakeholders. Flockittome can be used by private
nonprofits, volunteer agencies, and volunteer coordinators alongside their existing programs.
Evidence and Current Context for Proposed Innovation
Research in a number of publications indicates that people do not volunteer because they
are not invited or asked (Yotopoulos, 2018). The design of Flockittome allows for easy
notification of friends using the users contact list, and social media friend lists. Users notify
friends of volunteering activities and receive a notification of availability, time frame and
acceptance of the invite. Users build groups to compete with other groups by selecting from their
list of contacts, or social media friend list.
Males do demonstrate more completion of tasks, if they are viewed publicaly
(McAndrew & Perilloux, 2012). Males want to be seen as altruistic. This demonstrated altruism
improves their status within groups. Flockittome allows users to be viewed by anyone within
their group, and or to the world through their settings. This external showing of altruistic
behavior allows this motivation for males to be a motivation for social good (Böhm & Regner,
2013). Social stories, another feature of Flockittome, allows males to highlight socially good
behavior for public viewing.
When you combine altruism with competition, you get increased rates of performance
(Schofield et al., 2015). Flockittome competition components allow groups to compete with each
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other. LA Magizines’ yearly Weeks of Giving competition for raising the most amount of money
between nonprofits has doubled their donations by including competition (Lemus, 2016).
Altruism in combination with competition is powerful in motivating members. It is a core feature
of Flockittome.
Contextual Ethical Considerations
The current rise of hate around the world towards other races, cultures, religions, and
sexual orientations presents the possibility users of Flockittome may use it for hate. It is
conceivable a hate group could designate a very inappropriate and even dangerous behavior for
its Flockittome groups to perform. Postings to other Flockittomes could include hate messaging.
Flockittome needs a containment and barrier program to keep hate off site. Hate containment and
barrier programs do exist in the web community. The best and most highly regarded containment
program is from the Anti-Defamation League. The Director of Technology and Society for the
ADL, Brittan Heller J.D., heads their anti-hate efforts in San Jose, CA. Present author, who also
lives in San Jose, is setting up an interview with Brittan Heller for advisement regarding
Flockittome. Flockittome will follow closely the guidelines set up by the ADL And Brittan
Heller J.D.. Present standards include usage community education, and the use of A.I. to find and
remove hate content (Chetty & Alathur, 2018).
Flockittome will follow all data protection, and privacy guidelines by the General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR), developed by the European Union. The GDPR is currently the
highest standard of practice for data protection, and privacy (Doe, 2018).
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Comparative Assessment with Other Opportunities for Innovation
Shaun Hazeldine, Head of Innovation and Futures, International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies, made a statement about the future opportunities for volunteerism in
December 2018 (Hazeldine, 2018). He speaks for the largest volunteer agency in the world
having eleven to twelve million volunteers. His job is solely to predict the future of volunteerism
around the world. An assessment of his predictions comparing with Flockittome should be
enlightening.
First, he states that in the past volunteering was mostly a local activity. In the future
volunteering will be more “glocalization” in nature. Problems needing volunteers are becoming
more global in nature. He gave examples of elders in retirement homes in the U.S. helping to
educate young people in Brazil with Skype, online mappers helping to map unmapped
communities around the globe, and help with global warming as examples of glocalization.
Flockittome fits perfectly with the app being assessable by anyone in the world having internet
access. Global Flockittome including memberships around the world could fight global
pollution, warming, and political extremists.
Secondly, Shaun states that technology and distributed networks are shifting our attention
to what is possible through technology. He states that there will be a shift from the centralization
of volunteering efforts now through agencies to volunteers connected through distributed
networks. Flockittome is an exact example of volunteers connected through distributed networks.
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Thirdly, Shaun states that volunteering is going to open up to greater diversity.
Flockittome is open to all of humanity and diversity. The four and a half billon internet users
around the world can have access to Flockittome.
Forth, Shaun states the future will involve more self-organizing groups for volunteerism
without the bureaucratizing effects of volunteer agencies. Flockittome is an exact example of an
online app that facilitates the self-organizing of groups for doing volunteering behaviors.
Flockittome clearly fits the possibilities that future volunteering methods will demand.
How Innovation Links to Proposed Logic Model and Theory of Change
The Flockittome Theory of Change revolves around two theories. The first is social
learning theory, and the second is reinforcement theory. Social learning theory shows us that
Flockittome users will see modeling of volunteer behaviors through Flockittome demonstration
videos, through their friends who are inspired, and invited them to join the Flockittome. The
users, through viewing of the modeling of volunteer behavior, learn how to perform volunteer
behaviors. The users then perform the volunteer behaviors after learning how to do them.
Reinforcement Theory states that if a behavior is followed by a reward then the behavior
will be more likely to occur again. Flockittome includes prizes and incentives for performing
volunteer behaviors. Social learning theory and reinforcement theory predicts that users will
perform the volunteer behaviors and use Flockittome.
The current Flockittome Logic Model is comprised of inputs, activities, outputs, and
outcomes, both short term, intermediate, and long term. The main activities of the Logic Model
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were discussed in a previous section, and are closely tied to the proper implementation of
Flockittome. Please see the Logic Model in Appendix D.
4 Project Structure, Methodology, and Action Components
Description of Capstone Appropriate Project Deliverable/Artifact
The Flockittome project prototype is a wireframe, built with Adobe XD. Adobe XD is a
prototyping wireframe desktop application allowing innovators to connect a prototype to
customers in real time with any phone or desktop browser connected to the internet (UserTesting
releases plugin for adobe XD CC to empower experience designers to connect prototypes to
customers in real time.2018). Adobe XD allows the customer to use the prototype with limited
functionality, such as clicking on buttons to move between screens. Adobe XD helps the beta
tester, or other stakeholders, see clickable links and buttons by highlighting the links and buttons
when the user touches or clicks any part of the screen.
Meaningful Analysis of the Market Relative to Alternative Options
There is no direct market competition for Flockittome. Flockittome is truly an innovative
project. A quick google of the keywords “volunteer competitions” brings up first
www.trackitforward.com. This is an online app that helps volunteer coordinators track volunteer
hours. There are numerous volunteer coordination apps online. Their heading on their home page
in very big lettering states “Create Competition & Recognize Volunteers”. Clearly, they
recognize that competition for their volunteers is motivating. When we dig deeper into the
website, we find the app is used to create “milestones” for volunteers. The volunteers compete
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with themselves to complete these milestones created by volunteer coordinators. They show an
example of a volunteer who got a certificate after a 1,000-hour milestone. Every other google
find is only for advice as to how to create competitions for volunteers. There is no mention of an
online app, that creates online competitions between groups, and allows any group in the world
to compete for the most volunteer completions with designated prizes, making Flockitotme a true
innovation.
However, as described the above section “Literature, Practice, and Innovation Review,
and Link to Environmental Context”, in some detail Flockittome can be incorporated into any
volunteer coordinators toolkit for increasing volunteerism. The Flockittome patent could also be
licensed, for even the Trackitforward.com website to incorporate it into its app.
Methods for Project Implementation
Please see the RE-AIM implementation framework discussed in the Executive Summary
starting on page 3. RE-AIM framework includes five different stages that include reach,
effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Please see the Gantt chart with RE-
AIM framework timelines in Appendix A.
Financial Plans and Staging
Please see Appendix E for start-up budget, Appendix F for full year budget, and
Appendix G for financial plan, and budget discussion. During the start-up period we find
$40,000 in revenue vs $854,920 expenses, the resultant loss is $814,920. This is an expected
loss, and part of the business plan for the development of the minimal viable product (MVP), and
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full release Flockittome app after this start-up phase. Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer,
and Marketing Director are all brought on board at the start-up to provide the management
needed to build the marketing strategies, campaigns, and partnerships that are robust at the time
of full release. CFO is responsible for tracking the different revenue streams during the start-up
and first full year. This tracking allows for shifting energies into revenue producers, and
identification of new revenue streams.
During the first full year the revenue vs. costs looks very different. Expenses of
$1,559,385 have doubled due to an increase in taxes from expanded revenue. Evaluations of
program is added for 5% of total. Total revenue is $3,121,133 from mostly student volunteer
certificates. Flockittome is producing a profit of $1,247,747 during its first full year of operation.
Now, Flockittome is in full operation using marketing to its fullest to establish as many
users as possible. Additional staff will be added as needed, as revenue and user base expand.
During the first full year other funding opportunities should present themselves. Flockittome will
adapt at increasing expenses to match the new revenue opportunities including software servers
and hosting, increased need for more marketing personnel, and support staff.
Revenue Strategy
One of the main sources of revenue come from a high school student’s Flockittome
Certificate/Portfolio of Volunteerism URL sent to the high school students after purchase. The
portfolio is in infographic form including the videos, Flockittomes, photos, and testimonials from
others. The URL link is specific to the purchase for a particular college or university. The IESD
Final Report: Survey Research and Analysis on the Role of Student Community Service in
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Higher Education Admissions found that about 70% of colleges and universities want certified
volunteer documentation for admissions (Newton, 2018) . This supports the need for
Flockittome generating certified documentation to colleges, and universities for the 2 million
high school students applying each year. Flockittome will charge $9.95 for each certified
volunteer portfolio URL specific for each university application. The Cappex College
Admissions Counseling Survey asked counselors about the number of college admissions
applications they recommend students submit and the actual number of applications submitted
(Cappex, 2016). The average recommended number of applications was 5.9, about the same as
the actual number of applications submitted is 5.8.
Flockittome stated goal based on perceived need by high school students needing
documented volunteering, is to obtain 5% of those student applying every year to college within
3 years. Our plan is to reach 2% by the end of the first full year. According to a studied sample
of U.S. based accounts the average cost per action (CPA), which is the cost per paying customer,
from advertising on Facebook related to education is $7.85 (Irvine, 2020a). Flockittomes’ budget
for the first full year includes $314,000 to pay for enough Facebook ads to capture 40,000
student paying accounts. However, there is a expectation of higher rates than 2% because of the
anxiety, competitiveness of high school students seeking college admission, and our targeted
media campaign and advertising to high school students. Two percent of applying students first
year equals 40,000 students times the 5.8 number of applications, times $9.95 equals
$2,308,400.00, the first years income. Total profit from the first full year is $1,247,747.
Companies wanting to show corporate responsibility, provide Flockittome a Flockittome
usage fee, along with their own sources for user’s prizes. Other sources of income are from
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Flockittome plaques and trophies purchased from Flockittome for the winners of Flockittome
competitions. Flockittome merchandize is offered through Flockittome’s online store. The basic
version of Flockittome is free. This basic version allows users to make a simple flockittome,
invite others to join their Flockittome, challenge another person to form a group for competition,
and set start and end dates, and join any Flockittome that is allows outside join. The advanced
version of Flockittome is a subscription-based app at $39.95 a month, that allows for example, a
volunteer coordinator to manage all their volunteers Flockittome accounts.
Leadership Strategies
The executive leader characteristics of futuristic, ideation, and developer would greatly
improve the chances of success for Flockittome (Rath & Conchie, 2008). The leader with
futuristic characteristics are inspired and excited by what could happen in the future for the
Flockittome Corporation. Ideation as a strength would allow the leader to think outside the box
and see the advantages for volunteer groups to compete. The leader’s developer strength
recognizes the potential in others and are truly the cheerleaders for even small improvements in
all three strategic steps.
A technical skill needed by the leader is Index of Difference: Job/Time. This technical
skill helps the leader identify the difference between what is expected from staff time wise for
certain duties, and the realities of the time demands. This could help increase efficiency, and
decrease staff stress and dissatisfaction (Averkamp, 2019).

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Methods for Assessment of Project Impact
Evaluation Goals Process Objectives
Process objectives include the inputs/resources of obtaining funding and staffing of all
positions, development of the MVP and final release of the app, student marketing campaign,
corporation marketing campaign, corporate partnership campaign, and admissions partnership
campaign, number of student users, number of corporation employee users, number of
corporation partners contacts, number of admissions directors met with, and the number of
inappropriate Flockittomes blocked.
Evaluation Goals Outcome objectives
Short-term outcome objectives include the number of users who provided proof of
volunteering. We include a questionnaire at the time of proof submission “Have you volunteered
before?” If the answer is “no”, we can count this user as a first time volunteer, and add it to the
number of volunteers Flockittome has increased. This increase of first-time volunteers is a direct
reduction of the problem of declining volunteerism across America.
Student Flockittome completions of social good a user satisfaction of 5+ on a 7 point
Likert scale, 500 corporate employees Flockittome completions of social good, good corporate
social responsibility satisfaction of 5+ on 7 point Likert scale, good admissions satisfaction of 5+
on 7 point Likert scale.
Long-term outcome objectives include long-term excellent average of user satisfaction of
6+ on 7 point Likert scale, 40,000 students (2% of total student admissions population)
Flockittome completions of social good, 39,915 corporation employees (1% of total employees
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in 25+ employee corp. population) Flockittome completions of social good, excellent corporate
social responsibility satisfaction 6+ on 7 point Likert scale, and excellent admissions satisfaction
6+ on 7 point Likert scale.
Description of Measures of Outcomes
The measures of outcome objectives include a tally that is generated by the software, by
third party marketing analysis software, or by CMS systems of customer management systems
software. This numerical tally of individuals, or corporations is a count of the number of actual
users who have provided poof of volunteering including student users, number of actual
corporation employee users, number of corporation partner contracts, number of admissions
directors met with, number of students purchasing Flockittome admissions portfolios, number of
corporation employees purchasing Flockittome volunteer portfolios.
A performance measure is the measure of those who register to have an account divided
into the actual number of registered users who have provided proof of volunteering. A second
performance measure is the number of those who register divided into the number of first-time
volunteers.
Another measure of outcome objectives includes the usage of satisfaction surveys. Please
see the example in Appendix H. The satisfaction surveys are used for the short-term outcomes of
good average of user satisfaction of an average of 5+ on 7 point Likert scale, good corporate
social responsibility satisfaction of average 5+ on 7 point Likert scale, and good admissions
director’s satisfaction average of 5+ on 7 point Likert scale. The satisfaction surveys are used for
the long-term outcomes of an average of user satisfaction of 6+ on 7 point Likert scale, corporate
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social responsibility satisfaction 6+ on 7 point Likert scale, and admissions director’s satisfaction
average of 6+ on 7 point Likert scale.
Reliability and validity of the measures of tally count is robust. This count is reliable and
valid, since it is a count of a user, or partner established by actual usage (counted by the
software) or contract. The reliability and validity of the satisfaction survey is established by
incorporating an validated user satisfaction survey from the Volunteer Satisfaction Index (See
Appendix H (Galindo-Kuhn & Guzley, 2002).
Hate containment is an important measure of outcome for Flockittome. The Director of
Technology and Society for the ADL, Brittan Heller J.D., heads their anti-hate efforts in San
Jose, CA. Flockittome will use ADL’s review of Flockittome hate containment efforts with their
assessment as to a poor, fair, good or excellent outcome rating.
Relevant Stakeholder Involvement
The Flockittome Marketing Campaign, found in Appendix B, demonstrates the
engagement of various stakeholders such as volunteer coordinators, volunteer agencies,
corporations, local retailers, celebrities, admission directors, and high school students.
Internal Stakeholders
Internal stakeholders include employees, and managers of the company. They influence
financial/budget planning by needing to work in an environment that appreciates, and supports
their financial needs. Financial planning should include competitive salaries, and employee
benefit packages, that help with staff moral and retention. Flockittome engages the employees
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by easing the stress of employees by helping them manage their finances, and prepare for
retirement. Establishing the company in Silicon Valley does help in finding great employees, and
at the same time puts a premium price for their salaries influencing the financial budget.
Engagement of other internal stakeholders include those with a financial interest in the
organization, such as the shareholders, board of directors, and investors is accomplished by
meetings, and frequent updates. These internal stakeholders have great influence on the
financial/budget planning. Investors can place key personnel, including key administrators, that
can be costly, and essential.
Engagement of the board of directors, whose main responsibility is to ensure the
company’s prosperity, have great influence over financial/budget planning is important. They are
responsible for directing the companies’ affairs and meeting the interests of its’ shareholders.
The board has authority to approve, or disapprove financial/budget plans for implementation.
Shareholders, especially the majority shareholder, has great influence over financial/budget
planning being able appoint board members. To give an example of the power of the board: a
board can fire the founder of a company as an employee, even if the founder holds a majority of
shares (Roanhorse, 2020).
External Stakeholders
Engagement of external stakeholders include high school students seeking college
admissions, college admissions offices, high school guidance counselors, private non-profits,
volunteer agencies, online volunteer matching programs, companies with volunteer programs,
volunteer coordinators, corporations seeking social responsibility visibility,
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churches/schools/sporting programs needing volunteers, and vulnerable populations who derive
the benefits from volunteers. Engagement is accomplished by social media communication, and
announcements of improvements, and outcomes through a Flockittome newsletter.
High school students who think of Flockittome as a valid way of establishing volunteer
credibility to admission offices will view Flockittome positively by engaging them in the user
feedback and digital communication. Financial planning includes budgetary items for a social
media campaign, and should focus on outreach activates to high school students. Depending on
how many high school students use Flockittome, there may be a need for more marketing
expenditures to capture more high school users.
Flockittome must establish itself as a valid, and trustworthy source of student admissions
volunteer documentation for college admissions officers. If college admissions do not accept
Flockittome documentation certificates for high school students, then it will negatively affect the
profits of Flockittome. Spending monies to engage with admissions offices, gain their trust, and
help to design Flockittome are monies well spent. Present author has already received input from
admissions officers. Similarly, high school guidance counselors can help guide students, and
groups of students’ employ Flockittome as a source of volunteer documentation.
Engaging corporations wanting to partner with Flockittome to show social responsibility,
can be a good source of revenue, by charging them a user fee for sponsoring large Flockittomes.
Engagement strategies include marketing outreach, and direct calls, and emails.
In order to reduce the perception of competition, key external stakeholders especially
online volunteer matching, non-profits, volunteer coordinators, churches, schools, and sporting
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volunteer coordinators will be encouraged to use Flockittome to enhance their own volunteer
recruitment and success.
Communications Products and Strategies
Findings from the evaluations of outcomes will be disseminated to all Flockittome staff,
and governing board. It is important that Flockittome staff, and board is informed of all progress
on outcomes through internal communication. When appropriate outcomes will be disseminated
to a wider audience by submitting press releases, and through social media.
Once Flockittome is up and running, its main activities include a social media campaign
to increase the number of users, a corporate partnering campaign to encourage corporate
sponsorship of Flockittomes, and a college admissions partnership campaign to meet the college
admissions needs for documented college candidate volunteerism.
The social media campaign focuses on targeting high school students preparing for
admissions to colleges and universities, and companies who encourage their employees to
volunteer in their community. The main activities and components for the social media campaign
include setting a target of high school students, and companies encouraging volunteerism,
executing a plan for each target, monitoring the results, and advertising on Facebook.
The corporate partnering campaign components include setting a target of corporations
wanting to improve their social responsibility campaign by sponsoring prizes for Flockittomes,
executing a plan, and monitoring the results.
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The college admissions partnership campaign components include a partnership outreach
program to identify college admissions who are willing to help shape Flockittome into a useable
volunteer verification instrument. Another component is the establishment of college admissions
and Flockittome working groups.
Outcomes for Flockittome include user satisfaction measured by online user satisfaction
surveys. Corporate partners’ satisfaction measured by online satisfaction surveys. College
admission officers’ satisfaction measured by an online satisfaction survey. Qualitative measures
are obtained from all groups through interviews for measuring projected outcomes. Another
outcome is the number of additional volunteers and volunteer hours produced by Flockittotome.
Ethical Considerations
Please see above section “Contextual Ethical Considerations” on page 16 for more detail
on how Flockittome plans to prevent, and reduce the risk of hate behaviors online. Flockittome
will follow all data protection, and privacy guidelines by the General Data Protection Regulation
(GDPR) developed by the European Union. The GDPR is currently the highest standard of
practice for data protection, and privacy (Doe, 2018).
5 Conclusions, Actions, & Implications
Discussions of potential future decisions and actions
The main decision for Flockittome is finding which funding source is the best to finance
the development, and implementation stages of Flockittome. The future actions involve
contacting venture capitalists, corporations, exploring licensing, and crowd funding sources.
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Funding can be explored now that a non-provisional patent has been submitted to the Trademark
and Patent Office last October, the prototype is built, Flockittome Corp. was incorporated in the
state of Delaware on March 9, 2020, and financial plan finished. A media campaign is currently
being designed by present author.
Present author lives in Silicon Valley, an area rich in venture capitalists. Corporate
sponsorship is also a source of possible funding to provide a vehicle for social responsibility.
There is also the chance of crowd funding through GoFundMe, or Kick Starter, and licensing to
other companies.
Project Conclusions in appropriate context of practice
The current practice context for Flockittome is varied, rich, and complex. Social Work,
Education, Volunteering agencies, Volunteer Coordinators, Environmental Groups, Agency
Fund raising, and any other context of practice needing a method for increasing motivation to
perform socially good behaviors is a context of practice. The most natural fit is for any practice
that utilizes volunteers for social good, such as private non-profits, corporations, churches,
sports, education, and high school students needing volunteer certification for admission to
Universities, and colleges.
Volunteers of America list on their current website the following focus areas for
volunteering: afford able housing, assistance for people with disabilities, assistance with basic
needs, assigning homeless people, behavior and mental health services, children, youth and
families programs, community outreach and investment programs, correctional re-entry services,
family-focused treatment, moral injury support for soldiers, services for older adults, substance
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use disorder, and veterans (citation). Any practice area that uses volunteers is an appropriate
practice area of usage for Flockittome.
Implications of Flockittome Innovative Solution for Practice/ Further Action
The capstone project Flockittome is truly an innovation within the volunteer community.
There presently is not an app like Flockittome. Present inspiration came from USC’s DSW
program discussions of apps like Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb whose democratization, and gig
economy put passenger transportation, and commercial bedroom rentals, into the hands of
everyone.
Uber, and Airbnb transformed the transportation and room rental industries into a true
democratization, using technology as its vehicle. The change from traditional structure to a gig
economy changed the players, and allowed for a competitive alternative. This transformation
allowed for innovation outside the typical paradigms, and norms of the industry.
Users of Flockittome, who may be outside the traditional norms of the volunteer industry,
will apply Flockittome differently. These new ways of thinking about volunteer opportunities
may differ from traditional volunteer approaches. For example, instead of a volunteer
coordinator determining the needs of the homeless during a freezing climate, a homeless person
finds a library, uses the libraries online computer, and creates a Flockittome, organizing a
blanket drive. The homeless person knows the immediate needs of the homeless population.
Flockittome is an online app whose purpose is to allow anyone to easily make a group to
perform specific social good. Users create groups from contact lists, or friend lists from social
apps. Users can make their groups private, where only they can permit others to join their group.
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Capstone Project and Campaign

Users can make their groups public, where anyone on the internet can join their group for social
good. Users can challenge another user’s group to a competition based on completion rates.
Members of groups validate their completions by uploading a picture or short video of their
volunteer accomplishment. Incentives can be associated with completions or competition
winnings. Corporations are Flockittome partners who provide incentives and gain social
responsibility benefits. Flockittome’s New Media short videos of one to three minutes created by
members highlights their Flockittome accomplishments, and provides meaning to their volunteer
experience.
Limitations and Risks
Flockittome is not using an experimental method commonly used in measuring EBP
implementations. There are no control groups, or pre and post testing of subjects. The
satisfaction surveys have some validity since they are based on validated user satisfaction
surveys (Galindo-Kuhn & Guzley, 2002), see in Appendix H. The evaluations used in
Flockittome are traditional marketing evaluations for web-based apps that include number of
users, actual making and finishing Flockittomes, paid student accounts, paid advanced user
accounts, satisfaction surveys of users, corporations seeking higher social responsibility profile,
and admissions directors seeking useful information about an admission candidate.
There is a risk for Flockittome, a universal competition generator, to be used for
offensive and inappropriate behaviors. Please see above section “Contextual Ethical
Considerations” on page 16, for more detail on how Flockittome plans to prevent, and reduce
the risk of hate behaviors online.
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Flockittome is limited for those who do not have a smartphone, a way to connect to the
internet, or who cannot afford the technology. The elderly without exposure to browsers, or those
with intellectual disabilities, may not be able to use Flockittome. There may be limitations with
individuals who are illiterate, or whose language differs from those available on Flockittome.
Capstone Prototype Readiness to be Shared with Practitioners
The Flockittome wireframe prototype is currently ready to be evaluated with relevant
practitioners such as social workers, volunteer coordinators, venture capitalists, high school,
students, corporations, and other stakeholders.
The wireframe prototype of Flockittome makes sense for the purpose of demonstration,
and user testing. A funder may want to independently use the prototype, to assess with other
funders, the practicality, and design flow of Flockittome. The prototype in XD form allows for
many others to use, and assess the prototype from anywhere, on almost any platform that has a
browser. XD is an excellent choice for prototyping that is a standard in the web community.
Concrete Plan for Advancing Next Steps of Flockittome
See milestones table in Appendix I, and Gantt chart in appendix A for next steps. The
main next step is finding a funding partner to capitalize the start-up funding of Flockittome by
September 1, 2020. Prototype testing with stakeholders is present, and ongoing, to ensure end-
user, funders, various stakeholders and admission directors user satisfaction. After funding is
obtained, typical apps Minimal Viable Product should take about six months to create by March
1, 2020. Additional next step of funding obtained for the first full year of operation after start-up
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Capstone Project and Campaign

and MVP, will ensure the success of Flockittome. Flockittome shows a profit after the first full
year of over a million dollars, if $318,000 is invested in Facebook advertising during the same
time period to capture 40,000 paying high school students (Irvine, 2020a).
1-5 Review
The current capstone project online app Flockittome derives from the Grand Challenge
“Harnessing Technology for Social Good”. We know that current volunteer coordinators are
struggling to recruit enough volunteers to meet the needs of private nonprofits, and our
vulnerable populations. Losing 4 million volunteers, while the population has increased 25
million, and private nonprofits have grown 20% sense 2005, negatively affects real service
delivery to those in need across America (Raposa, Dietz, & Rhodes, 2017b; Vallente, 2015).
Flockittome allows anyone with internet usage to form groups, provide competitions and
challenges to other volunteer groups to increase motivation, and show the impact, the amount of
completed social good to the world. Flockittome’s stated mission to make it easy for anyone to
form groups for social good is needed by society. Flockittime fits nicely within the volunteer
agencies and volunteer coordinators current structures. They will use Flockittome to increase
motivation and fun for their volunteers.
The purpose is clear. The steps are shown for profitability. Flockittome has a real chance
to provide social good if funders, developers, and users work to launch Flockittome. Then where
Flockittome goes is an exciting question.
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Capstone Project and Campaign

6 Flockittome Prototype
A wicked problem facing volunteerism is the steady decline in volunteers in America
since 2005. In the Citylab article of September 2019, author Linda Poon tries to make sense of
what happened to cause the steady decrease from 2005 of a high 28.8 national volunteer rate, to a
low of 24.9 percent in the last U. S. Census in 2015 (Poon, ). The decline of volunteerism is in
spite of the fact, that the U.S. population has grown during the same period by 25 million. Linda
Poon cites research that shows that married individuals volunteer at a higher rate, at 29.9 percent,
than single people at 19.9 percent. Marriage decline affecting volunteerism makes sense because
the marriage rate in the U.S. has dropped from 7.6 per 1000 in 2005 to 6.5 in 2018 (Duffin,
2020).
There are other factors found such as lower home ownership, and putting off having
children that contribute to lower volunteerism because there is less commitment to the
community (Poon, ). Whatever the reasons, we are in a downward trend since 2005. Our losses
of volunteers since last count mean we are losing 3500 volunteers a day. They take with them
185,000 service hours every year (Bureau, ).
Previous research about why people don’t volunteer follows three main themes. First, one
doesn’t have time to volunteer. Second, one thinks they are not like the stereotype of volunteers.
Third, no one invited the potential volunteer to volunteer (Beck, 2015).
Description of Innovation
Flockittome, the name of the current author’s capstone project, is an online app
whose purpose is to increase volunteerism in America. Flockittome allows anyone to create
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Capstone Project and Campaign

groups for social good, motivate membership through competitions and prizes, and show the
results to the world. Flockittome, truly is the democratization of volunteerism. Volunteerism in
no longer in the hands of a limited number of volunteer coordinators, or agencies. It’s even free
to use for the basic user. Flockittome directly addresses the three main reasons people don’t
volunteer. The creator of the Flockittome can make the volunteer opportunity as short of time, as
required. The app allows them to invite their friends, and acquaintances. They are similar types
of people, not a stereotype to avoid. Friends and acquaintances are invited through a messaging
or email platform. Now, the invite, the reach out is initiated.
Description of Prototype methodology: the wireframe, and non-provisional patent
application
The Flockittome wireframe is built with Adobe XD. Adobe XD is a prototyping
wireframe desktop application allowing designers to connect a prototype to customers in real
time (UserTesting releases plugin for adobe XD CC to empower experience designers to connect
prototypes to customers in real time.2018). Adobe XD allows the customer to use the prototype
with limited functionality such as clicking on buttons to move between screens. Adobe XD helps
the customer, or reviewer, see clickable links and buttons by highlighting the links and buttons
when the user touches or clicks any part of the screen.
Building the Flockittome wireframe with Adobe XD allows testers to give
feedback regarding the interface and ease of use (UserTesting introduces plugin for adobe XD
CC.2018) by giving the tester the url and password for the testing wireframe. The desktop
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Flockittome wireframe feedback is collected screen by screen to allow possible modifications to
the Flockittome interface.
Present author submitted a non-provisional patent application on September 26,
2019 to the U.S Patent and Trademark Office (Please see U.S. Patent and Tradmark Office
receipt in appendix A and application in appendix B). The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
typically takes two to three years to process a patent application. The mark for Flockittome is
currently “Patent Pending”. Present author, and a Patent Attorney, worked together to produce
the non-provisional patent application for Flockittome.
Initial testing results
Initial testing of Flockittome prototype with friends and relatives has produced a number
of changes in the design, and interface of Flockittome wireframe prototype. The design has been
dramatically reduced over time from an initial 84 wireframe screens, to 21 wireframe screens in
an effort to reduce complexity and increase ease of use. Continued testing is required to maintain
high user satisfaction with Flockittome.
Next Steps and usage of prototype
The next steps for present capstone project is further testing, U.S. trademark
application, and venture capital funding. The first step is finding more users who can beta test the
Flockittome interface. Continuing to build, and refine the Flockittome interface will help to
ensure its adoption and ease of use by end-users. Present author is reaching out to high school
students where another fellow doctorate student works, to give feedback regarding Flockittome
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Capstone Project and Campaign

ease of use. High school students will help to capitalize Flockittome development through
purchasing volunteer validation portfolios that present the student’s volunteering efforts and
leadership skills to college and university admissions. An example of a volunteer validation
portfolio will be developed.
The second step is applying for a U.S. trademark for Flockittome. Present author
is exploring a trademark graphic for Flockittome. A trademark application will be submitted to
the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office before residency two. An established trademark will help
with the branding and success of Flockittome.
The third step and the most difficult is obtaining venture capital. The capstone
advisor for this capstone strongly recommends that venture capital be sought to bring this project
to fruition.
7 New Campaign
The Covid-19 presents a call for volunteerism. The loss of over 66,430,000
volunteer service hours in the last year, according to the latest U.S. Census done in 2015, is
alarming in view of our present high need for volunteers (Bureau, 2020). Volunteer Coordinators
are struggling to keep up the volunteer numbers. There are a number of reasons for the losses,
these include the usual demographics leading to higher community involvement such as families
having children, and home ownership. Both of these demographics have steadily declined (Poon,
2019). This loss of volunteers is pervasive across all demographics (Dietz & Brimm, 2018). We
need a bold new paradigm to address the problem of these losses. We need to look at what is
working in other formats, and couple it with an innovative idea: democratizing volunteerism.
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Capstone Project and Campaign

Flockittome is a simple to understand online app, allowing anyone to create
groups for performing any volunteer behavior, motivate membership through competitions
between groups, provide prizes, and finally allow anyone to see the social good completed.
Flockittome is the democratization of volunteerism.
Old Campaigns Based on Old Model
A quick googling with the key words “volunteering campaigns” results in a
myriad of posters and videos generating concern, such as another’s hunger, need for helping the
elderly, building community involvement, and helping those less fortunate. Two strong themes
present in volunteering campaigns. One, the need through pictures, videos, and text acutely
describing the dire situation of other humans, and sometimes animals. Second, the apparent joy,
meaningfulness, and reward of being a volunteer. The first theme appeals to our empathy for
others, in an attempt to illicit our direct involvement. The second theme appeals to our desire to
have meaning, inner peace, and a shared connection with our community.
The literature on volunteer campaigns include using volunteers to run donor
campaigns that have moderate success (Lindley, 2018) . Many campaigns combine dollar
donations with volunteer recruitment since most of the donations come from people who both
volunteer and donate (Burger, 2018). Other campaigns described in literature include corporate
volunteer campaigns and how to have successful outcomes (End employee volunteer campaigns
with a bang.2018). Much of volunteer campaign literature describes methods for recruiting
volunteers to get a candidate elected. Political volunteers often need to know the reasons why
they are performing certain duties, and why it is important to retain them (Starrett, 2015).
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Capstone Project and Campaign

The Need for a New Campaign
The current volunteer or donation campaigns strategies are similar because most involve
the usage of volunteer coordinators of private-nonprofits, churches, schools, and sports activates
to manage the volunteer campaign for the mission of the institution they represent (Burger,
2018). This understandable focus on the institutions’ mission and structure is limiting. There is a
clear need, given the loss of millions of volunteers, for something new to booster the ranks of
volunteering.
Target Group
The target group is any age 13 years or older who uses web-based apps. This age
range is chosen because of the Federal Trade Commissions’ 16CFR Part 312 the Children’s
Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA). According to the iKeepSafe “Safe Harbor” Oversight
Program no personal information can be collected without parent permission for any child under
the age of 13 years (Kim, 2014).
7 Effectiveness Projection of New Campaign
Theoretical Bases for Projected Effectiveness
Social learning theory (SLT) supports the projected effectiveness of Flockittome.
One of the earliest studies of volunteering and SLT looked at the six components of SLT;
observational learning, reinforcement, self-efficacy, situation, environment, and their effects for
motivating volunteering. All six components of SLT were found to be actively involved in
motivating a person to volunteer (Klein, Sondag, Drolet, & Klein, 1994). SLT was found to be
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the most significant theory to understand the motivation of tournament competitions (Rendell et
al., 2010). SLT in recent studies has shown to be the main motivator for online social gaming
competitions (Gong, Zhang, Chen, & Cheung, 2019).
Flockittome has strong social learning theory components. Friends and
acquaintances learn about Flockittome through observing their friend’s invite to belong to a
group that is in competition with another group for the most volunteer completions.
Volunteerism should increase in other areas once a member identifies as a volunteer. Previous
research demonstrated that a lack of identifying with a volunteer is a barrier to volunteering
(Beck, 2015). Reinforcement comes in the form of prizes, and the winning of competitions.
Expectations for completing the assigned volunteer behavior is clear from the person creating the
Flockittome. Self-efficacy is shown through the completion of the volunteer behavior, and the
feelings of confidence this completion generates. The situational motivation comes from the
knowledge of how Flockittome works to generate social good and the possibility of winning.
Research Bases for Projected Effectiveness
There are volumes of research regarding what appeals to audiences of media. An
analysis of over 2000 respondents to a randomly drawn sample of the American Public by
NORC at the University of Chicago found that showed that the majority of Facebook users
76.5% have been inspired by social media content, 34% reported this being the case in the past
seven days. The most reported theme of inspiration was kindness, followed by overcoming
obstacles/perseverance, human connection, and gratitude or thankfulness (Oliver et al., 2018). In
the same study over 33% of Facebook content found to be inspirational contained depictions of
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hope. Flockittome with its focus on performing social good volunteerism should appeal to those
who use social media.
The closest campaign to the new campaign envisioned for Flockittome is the
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (EMHE) won two Emmys, 10 Emmy nominations, and
winner of Television Academy Honors. EMHE uses volunteers to build new houses for
unfortunate families. The research from Nielsen TV, measuring of consumer interest, found the
current 2020 EMHE in the top Five cable ranking for Sunday 9-10 pm time slot among all adults
in the 23-54 demographics, It ranked as a top 3 program for “upscale” women ages 25 to 54
years of age. It ranked 1.15 among ages 2 and above with a 2.17 household ranking (Maglio,
2020).
Looking at the research involving EMHE can help explain the reason why the new
campaign for Flockittome is going to succeed. A very interesting and relevant study had
participants watch EMHE, resulting in significantly increased tangible prosocial behaviors (Light
et al., 2015). The Flockittome Campaign highlighting meaningful, and heart felt volunteerism
like EMHE should result in increased volunteerism by viewers. After looking at the specific
components of the Flockittome new campaign, we should expect as good, or better rates of
viewing and volunteering.
8 New Campaign
Without a doubt we need a new campaign to increase the ranks of volunteers. We can do
this through a combination of a new app, a new entertainment concept, and a company wanting
to increase its social responsibility and consumer visibility.
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The New App
It takes the usage of the internet with its 4.5 billion users, 293.9 million in the U.S. alone,
to reach the global community (Clement, 2019). To best access the users an app has to be built,
simple to use, understand, and free. It should include real gamification, a way to simply create
groups by inviting others through existing contacts, differing messaging apps, and email. A
challenge to another person to lead their own competing group is similarly achieved. It likely
would have an easy way to communicate the desired social good/volunteer behavior. It has a
simple interface to create a start and end date and time. A clever method of uploading videos, or
pictures and some text of their volunteering efforts called proofs, that are viewable by anyone is
preferable. To minimize fraud a method for checking for unique videos or pictures is preferred.
Finally, a method for determining the winner by selecting sheer number, or ratio of completers
after the end date is determined. It should have intellectual property protection. Flockittome has
all these components and more.
The New Entertainment Concept
The new entertainment concept is live competing celebrities, whose fans join their
celebrity’s groups, perform the specific volunteering behavior, with the hope their celebrity wins
the competition. Prizes are awarded by the company. The length of time between the start of the
Flockittome, and the end of the competition is seven days.
The celebrities, prior to show one, reach out to their fan base and implore them to watch
the first segment. They cannot reveal what they want their fans to do to help them win the
competition. Prior to show one, the two celebrities are researched and chosen by the company to
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compete with each other. The celebrities may have a similar background story that provides the
emotional tie to the Flockittome such as poverty, hunger, homelessness, domestic violence,
mental health, education, or physical health. The theme may be important because of what they
themselves went through, a loved one, or something they both think is important. The celebrities
may be chosen because they have the relatively same number of fan base, or not.
The company and celebrities decide on the particular behavior such as during the covid-
19 outbreak making masks, contributing to a food bank, working at a food bank, and getting
groceries for the elderly in their neighborhood. A video of each celebrity is shown as to why this
is important to them. The entire show could be on cable, or on an internet based channel such as
Instagram TV, or on the website www.flockittome.tv. The show has a celebrity host, someone
very well-liked by the public. A co-celebrity host could be a known representative from the
company associated with Flockittome. The first Flockittome show reveals the volunteer
behavior, if performed, will help their celebrity win the competition. The fans log onto the
Flockittome app and join their celebrity’s Flockittome.
In between show one and show two, the celebrities work the social media, and any other
media outlets to promote and encourage their fan base. They get new fans to join their
Flockittome group, to perform the desired task. Other media shows bring on the celebrities, who
rally anyone they can to join their group, and win the competition. Fans are informed that short
form videos about their own volunteer behavior they submit to Flockittome, may be chosen to be
shown on the live program on show two, or on the media shows during the week. Anyone is able
to view anyone’s proof on Flockittome. This especially is appealing to males who will
significantly increase their altruistic behavior, if they know their behavior is publically viewed
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(Böhm & Regner, 2013). Fans can view the competing teams as their number grows, motivating
them to get others to join their celebrities group.
Show 2 is the finale of an exciting week. The celebrities have enjoyed a higher presence
on various media, and a higher rating of social good. No one knows the actual final count, or
outcome. The fans may wait till minutes before the show to upload their proofs. The winner may
be determined by the number of completers, or the percentage of completers to joiners,
previously determined. The usual suspense of not knowing, with the eventual revealing of the
winner, prizes, and the immense social impact this simple week of kindness has given the world
is experienced by everyone. All members of the winning group are asked to immediately send a
text to a particular text number to celebrate their winning. This texting demonstrates a graphical
raising like a thermometer of the number of texts to demonstrate their winning, and strength in
numbers. The ability to see your immediate interaction with celebrities is meaningful to their fan
base. There will probably be other good ways to integrate immediate fan interaction with the live
Flockittome shows.
The social impact is emphasized to make everyone feel a sense of social bonding, pride,
and genuine empathy. Other celebrities, or nationally known individuals wanting to be associated
with the social good, may make a guest appearance. Group members from both celebrity’s proofs
have been viewed, selected from those submitted directly to Flockittome to give group
membership a sense of group pride and identity. Part of the second episode shows those who are
receiving the benefits of the volunteering behaviors such as a food bank volunteers, or doctors
receiving covid-19 face shields built by Flockittome members.
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The before mentioned Extreme Makeover Home Edition is limited when compared to
Flockittome. Flockittome has many of the components of EMHE such as identifying a need,
bringing help, showcasing the emotions of those volunteering, and those getting the benefits.
Flockittome tops EMHE by including the viewer into the doer, the changer, the helper.
Flockittome uses competition to increase motivation for altruism that research has shown to be
effective in increasing rates of behavior (Barman, 2002; Samson, 2016). Flockittome presents a
unique opportunity for a social good, with immense impact of social good within a short time
frame.
The Company
The company sponsor has capitalized Flockittome from the beginning. The company
sponsor has financed the building of the MVP and full app Flockittome, the quality assurance,
testing, and other components of a successful launch. The company sponsor is motivated by both
the opportunity to do something genuinely good, and to be closely associated with an app, and a
live show that represents the company’s commitment to social good in its world community. The
company doesn’t lose the fact that this live show is replicable in almost any country of the world.
In fact, a Flockittome competition between two different counties immensely popular celebrities
could be designed around a complementary volunteer behavior. Flockittome is a simple idea that
is innovative and doable with immense appeal. It’s timing could not be better within the context
of covid-19 and the overwhelming need for social good. The opportunity for any company
wanting to increase its value and values in the world eyes is great.
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Message Appeal
The message appeal includes a number of emotions, and thoughts. Similar to
Extreme Makeover Home Edition its appeal is empathic concern, and empathic happiness (Light
et al., 2015). The emotional meaning of identifying with someone’s else’s struggle, the desire to
help, and experience another’s genuine relief. As described before, empathic concern, and
empathic happiness are powerful precursors to significantly increased behaviors of altruism. The
company associated with Flockittome benefits from the feeling of admiration of others viewing
the company as contributing to the larger social good.
Speakers
The speakers are a combination of celebrity host, celebrities, experts in social
good impact, and representatives of the company associated with Flockittome. The celebrity host
should be well liked, respected, and known for doing social good. The celebrities bring their
enthusiasm and fan base to the membership. The experts in social good impact help the members
understand the significance of their Flockittome volunteering. This increased understanding of
the impact of their joined social good provides meaning and pride to their membership. The
company’s representatives are spokesperson for the company’s dedication to showing their
social responsibility to the community and the world.
Channels/Media
The Flockittome campaign expresses itself through a variety of possible channels
and media. Any medium is a possibility for the Flockittome campaign. Celebrities involvement
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brings print, TV, cable, streaming, internet TV, and short video. The social impact component
will invite research publications to study the phenomena, and social impact of the Flockittome
campaign.
Social Media
Social media is used extensively by the Flockittome Campaign. A similar timing
of social media by the Extreme Makeover Home Edition could be utilized. A few tidbits of
information about the upcoming Flockittome app and campaign could be released through social
media, and press releases months earlier. An announcement of the celebrity host could follow to
social media and press releases. An announcement of the actual competing celebrities is
announced months after the celebrity host is announced. Meanwhile app development and testing
is progressing. A pilot for the MVP is released, quality tested, and modifications made to
existing app. The dates of the actual competition are announced through social media on the
celebrities’ sites, and press releases. Two weeks before the actual live Flockittome campaign
occurs a multimedia hub is available for everything Flockittome and the associated company.
9 Conclusion
The innovative campaign for Flockittome is a well-researched campaign with
many winning components. From the app itself, to the innovative campaign of competing
celebrities with live interactions with fans during the show, and to the company that creates a
mutually beneficial relationship with Flockittome, the innovations are endless and rewarding.

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Appendix A: Flockittome: Gantt Chart/RE-AIM Timelines

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Appendix B: Flockittome Marketing Campaign
Flockittome currently has a logo identified with the company.

Glenn Thomas has current ownership of the following domains:
flockittome.com, flockittome.tv, flockitto.me, flockittome.live , flockittome.shop ,
flockittome.info , flockittome.org
Glenn Thomas submitted a non-provisional patent on September 26,2019 to include all
new features of Flockittome. This improves the likelihood of success by having intellectual
properties as an asset.
Online Marketing including
• Email Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
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Capstone Project and Campaign

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Display Advertising
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
• Events & Webinars
• A/B Testing & Website Optimization
• Content Marketing
• Video Marketing
• Marketing Analytics
• Marketing Automation
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Content Management System (CMS)
Consumers - Direct users of Flockittome
1. Social Media Marketing
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
3. Display Advertising
4. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Messaging to consumers includes doing something that helps the world. Having the fun of
competition, and group spirit increases motivation with incentives and prizes.
Business Partners
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Capstone Project and Campaign

• Volunteer agencies and volunteer coordinators - Direct users of Flockittome
incorporating Flockittome solution into their own structure.
• Corporations - business partner
• Local Retailer - business partner
• Celebrities - business partner
• High School Students
1. Email Marketing
2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
3. Content Management System (CMS)
4. Events & Webinars
Messaging to volunteer agencies, and volunteer coordinators includes using Flockittome to
increase the motivation and fun of their volunteers. This increase of motivation and fun will help
them to maintain current volunteers and help with recruitment.
Messaging to corporations, local retailers, and celebrities includes the social responsibility
they all want to show to their customers and fans (Philip et al., 2018). The opportunity to provide
incentives and prizes that motivate users to do social good. Flockittome allows them to provide
video features highlighting their desire to do social good for the world.
Resources discussed in the input section of the logic model such as space, staff, founder,
CEO/President, Software Engineering, Marketing/Sales, Web Content Manager are sustained
through Flockittome’s Sales Plan discussed below.
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Sales Plan
• Corporate partners - Corporations will be sold higher visibility on Flockittome through
highlighted sponsorship of Flockittome. The amount of sponsorship sales rises with the
increasing number of Flockittome users. Initial sponsors will lock in favorable rates for a
certain duration. Corporate partners increase their exposure on Flockittome by
encouraging celebrities to highlight their own flockittomes.
• Online Streaming provider - Providers such as Amazon, Hulu, and YouTube TV will pay
Flockittome to have a live Flockittome TV show with celebrities competing for the most
members and completion rates. Two celebrities compete with each other in week one and
come back in week two to examine who won and how much good was done.
• Advertising - As usage increases so will advertising income.
• Flockittome - Subscription for professional version increased data collection and
analysis. Companies using Flockittome for increasing motivation, for example a sales
force, will want more detailed analysis than the standard completion rates. The same is
true of volunteer coordinators needing more detailed data on their own volunteer
group. The Flockittome is free to individual users. However, private nonprofit and for-
profit corporations must pay a fee to use Flockittome.
• Flockittome merchandise - Sales of Flockittome merchandise related to the logo such t-
shirts and mugs.
Operations
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Locations & Facilities
Flockittome currently has office space at 1165 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 218 in the heart of
Silicon Valley. There is enough space for a president/CEO and sales/marketing director to work.
Engineering will be off site.
Present office space will not meet the needs of a full staff of an additional engineering for
product, quality assurance, IT, additional sales, marketing, advertising staff, customer support,
operations manager, and finance staff. Initial full staffing includes an additional 8 staff besides
president/CEO and Sales/Marketing director.
Technology
Flockittome will need a point-of-sale system to take payments, and e-commerce engine
for merchandise sales. In addition, a CRM solution for managing company sales and contacts.
Equipment & Tools
Office computers and typical office equipment such as copy, fax, and scanners.
Key metrics
User traffic
Subscription Users
Paid Corporate Partnership
Celebrity Partners
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Total Social Good generated hours and type
Social Stories uploaded into site
Outside media exposure

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Appendix C: Content Strategy for Mobile App Launch

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Appendix D: Logic Model

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Appendix E: Flockittome Start-Up Budget

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Appendix F: Flockittome Full Year Budget

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Capstone Project and Campaign

Appendix G: Financial Plan and Budget
Revenue Strategy
One of the main sources of revenue comes from a high school student’s certificate of
volunteerism, that is linked directly to the college admissions office by Flockittome. The IESD
Final Report: Survey Research and Analysis on the Role of Student Community Service in
Higher Education Admissions found that about 68% of colleges and universities want certified
volunteer documentation for admissions (Newton, 2018). This supports the need for
Flockittome generating certified documentation to colleges, and universities for the 2 million
high school students applying each year.
Flockittome will charge $9.95 for each certified link of a student’s Flockittome. This
certified link that opens up to a student’s volunteer portfolio shows the students leadership, and
innovation of volunteering including the student’s and those who joined the Flockittomes videos
of completion. The Cappex College Admissions Counseling Survey asked counselors about the
number of college admissions applications they recommend students submit and the actual
number of applications submitted (Cappex, 2016). The average recommended number of
applications from 545 counselors was 5.9, about the same as the actual number of applications
submitted is 5.8.
Flockittome stated goal based on perceived need by high school students needing
documented volunteering, is to obtain 5% of those student applying every year to college within
3 years. Our hope is to reach 2% by the end of the first year. Two percent of applying students
first year equals 40,000 students times the 5.8 number of applications, times $9.95 equals
$2,308,400 first years income.
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Capstone Project and Campaign

The future looks bright for the number of college applications in the U.S. Current
statistics show a trend of increasing number of college applications per student. Common App,
an online service for multiple submissions, increased unique applicants in just the last year
increased by 20%. A national survey by UCLA showed that 30% of students now apply to eight
or more schools, more than doubled the amount of 10 years ago (Franklin, 2018). The 2018 State
of College Admission from the National Association for College Admission Counseling states
that in the year 2016 to 2017 the increase in applications from high school increased four percent
(Clinedinst, 2018).
Companies wanting to show corporate responsibility, provide Flockittome a Flockittome
corporation sponsorship fee of $20,000 a year. This sponsorship status of a corporation allows
them more presence on the Flockittome website and app. It lets them have more involvement for
giving prizes to a wider Flockittome audience.
Other sources of income are from Flockittome plaques and trophies purchased from
Flockittome for the winners of Flockittome competitions. Flockittome merchandize is offered
through Flockittome’s online store. The basic version of Flockittome is free. This basic version
allows users to make a simple flockittome, invite others to join their Flockittome, challenge
another person to form a group for competition, and set start and end dates, and join any
Flockittome that is allows outside joining. The advanced version of Flockittome is a subscription
based app at $39.95 a month, that allows volunteer coordinators to manage their own volunteers
Flockittome accounts.
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Capstone Project and Campaign

Startup operations expenses for Flockittome Corp. can range from $140,000 for a just full
build of the app, with very limited marketing, to over $854,920.00 for a fully paid Executive
Director, Marketing Director, a Chief Financial Officer, Software Engineers, and other expenses.
First full year operations expense for Flockittome Corp. is $1,873,385.16 for a fully
operating company with the first fully developed Flockittome app
Budget Format and Cycle
Flockittomes will use a revenue and expenses budget format for budget projections.
Budget cycles are yearly, starting in January 1, and ending in December 31.
Revenue Projections
The start-up phase is a nine to twelve-month phase. The software development phase
takes about five months to complete. Then a rollout, for some targeted pilots in a number of
locals, having high number of students seeking college admissions. Initial pilots for bug hunting,
and small addition of new features takes at least three months. The actual initial full launch then
starts about nine to ten months after the start of the software development. Most information
about results from marketing campaigns state it takes at least six months to see results from on-
site content marketing, and six to twelve months from off-site marketing (Factal, 2018).
Therefore, it is not expected to see much revenue in the first year of operation. Please see the
appendix (?) for the full revenue and expenses budget for both the start-up, and full year phases.
However, corporate partnerships are pursued during the start-up phase. Corporate
partnerships are a $20,000 a year for each corporation seeking to have a higher visibility on the
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Capstone Project and Campaign

Flockittome web-site. We expect to have at least 2 corporate partners signed for contracts during
the startup phase. These are yearly recurring contracts.
The second year or first full year of post start-up is an entirely different situation in terms
of revenue. Substantial revenue from student volunteer certificates, corporation volunteer
certificates, recurring subscription fees, flockittome plaques and trophies, flockittome
merchandise, and corporation sponsorship brings in $3,121,132.53 in total revenue.
Student volunteer certificate provide a student who is applying for admissions a fully
completed portfolio of their Flockittome accomplishments. This volunteer portfolio includes the
links to the Flockittome, student’s videos, and written materials associated with the Flockittome
that have been identified by admissions directors as being helpful in deciding admissions. There
are 2,000,000 students seeking admissions every year. Each student applies to an average of 5.8
different colleges and universities. Flockitotme is expecting to be used by 2% of this population.
Each portfolio certificate is specifically designed for each college, and university by addressing
the colleges directly in the material. Total expected revenue is .02 x 2,000,000 x 5.8 different
colleges x $9.95 per portfolio certificate equals $2,308,400.00.
Facebook Educational advertising will cost $314,000.00 to capture 40,000 high school
users based on current average cost per action (CPA) on Facebook of $7.85 (Irvine, 2020b). CPA
denotes the amount of money spent on Facebook advertising to get one fully paying customer.
According to the research on Facebook, if Flockittome spends $314,000.00, then Flockittome
will gain almost 7.5 times in revenue of $2,308,400.00. This marketing strategy is what makes
Flockittome so profitable so quickly.
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Present author has met recently with the Assistant Directors of Admissions at USC. The
Assistant Director of Admissions for all USC undergraduates, Neelam Savla stated the university
would welcome an ability to see a Flockittome volunteer portfolio through a link. She
empahsised the very limited space on the college admissions form. She suggested that the
students type the Flockittome link into one of the two lines available in the undergraduate
admissions forms for stating their volunteerism. She also stated the student could include the link
in their personal statement for Admissions.
Recurring subscription Fees for the advanced version of Flockittome is an important long
term source of income. The advanced version of Flockittome allows the end user to manage their
volunteer groups passwords, and accounts. An example of the advanced version is a volunteer
coordinator in a private non-profit who wants to have control over what his volunteers pick for
volunteering efforts, and the amount of hours The advanced version controls what groups
compete with other groups both within and outside the private non-profit. An expected advanced
recurring subscription during the first year is ten per state for a total of 500 recurring
subscriptions. The price of recurring subscription is $39.95 a month x 12 months’ x 500 for a
total of $239,700.00 for the year. There is an expectation of a ramp up over the first year so the
total number of advanced users will exceed the 500 number.
Ron Rubalcaba, Assistant Director of Admissions for the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck
School of Social Work stated the same comments as Ms. Savla without the present author
promonts, that he would like to have a link to the Flockittome portfolio to view the applicants
volunteer accomplishments. He stated Flockittome would be very useful when the student is just
on the edge of not being accepted. Viewing the student’s video describing their Flockittome, and
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observing their leadership, and innovatinve social good could in many cases get them into USC.
Mr. Rubalcaba asked how soon he could expect to see some Flockittome portfolos? He stated he
loved the idea of Flockittome and was excited to have this additional assessment tool in his
admissions toolkit.
Flockittome plaques and trophies provide continuing income for Flockittome. When two
groups compete with each other Flockittome will in app at the time of the challenge allow the
end user to select the type of plaques and trophies to be imputed as a reward. At the end of the
competition, Flockittome alerts the original challenger with an online invoice the winners group
name and title of the Flockittome. Flockittome expects to partner with a plaque and trophy
company, whose profit margins are generally 66% of sales (DGA Corporation, ). Flockittome
expects to receive four dollars an item. Expected sales are 200 challenges per state for a total of
10,000 challenges resulting in sales of plaque and trophies. Flockittome other category of
merchandise includes mugs, and t-shirts for a total sale of $8000.00 during the first full year for a
profit of $4000.00 at 50% profit margin.
Flockittome corporation sponsorship allows paying corporations a higher profile on the
Flockittome website. It also allows for corporate sponsors to have partner more closely with
Flockittome for city, state, national, and international contest. Corporate sponsors pay $20,000 a
year to have the higher profile of corporate responsibility. We expect to have two sponsors by
the end of the start-up phase. During the first full year we expect to have three additional
sponsors for a total of five corporate sponsors and $100,000.
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Capstone Project and Campaign

Non-operating revenue during the start-up phase is $0. However, in the first full year of
operation non-operating revenue of interest from bank accounts is $33,872.53 from 2.3% interest
on profits.
The total revenue during the start-up phase is $40,000.00. The total revenue during the
first full year is $3,121,133.
Phases/Major Steps of Intervention
The Flockittome basic version and free to all users. It provides the basic steps for creating
a Flockittome, joining or challenging another Flockittome, and being able to look at one’s past
and present Flockittomes. The first step is the user registers for the first Flockittome. There after
the user signs in with a username and password. The second step the user selects the button to
create a Flockittome by imputing a picture or short video describing the volunteer behavior, a
title, and a typed description of the Flockittome. The third step is selecting other friends from
social media, and contacts, to send an invite to join the Flockittome. The forth step is for the user
to choose to challenge another Flockittome user in a contest for the most Flockittome volunteer
behavior completions. The fifth step is to set the users group as open or closed. An open group
allows anyone to join the group from the outside world. A closed group does not allow anyone to
join the users group unless approved by the user. The sixth step, if the user challenged another
user, is to post a picture or video of the winning prize. The Sixth step is to set a start date and
time. The Seventh step is to set a finish date and time. The users who have been sent an invite
can join or decline the invitation. Those who join post a picture, or a short video of themselves
doing the Flockittome volunteer behavior in a “proof” step of Flockittome. The winning group
who has the most completion rates is the winner of the prize.
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Capstone Project and Campaign

Flockittome allows other steps for retrieving current, and past joined Flockittomes,
searching and joining other’s open Flockittomes to join, and viewing popular Flockittomes.
Other steps include the ability to post, and communicate with one’s group.
There is another version of Flockittome called “Advanced Version”. This version is a
subscription based version of $39.95 a month. The “Advanced Version” is for volunteer
coordinators, sports, and churches that want to manage their volunteers for Flockittome
activities. This allows for the volunteer coordinator tochange passwords, and set up competitions
between inner groups, along with other features.
Units of Service
Units of service include the apps start-up minimal viable product (MVP), and final
release, the number of student users, the number corporation employees’ users, the number of
corporation partner contracts, and number of hate content removed or blocked. Please see the
logic model in Appendix D.
Staffing Plans and Costs
The initial start-up phase includes costs not recurring in the first year after full release of
Flockittome. The initial start-up includes the cost of $200,000 for the development of the
Flockittome app by software engineers. Both operating systems are developed so that worldwide
markets can be accessed. In the first year after the start-up app maintenance will cost about
$20,000 for bugs and a few new features.
Staffing plans for both start-up phase and first full year of operations include a well-
connected, very experienced executive director at $150,000 annually to oversee all operations
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Capstone Project and Campaign

and is directly responsible to the board. There is a chief financial officer, who has years of
experience getting start-ups off the ground, at 124,000 annually to forecast both revenues, costs,
and identify possible revenue options. In addition, a marketing director with years of experience
getting apps into user’s hands, to direct the student, corporation employee, and corporation
partnership campaigns. A web content manager is hired at $75,000 to provide all content creation
activities for the Flockittome website, and monitor any hate speech. The present author takes on
the role of chief executive officer with no salary. The chief executive officer will be
compensated through stock, and after the start-up period a salary once Flockittome is bringing in
substantial revenue. Benefits for all parties is at 32% for a cost of $158,080 yearly. Flockittome
corporation makes no distinction based on diversity, and intends to include the best candidate for
each position.
Other Spending Plans and Costs
Office space for a staff of four in San Jose, CA class A space is $4.60 a square feet
(Avalos, 2/13/19). The average square footage per person is about 150 (Mehigan, 2016). Start-up
costs for 4 staff is $31,680 a year, or $2640 a month. The addition of the Content Manager
during the first year of full release brings staff up to five times 150 is 750 square feet times $4.60
is $3,450 a month and $41,400 a year for office space.
Office equipment purchased during the start-up are 4 computers and screens,
communications equipment for 4 staff, a central printer, copier and fax machine. Office supplies
such as copy paper, coffee, staplers, binders, celebration supplies such as food, and other
supplies are $600 a month, or $5000 a year.
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Capstone Project and Campaign

Software server, and hosting costs are $20,000 a year or $1667 a month. Estimates for a
multiple staging environment , (Dev/Test/Prod), DevOps, ASW Auto Scaling, Clustering and
Multiple Micro services is between $1,000 to $5,000 (Valdes, 2018). Flockittome depends on
99.9 uptime guaranteed servers, and an ability to increase server capacity on demand.
Transportation to admission directors and possible corporation partners is $5000 a year.
There is an expectation that travel may be reduced by the central location of the office space in
Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley has a large number of corporations that are possible corporation
partners to visit without the need for expensive travel arrangements.
Marketing, legal, and accounting costs per year is $20,000 a year. Marketing costs
include the price of app PR outreach and a ASO (app store optimization) tool that costs about a
five thousand dollars a year. Legal costs include the initial costs writing up the contracts. The
cost of an accountant to help keep track of the company’s transactions, and making sure the
company is tax law compliant, is about $5000 a year.
Liability insurance costs $8,000 a year for coverage on site, and for other possible
litigation for usage of Flockittome. A detailed disclaimer of usage for end users should help
Flockittome avoid possible law suits from usage in the future.
Line-item budget
Please see Appendix E & F for the line-item budget for both the start-up, and the first
year of full release of Flockittome.
Revenue vs. Costs (bottom line)
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During the start-up period of $40,000 revenue vs $854,920 expenses the loss is $814,920.
This is an expected loss due and part of the business plan for the development of the MVP, and
full release Flockittome app during this start-up phase. Executive Director, Chief Financial
Officer, and Marketing Director are all brought on board at the start-up to provide the
management needed to build the marketing strategies, campaigns, and partnerships that are
robust at the time of full release. CFO is responsible for tracking the different revenue streams
during the start-up and first full year. This tracking allows for shifting energies into revenue
producers, and identification of new revenue streams.
During the first full year the revenue vs. costs looks very different. Expenses of
$1,559,385 have doubled due to an increase in taxes from expanded revenue. Evaluations of
program is added for 5% of total. Total revenue is $3,121,133 from mostly student volunteer
certificates. Flockittome is producing a profit of $1,561,747 during its first full year of operation.
Now, Flockittome is in full operation using marketing to its fullest to establish as many users as
possible. Additional staff will be added as needed, as revenue and user base expands. During the
first full year other funding opportunities should present themselves. Flockittome will adapt at
increasing expenses to match the new revenue opportunities including software servers and
hosting, increased need for more marketing personnel, and support staff.
Complicating Factors and Constraints
Students applying for admission to universities, and colleges both undergraduate, and
graduate studies generally apply from October to January of each year. The majority of
Flockittome’s estimated income comes from these academic hopefuls. It is therefore important
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that the CFO is able to coordinate expenses and revenues over the year, knowing the possible
very seasonal aspects of Flockittome revenue. Corporation volunteers are less seasonal, and can
be estimated to bring in revenue over the course of the year, with a spike in the holidays.
Estimates of first year revenue may vary from actual revenue and costs. Flockittome will
adapt to unexpected shortfalls using prudent budget reductions. Reversely, unexpected growth,
and resultant revenue increases will necessitate an increase in staffing, and server side
expansions.
Hate containment best practices will be employed by Flockittome. Careful attention to
end-user agreements with Flockittome should avoid litigation from hate speech individuals. Hate
containment will be monitored using industry standard algorithms, and public flagging of
inappropriate content. Hate containment is an issue in all social media. The current best practices
for hate containment are found in the Anti-Defamation League, centrally established in San Jose,
California. Flockittome intends to become a partner with the Anti-Defamation League, being so
close in its own home town.
Flockittome is an open app allowing challenges and contests between any groups for any
proposed behavior. The expression of Flockittome on the web may take the company on
unexpected sources of income. A close study of Flockittome usage should present some unique
and fruitful strategies for successful financing. It will be paramount that Flockittome is actively
seeking to identify, and pursue revenue within the context of a B corporation.
Appendix H: User Satisfaction Survey
Volunteer Satisfaction Index questions in included in the survey
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Capstone Project and Campaign

1. My relationship with other volunteers at the event
2. The friends I have made while volunteering
3. The way in which other members of the organization relate to me
4. My ability to effectively help
5. The chance to receive additional skill training for this volunteer opportunity
6. The amount of educational resources made available to me
7. How appreciative the clientele are of our help
8. The amount of interaction I have with other volunteers
9. Relationship with the event paid staff
10. The influence my participation is having in the lives of clients
11. My ability to do this job as well as anyone else
12. How worthwhile my contribution is
13. The progress that I have seen in the event success
14. The level of challenge this volunteer job provides me 7
15. The realism of the picture I was given of what my volunteer experience would be like
16. The support network that is in place when I have volunteer related problems
17. The difference that my volunteer work is making
18. The availability of getting help when I need it
19. The accuracy of the information I have been given concerning my volunteer job
20. The fit of the volunteer work to my skills
21. The convenience of this job to my schedule
22. The amount of effort I put in equaling the amount of change Influence
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Capstone Project and Campaign

23. The support I receive from people in the organization
24. The flexibility I am given to fit my volunteer work into my life
25. The freedom I have in deciding how to carry out my volunteer duties
26. The chance I have to utilize my knowledge and skills
27. The degree to which I feel I belong in the organization
28. The amount of time I spent with other volunteers
29. The training I have received
30. How interesting my volunteer work is
31. The resources I have been given to do my job
32. The amount of permission I need to do things
33. The opportunities I have to learn new things
34. The flow of communication coming to me from paid staff and board members
35. The access to information I have concerning the event
36. The amount of information I receive about what the organization is doing
37. The way in which the organization provides me with performance feedback
38. The degree in which the organization communicates its goals and objectives to the
volunteers
39. How often the organization acknowledges the work I do

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Appendix I. Milestones Table
Milestone Due Date Who's Responsible Details
Completed Non-
Provisional Patent
October, 2019 Glenn Completed
Completed Prototype February, 2020 Glenn Completed
Flockittome Corp.
Incorporated in
Delaware
March 9, 2020 Glenn Completed
Funding Partner
Search
Present to Sept 1,
2020
Glenn Contacts established
with possible funders
Prototype Testing with
stakeholders
Present and ongoing Glenn Stakeholders testing
prototype
Funding Partner
Established
Sept 1, 2020 Glenn Monies available for
startup
App Developed March 1, 2020 Glenn/ Flockittome
staff/ Funding Partner
First Iteration of
Useable MVP
developed

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Appendix K: Non Provisional Patent Receipt

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Appendix L: Flockittome Corp. Certificate of Incorporation

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Capstone Project and Campaign

Capstone Project Paper and Prototype References
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Abstract (if available)

Abstract We know that current volunteer coordinators are struggling to recruit enough volunteers to meet the needs of private nonprofits, and our vulnerable populations. Losing 4 million volunteers, while the population has increased 25 million, and private nonprofits have grown 20% sense 2005, negatively affects real service delivery to those in need across America. Flockittome allows anyone with internet usage to form groups, provide competitions and challenges to other volunteer groups to increase motivation, and show the impact, the amount of completed social good to the world. Flockittome’s stated mission to make it easy for anyone to form groups for social good is needed by society. Flockittime fits nicely within the volunteer agencies and volunteer coordinators current structures. They will use Flockittome to increase motivation and fun for their volunteers.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Thomas, Glenn Roy (author)

Core Title Flockittome: an app to support and encourage volunteering for social good, to make it fun to volunteer and be on a team

School Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Degree Doctor of Social Work

Degree Program Social Work

Publication Date 05/07/2020

Defense Date 04/16/2020

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag altruism,app,increasing volunteerism,Motivation,OAI-PMH Harvest,public altruism,reinforcement theory,research based,social learning theory,volunteerism,Volunteers

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Manderscheid, Ron (committee chair)

Creator Email glennthomas@loveandencourage.com,grthomas@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-299413

Unique identifier UC11665911

Identifier etd-ThomasGlen-8440.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-299413 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-ThomasGlen-8440.pdf

Dmrecord 299413

Document Type Capstone project

Rights Thomas, Glenn Roy

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA