Description
Nossa Cidade – Turnaround For Towns Annual Report (2012-13)
1
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Renato Orozco
2012-13 Final Report
Nossa Cidade – Turnaround for Towns
Annual Report (2012-13)
Photo: 1
st
recruitment session (October, 2012) at the Town
Hall in our pilot program.
2
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
The Situation
Small towns with less than 50,000 inhabitants have an underprivileged socio-economic status. Infant
mortality is on average 56% higher than in large cities, the average education is 41% lower, and the
probability of a child living below the poverty line is 79% higher, according to the 2010 Brazilian Census.
Our Vision
Nossa Cidade is an educational venture that distributes proven social technologies to small towns,
seeking to elevate its quality of life, prevent brain drain, and contribute to reducing the socio-economic
gap between these towns and big cities.
We intend to empower civil society, local governments and businesses to become protagonists in the
improvement of their own situation.
What we do
Nossa Cidade aims to help towns through activities that bring three different types of resources to towns.
We empower towns with knowledge, talents and financial resources:
Knowledge
(Social
Technologies)
Talents
(Volunteers)
Resources
(Community
Fund)
Nossa Cidade – Summary
3
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Knowledge
There are social technologies of great social
impact out there. Notwithstanding, they seldom
reach the towns where we operate. Because of that,
we are positioning ourselves as a distributor of
social technologies. We are now offering a
diverse portfolio of social solutions to meet the very
specific needs of the towns where we operate.
Talents
The purpose of Nossa Cidade is to develop
and leverage the town’s existing talents to
foster endogenous development. However, we
understand that any help is important if we
want to solve the enormous social problems
currently plaguing small towns.
With a volunteer brigade composed of Corps
Members and people committed to helping,
we connect people to the towns through
relations of friendship and affection.
Money
There is not much financial resources in small towns.
However, our pilot project has shown that there is a
willingness to donate resources to finance
development of their town among the local residents.
Inspired by Community Foundations, we support
and invite the community to contribute to a local fund
that finances projects for socio-economic development
in the town.
? ? ?
Social technologies are "products, techniques or
replicable methodologies, developed in
interaction with the community and presenting
effective solutions for social transformation"
(Banco do Brasil Foundation)
? ? ?
? ? ?
Advantages of fundraising within the town:
• Increase in community project ownership;
• Decrease of the town’s external dependence;
• Greater transparency and social
accountability in the use of resources
? ? ?
4
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Nossa Cidade was born from the dream of
Renato Orozco to reduce the small towns’
socio-economic gap when compared to larger
cities and raising their Human Development
Index (HDI). Before we started this adventure,
we did some research by asking local
governments and businesses from small towns
what they saw were the main challenges for
their towns’ development. Among the problems
that were detected were the engagement of the
population into solving their own problems and
the need to build capacity in people that work in
the town’s social sector.
In March 2012 we won the Business Concept
Competition from the Boston University School
of Management. We were awarded US $ 1,000 to build a prototype (in our case, a pilot program). With
this first funding, we bought a projector, a laptop, and paid for gas to visit some places to select a town
for the pilot.
We chose Raul Soares (23,400 inhabitants and 0.73 HDI) for the pilot and we started our activities in
October 2012. The objective of this first contact was to validate the logical model and test the financial
sustainability of the initiative. We idealized a hands-on course that taught young adults to be the main
protagonists of their town’s development. The funding would come from tuition and scholarships offered
by the community in exchange for the service done by the students.
Concomitant to the pilot, we conducted some research with town halls and businesses. After we
described Nossa Cidade, 92% of the people who responded to the survey said that the project would
add value to the town; Furthermore, 72% would be willing to assist with dissemination, 68% would
directly participate, 60% would encourage their employees to volunteer, 32% would license and run the
courses, 28% would offer scholarships and 20% financial aid.
In the pilot city, Raul Soares, the demand which we expected was confirmed by 22 young adults
signing up for the program and 34 more enlisting themselves as observers in our pilot. An evaluation of
the activities reported that 100% of participants felt more engaged, 86% became better prepared, and
71% felt more aware of what they needed in order to improve their town.
Besides the pilot, we drafted a business plan, consolidated the project, and raised about US $ 20,000
in prizes, grants and individual donations. Among the organizations from which we received support is
Boston University through the Center for Finance, Law & Policy, the Dell Social Innovation Challenge
(out of 2600 competitors) and the Start Something That Matters Foundation.
Today, Nossa Cidade is being built by a group of supporters among mentors, volunteers and
collaborators in Brazil and abroad. We are still a start-up but we are already in a post-pilot stage.
History
? ? ?
The Human Development Index (HDI)
measures quality of life in three dimensions:
• Life expectancy (health)
• Access to knowledge (education)
• A decent life standard: GNP per capita
(income)
? ? ?
5
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pilot I (10 /12 to 01 /13)
Methodology
On October 2012 we taught a course about the PDCA
– a proven method to improve business results. We
have adapted the PDCA method to be used in the
town and improve its social conditions. We have also
added content related to teamwork, leadership, data
analysis and monitoring of indicators.
Meanwhile, the students carried out a social
intervention using the newly acquired knowledge.
Business Model
The organizer of Nossa Cidade in Raul Soares is a
micro-franchiser who licenses the use of
methodology in the town. He receives the class
material (presentation, instructor’s guide,
pedagogical material), training and coaching. The
franchisee has to recruit students, fundraise for
scholarships, teach, lead the students, and engage
the community in the social intervention project.
Nossa Cidade receives, as royalties, 20% of the
revenue from the town’s organizer.
Results
The Nossa Cidade students, together with members
of the community, selected the theme “children’s
health” as a priority for the town. They went to the
field and surveyed families with kids (right photo),
interviewed health professionals, inspected health
premises, and researched secondary health data to
build a diagnosis of the town’s situation.
They also fundraised with the community and proved
viability of having the project financed by local
resources.
6
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pilot I (10 /12 to 01 /13)
Learning
? The franchise model with a local organizer (franchisee) proved difficult to implement. The
organizer felt overwhelmed with recruiting, establishing partnerships, teaching and fundraising. ?
? Building a new curriculum is extremely costly and time consuming. ?
? The rhythm of a small town is quite slow and we identified that community members do not trust
proposed change initiatives, linking it automatically to political interests. Culturally, people do not
see themselves as participants of social change initiatives and are very dependent on the public
sector. ?
? Community fundraising is viable. We got significant financial and logistical support locally,
including financing to the project by individual local donors. ?
? Keeping project participants engaged to the project for an extended period was difficult. ?
Children’s Health Diagnosis in Raul Soares
This field activity (pictures above) was realized by the students and produced a diagnosis study of the
children’s health in the town:
? 15% of children under 5 years old live with illiterate parents, 34% live in households without a
sewage system
? 56% of respondents find it difficult to provide health care or afford basic supplies (i.e: formula,
vitamins, shoes) for their children
? 47% of families with children under 5 year old show signs of depression
? 68% of families do not have a health professional that fully caters to their children
? 55% of pregnant women do not have the adequate number of pre-natal care exams recommended
by health authorities
The full report was given to the mayor and the community, and was presented in a community meeting
that invited participants to take action to improve the situation.
7
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pilot II (1 /13 to 8 /13)
Methodology
We learned, from pilot I, that the Nossa Cidade
organizer (franchisee) was overwhelmed with
recruiting, organizing and teaching activities. In
pilot II, we partnered with groups that were
already formed so that the organizer would
spend his time solely on program delivery.
During this second pilot, we worked with
nonprofit organizations from Raul Soares such
as the Leo Club (picture on the right), Amor e
Gratidão Association, Self-Development Institute
(IAD) and the local community radio as program
recipients (photo below).
Business Model
In pilot II, we tested a model in which third party
organizations would hire Nossa Cidade to apply its
methodology to its members.
The Nossa Cidade organizer (franchisee) is no longer
required to work on student recruitment and course
logistics, as this would be left to the partner
organization.
In the community radio, program sessions were
broadcasted to all the town. This helped a lot in
engaging the community in the project (left picture).
We briefly tested this model in the Leo Club and
Amor e Gratidão Association. We also supported IAD
and city hall in its activities.
Results
In this period, Nossa Cidade consolidated itself as an active organization within Raul Soares’ nonprofit
community. We were invited by city hall to participate in a meeting to define which professional
education courses would be offered in the town. We jointly participated with the Auto Desenvolvimento
Institute (IAD) in the founding of Fazenda de Idéias (Idea Farm) – a collective space in which social
impact institutions work collaboratively for the development of the town. We helped the NGO Amor e
Gratidão to organize a Qi Gong Chinese Medicine event. We helped organize the women’s celebration
week and supported other organizations covering a diverse range of issues.
8
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pilot II (1 /13 to 8 /13)
Learning
? The business model of directly offering our program to other organizations showed to be viable
(there is demand and we obtained some success in these activities). Notwithstanding, these
organizations have very specific needs that are not covered in the course that we offer. We
identified the need to offer a varied portfolio to the town instead of only one product. ?
? There is great demand from the organizations for voluntary help in positions of coordination. The
partner organizations told us that they have benefited from the participation of the Nossa Cidade
organizer in its activities, such as in the organizing of the Qi Gong (middle picture) workshop by the
Amor e Gratidão Association or the Women’s Week Celebration (right picture) by IAD. ?
? The students spontaneously fundraised through a vendor stand in the carnival (left picture) in order to
obtain funds to rent from the Ideas Farm (co-working space for social organizations in Raul Soares).
?
? Fundraising. Although people from the town are still willing to contribute, we had difficulty to collect
funds due to a lack of structure (i.e: bank direct transfer, sending invoice, etc.). So far, we have only
collected the money in person. ?
Ideas Farm
The Idea Farm (picture in the left) is a ranch
– a co-working space – where social
ventures in Raul Soares work together for
the improvement of the town. Some of the
organizations that use the space are: Nossa
Cidade, IAD, Environment Department
(local government), etc.
9
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pilot III (9/13 to 2 /14)
Business Model
The new business model is based on
marketing of social technologies to city halls,
schools, associations and enterprises of
small towns.
Social technologies are products, methods,
processes, or techniques designed to solve a
social problem. They tend to be simple and
inexpensive, with a great potential for
transformation and easily replicable. Our
portfolio of social technologies (constantly
growing) is ready to be transferred / delivered
to small towns by partner organizations or
independent suppliers.
Examples of technologies in our portfolio are:
- Creation of a community fund to finance the
town’s developmental projects.
- Participatory assessment through arts
-Manufacture of low cost bricks using locally
available raw material reducing the cost for
building houses.
- Game-Oasis for social transformation,
winner of the Bank of Brazil Foundation
Social Technology award in 2013.
Methodology
When we realized that the various organizations in the town
had different needs, we changed our methodology so that we
had a diversified range of solutions for the town. We also
realized that creating new solutions to each specific demand
would not be viable. However, we noticed that many solutions
already existed, having been created and tested by NGOs,
government and individuals.
Pilot III took a fun and ludic social solution to Raul Soares.
The Oasis game (see the pictures in this page) was
implemented by a third party supplier with the support from
Nossa Cidade.
Results
Implementation of the Oasis game was a success!
We offered a solution that was aligned with what the
community wanted. Participation was at a record level and
implementation was very easy with the support from an
expert in the subject.
As part of Oasis, the community’s collective dreams were
identified. Then, residents “took care” of the dreams, planning
for a day of service that gathered 150 people in a weekend to
clean the neighborhood, paint walls and the bridge, and to
plant flowers in the neighborhood. We had the participation of
volunteers from Belo Horizonte (the capital city) who formed
friendship ties with local residents.
10
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pilot III (9/13 to 2 /14)
Learning
? The business model of distributing social technologies showed to be a viable strategy and to
demand less from Nossa Cidade since we do not have to invest in curriculum development and can
rely on a specialized supplier to implement it. On the demand side, having a larger solution portfolio is
also positive. ?
? We found people in Belo Horizonte and in the small town itself who were willing and available to work
as volunteers in the initiative we brought to the small town. ?
? We were able to mobilize the
community in the project. They were
satisfied with the results and the ludic
process we used. ?
? The costs associated with Oasis were
completely covered by local
fundraising made by the community
itself. ?
Oasis Game
The Oasis Game is a community mobilization tool developed by Instituto Elos to materialize collective
dreams. The game involves players and communities, bringing together people from many different
areas of society such as NGOs, local government, nearby businesses and the community itself. It was
conceived to be applied at no cost and in a fully cooperative way so that, together, all participants can
accomplish a common goal. The design of the Oasis Game strives to allow all players to be winners,
without exception.
We have used the Oasis game methodology in the town as a social technology to increase community
engagement and instill a culture of civic engagement and activism.
11
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
We have finalized the pilot phase of Nossa Cidade. Now we enter into the product development
phase in preparation for offering it to the towns. The period in which Nossa Cidade was a pilot project
revealed that we should focus our attention on three dimensions in our work in small towns:
Organizationally, we consider that creating a hybrid non-profit/for-profit organization will be the best
structure to achieve the goals that we set out for Nossa Cidade. We will build Nossa Cidade
Community Foundation as a not-for-profit membership association with chapters spread throughout
the small towns.
The Nossa Cidade Community Foundation activities includes:
? Management of the towns’ community fund, offering to the chapters a banking,
institutional, juridical, methodological and communication structure. The resources
fundraised will be used to finance local development projects chosen by the chapters;
? Mobilization of the members from Nossa Cidade Foundation to engage as volunteers in the
social interventions in the small towns. We want volunteers to have fun, establish friendship
ties with the town, and have a meaningful and fulfilling experience of doing good;
? Social venture and social initiatives incubation, adding value to these projects by
offering to them an institutional umbrela organization and fundraising structure from Nossa
Cidade Foundation. The social ventures being incubated will also have access to the
volunteer network, receiveing support such as mentorship and specialized consultations.
Attached to the Nossa Cidade Foundation, as an incubated social venture, is Nossa Cidade social
technology distributor, a for-profit organization in which the Nossa Cidade Foundation is the main
shareholder. The mission is to bring high impact social technologies, best practices and solutions to
small towns.
Knowledge
(Social
Technologies)
Talents
(Volunteers)
Resources
(Community
Fund)
Next steps
12
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
The Nossa Cidade pilot project that took place from October 2012 to February 2014 was made
possible thanks to the generous support from the following organizations:
Center for Finance, Law & Policy | Boston Universityhttp://www.bu.edu/bucflp/initiatives/nossa-cidade/
Entrepreneurship Programs Office | Boston Universityhttp://www.bu.edu/entrepreneurship/
Dell Social Innovation Challengehttp://www.dellchallenge.org/projects/nossa-cidade-our-town
Start Something That Matters Foundationhttp://www.startsomethingthatmatters.com/
Global Social Venture Competitionhttp://www.gsvc.org/
We are also grateful to the following funders who supported us along our journey:
Crowd funding
Amanda Barry
Anshuman Mirani
Ariadne Magalhaes
Boris Bulayev
Christena Wong
Danna Collony
Elaine Queiroz
Joao Pignataro
Kelly Mackey
Marisa Lo Verde
Marcio Pereira
Marion Westgate
Monica Szalay
Nancy Folan
Nishant Sharma
Pablo Gómez
Gallardo
Pammi Bhullar
Paul Bruere
Renato Rocha
Rodrigo Rocha
Stacey Sharer
Shirley Guan Yi
Shubha
Chandramouli
Yang Wang
Raul Soares
Alexandre Saulo
Célio David Nesce
Cleusa Nininha
Denilson Bramusse
Éder Sebastião
Eymard Rodrigues
Geni Lacerda Silva
Geraldo Pereira de
Melo
Janaína Lima
José Maria Peixoto
Juracy Mendes
Laudacio Lasmar
Lopes
Luis Alberto Tonini
Luiz Carlos
(Paraguai)
Machado Silveira
Marques Mateus
Neide Ribeiro
Neudimar Moreira
Roberto Pires
Tarcísio Sad Salomão
Luciano Gariglio
Tassar
Terezinha Pacheco
Vitor Delazari
Wilma Machado
Partners
13
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Nossa Cidade’s financial summary from pre-pilot (May 2012) to the pilot´s conclusion (February
2014) and the planning period that ensued can be found below:
Now that the pilot stage has concluded, we are now developing our product portifolio and
building the organizational structure. Although we are still actively seeking investors for Nossa
Cidade, we expect to start having a revenue from our operations starting in the second half of
2014.
Below, a summary of Nossa Cidade’s investors and supporters to date:
Item 2012/13 2012/13 (%) 2014 (ends 31.03) 2014 (%)
TOTAL REVENUE 21.142 $ 100% 350 $ 100%
Foundations or Enterprise (outside Brazil) 17.157 $ 81% - $ 0%
Community Fundraising (Raul Soares) 1.623 $ 8% - $ 0%
Crowdfunding 588 $ 3% - $ 0%
Prizes 1.401 $ 7% - $ 0%
Operational revenue - $ 0% 350 $ 100%
Other revenue 373 $ 2% - $ 0%
TOTAL EXPENSES 8.269 $ 100% 2.632 $ 100%
Salaries and compensation 2.183 $ 26% 910 $ 35%
Subsidies to local operation 1.190 $ 14% - $ 0%
Travel 925 $ 11% 915 $ 35%
Food and accomodation 192 $ 2% 124 $ 5%
Rent 373 $ 5% - $ 0%
Training 290 $ 4% 117 $ 4%
Marketing 70 $ 1% - $ 0%
Communication (internet & phone) 327 $ 4% 16 $ 1%
Technology (programming) 32 $ 0% - $ 0%
Product development 1.541 $ 19% 467 $ 18%
Registry expense 452 $ 5% 39 $ 1%
Equipment 680 $ 8% - $ 0%
Other expenses 15 $ 0% 43 $ 2%
RESULTS 12.874 $ -2.282 $
CASH AVAILABLE 12.874 $ 10.592 $
REVENUE PER SOURCE US $ %
Boston Universtiy - Center for Finance, Law & Policy 15.686 $ 74%
Start Something That Matters Foundation 1.471 $ 7%
Community Fundraising 1.308 $ 6%
Boston University - Business Concept Competition 934 $ 4%
Crowdfunding 588 $ 3%
Dell Social Innovation Prize 467 $ 2%
Community Fundraising - Carnival stand 373 $ 2%
Operational revenue (Oasis) 350 $ 2%
Finances
14
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Renato Orozco (Executive Director)
Master in Economics and MBA, a former management consultant and specialist
in public policy and governmental management.
Vitor Filogonio (Management Director)
Organizational management consultant and founder of Filogonio Falconi, a
management consultancy.
Vanessa Rodrigues (Marketing Director)
Marketing expert and Founder of the consulting company PLAN, which hosts
Nossa Cidade’s office
Mariana Almeida (Director of Communications)
Digital Marketing Expert and Founder of PLAN, a consultancy on digital
marketing and events.
Daniel Junquer (Social Technology specialist)
Educator with 10 years teaching experience in schools and community
associations.
Nuno Arcanjo (Social Technology specialist)
Artist, manager and founder of Mangaia House Community Center.
Camila Rocha (Intern)
Communication student
Team
15
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pammi Bhular
MBA, Public & Nonprofit management, working with social
entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland.
Marisa Lo Verde
National coordinator of an Italian NGO with experience in fundraising and
impact assessment. She is a Nossa Cidade partner in Europe.
Nishant Sharma (Social Technology advisor - USA)
Consultant in Information Technology with experience in the social sector.
Nishant helps us with IT related issues
Partners abroad
16
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
We are grateful for the help of Nossa Cidade mentors who, in different stages of our journey,
were present with valuable insights and advices:
Professor Sara Bachman (Social Impact Assessment)
Director, Interdisciplinary PhD Program - School of Social Work at Boston
University
Professor Lee Staples
(Community Organization)
Director, Bridge Program - School of Social Work at Boston
University
Professor David Stolow (Budgeting and fundraising)
Director, Public & Nonprofit program – School of Management
Boston University.
Professor Peter Russo (Entrepreneurship)
Executive in Residence Director, Entrepreneurship
Programs and Executive MBA – Boston University
Mentors
17
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Learn more
Nossa Cidade – Turnaround for Towns – www.nossacidade.net
Nossa Cidade in the youtube :
Dell Social Innovation Challenge:http://www.dellchallenge.org/projects/nossa-cidade-our-town
Nossa Cidade and Boston University:http://www.bu.edu/bucflp/initiatives/nossa-cidade/
OASIS Game in Raul Soares:http://slide.ly/view/06a799494f2f9264525018671b61902b?utm_source=Em_ORG_Share
Check out our newsletter:http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/home/?u=8a866ece25b1c49e56a47f0da&id=37f15e31c4
doc_761153871.pdf
Nossa Cidade – Turnaround For Towns Annual Report (2012-13)
1
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Renato Orozco
2012-13 Final Report
Nossa Cidade – Turnaround for Towns
Annual Report (2012-13)
Photo: 1
st
recruitment session (October, 2012) at the Town
Hall in our pilot program.
2
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
The Situation
Small towns with less than 50,000 inhabitants have an underprivileged socio-economic status. Infant
mortality is on average 56% higher than in large cities, the average education is 41% lower, and the
probability of a child living below the poverty line is 79% higher, according to the 2010 Brazilian Census.
Our Vision
Nossa Cidade is an educational venture that distributes proven social technologies to small towns,
seeking to elevate its quality of life, prevent brain drain, and contribute to reducing the socio-economic
gap between these towns and big cities.
We intend to empower civil society, local governments and businesses to become protagonists in the
improvement of their own situation.
What we do
Nossa Cidade aims to help towns through activities that bring three different types of resources to towns.
We empower towns with knowledge, talents and financial resources:
Knowledge
(Social
Technologies)
Talents
(Volunteers)
Resources
(Community
Fund)
Nossa Cidade – Summary
3
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Knowledge
There are social technologies of great social
impact out there. Notwithstanding, they seldom
reach the towns where we operate. Because of that,
we are positioning ourselves as a distributor of
social technologies. We are now offering a
diverse portfolio of social solutions to meet the very
specific needs of the towns where we operate.
Talents
The purpose of Nossa Cidade is to develop
and leverage the town’s existing talents to
foster endogenous development. However, we
understand that any help is important if we
want to solve the enormous social problems
currently plaguing small towns.
With a volunteer brigade composed of Corps
Members and people committed to helping,
we connect people to the towns through
relations of friendship and affection.
Money
There is not much financial resources in small towns.
However, our pilot project has shown that there is a
willingness to donate resources to finance
development of their town among the local residents.
Inspired by Community Foundations, we support
and invite the community to contribute to a local fund
that finances projects for socio-economic development
in the town.
? ? ?
Social technologies are "products, techniques or
replicable methodologies, developed in
interaction with the community and presenting
effective solutions for social transformation"
(Banco do Brasil Foundation)
? ? ?
? ? ?
Advantages of fundraising within the town:
• Increase in community project ownership;
• Decrease of the town’s external dependence;
• Greater transparency and social
accountability in the use of resources
? ? ?
4
www.nossacidade.net
NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Nossa Cidade was born from the dream of
Renato Orozco to reduce the small towns’
socio-economic gap when compared to larger
cities and raising their Human Development
Index (HDI). Before we started this adventure,
we did some research by asking local
governments and businesses from small towns
what they saw were the main challenges for
their towns’ development. Among the problems
that were detected were the engagement of the
population into solving their own problems and
the need to build capacity in people that work in
the town’s social sector.
In March 2012 we won the Business Concept
Competition from the Boston University School
of Management. We were awarded US $ 1,000 to build a prototype (in our case, a pilot program). With
this first funding, we bought a projector, a laptop, and paid for gas to visit some places to select a town
for the pilot.
We chose Raul Soares (23,400 inhabitants and 0.73 HDI) for the pilot and we started our activities in
October 2012. The objective of this first contact was to validate the logical model and test the financial
sustainability of the initiative. We idealized a hands-on course that taught young adults to be the main
protagonists of their town’s development. The funding would come from tuition and scholarships offered
by the community in exchange for the service done by the students.
Concomitant to the pilot, we conducted some research with town halls and businesses. After we
described Nossa Cidade, 92% of the people who responded to the survey said that the project would
add value to the town; Furthermore, 72% would be willing to assist with dissemination, 68% would
directly participate, 60% would encourage their employees to volunteer, 32% would license and run the
courses, 28% would offer scholarships and 20% financial aid.
In the pilot city, Raul Soares, the demand which we expected was confirmed by 22 young adults
signing up for the program and 34 more enlisting themselves as observers in our pilot. An evaluation of
the activities reported that 100% of participants felt more engaged, 86% became better prepared, and
71% felt more aware of what they needed in order to improve their town.
Besides the pilot, we drafted a business plan, consolidated the project, and raised about US $ 20,000
in prizes, grants and individual donations. Among the organizations from which we received support is
Boston University through the Center for Finance, Law & Policy, the Dell Social Innovation Challenge
(out of 2600 competitors) and the Start Something That Matters Foundation.
Today, Nossa Cidade is being built by a group of supporters among mentors, volunteers and
collaborators in Brazil and abroad. We are still a start-up but we are already in a post-pilot stage.
History
? ? ?
The Human Development Index (HDI)
measures quality of life in three dimensions:
• Life expectancy (health)
• Access to knowledge (education)
• A decent life standard: GNP per capita
(income)
? ? ?
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pilot I (10 /12 to 01 /13)
Methodology
On October 2012 we taught a course about the PDCA
– a proven method to improve business results. We
have adapted the PDCA method to be used in the
town and improve its social conditions. We have also
added content related to teamwork, leadership, data
analysis and monitoring of indicators.
Meanwhile, the students carried out a social
intervention using the newly acquired knowledge.
Business Model
The organizer of Nossa Cidade in Raul Soares is a
micro-franchiser who licenses the use of
methodology in the town. He receives the class
material (presentation, instructor’s guide,
pedagogical material), training and coaching. The
franchisee has to recruit students, fundraise for
scholarships, teach, lead the students, and engage
the community in the social intervention project.
Nossa Cidade receives, as royalties, 20% of the
revenue from the town’s organizer.
Results
The Nossa Cidade students, together with members
of the community, selected the theme “children’s
health” as a priority for the town. They went to the
field and surveyed families with kids (right photo),
interviewed health professionals, inspected health
premises, and researched secondary health data to
build a diagnosis of the town’s situation.
They also fundraised with the community and proved
viability of having the project financed by local
resources.
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pilot I (10 /12 to 01 /13)
Learning
? The franchise model with a local organizer (franchisee) proved difficult to implement. The
organizer felt overwhelmed with recruiting, establishing partnerships, teaching and fundraising. ?
? Building a new curriculum is extremely costly and time consuming. ?
? The rhythm of a small town is quite slow and we identified that community members do not trust
proposed change initiatives, linking it automatically to political interests. Culturally, people do not
see themselves as participants of social change initiatives and are very dependent on the public
sector. ?
? Community fundraising is viable. We got significant financial and logistical support locally,
including financing to the project by individual local donors. ?
? Keeping project participants engaged to the project for an extended period was difficult. ?
Children’s Health Diagnosis in Raul Soares
This field activity (pictures above) was realized by the students and produced a diagnosis study of the
children’s health in the town:
? 15% of children under 5 years old live with illiterate parents, 34% live in households without a
sewage system
? 56% of respondents find it difficult to provide health care or afford basic supplies (i.e: formula,
vitamins, shoes) for their children
? 47% of families with children under 5 year old show signs of depression
? 68% of families do not have a health professional that fully caters to their children
? 55% of pregnant women do not have the adequate number of pre-natal care exams recommended
by health authorities
The full report was given to the mayor and the community, and was presented in a community meeting
that invited participants to take action to improve the situation.
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pilot II (1 /13 to 8 /13)
Methodology
We learned, from pilot I, that the Nossa Cidade
organizer (franchisee) was overwhelmed with
recruiting, organizing and teaching activities. In
pilot II, we partnered with groups that were
already formed so that the organizer would
spend his time solely on program delivery.
During this second pilot, we worked with
nonprofit organizations from Raul Soares such
as the Leo Club (picture on the right), Amor e
Gratidão Association, Self-Development Institute
(IAD) and the local community radio as program
recipients (photo below).
Business Model
In pilot II, we tested a model in which third party
organizations would hire Nossa Cidade to apply its
methodology to its members.
The Nossa Cidade organizer (franchisee) is no longer
required to work on student recruitment and course
logistics, as this would be left to the partner
organization.
In the community radio, program sessions were
broadcasted to all the town. This helped a lot in
engaging the community in the project (left picture).
We briefly tested this model in the Leo Club and
Amor e Gratidão Association. We also supported IAD
and city hall in its activities.
Results
In this period, Nossa Cidade consolidated itself as an active organization within Raul Soares’ nonprofit
community. We were invited by city hall to participate in a meeting to define which professional
education courses would be offered in the town. We jointly participated with the Auto Desenvolvimento
Institute (IAD) in the founding of Fazenda de Idéias (Idea Farm) – a collective space in which social
impact institutions work collaboratively for the development of the town. We helped the NGO Amor e
Gratidão to organize a Qi Gong Chinese Medicine event. We helped organize the women’s celebration
week and supported other organizations covering a diverse range of issues.
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pilot II (1 /13 to 8 /13)
Learning
? The business model of directly offering our program to other organizations showed to be viable
(there is demand and we obtained some success in these activities). Notwithstanding, these
organizations have very specific needs that are not covered in the course that we offer. We
identified the need to offer a varied portfolio to the town instead of only one product. ?
? There is great demand from the organizations for voluntary help in positions of coordination. The
partner organizations told us that they have benefited from the participation of the Nossa Cidade
organizer in its activities, such as in the organizing of the Qi Gong (middle picture) workshop by the
Amor e Gratidão Association or the Women’s Week Celebration (right picture) by IAD. ?
? The students spontaneously fundraised through a vendor stand in the carnival (left picture) in order to
obtain funds to rent from the Ideas Farm (co-working space for social organizations in Raul Soares).
?
? Fundraising. Although people from the town are still willing to contribute, we had difficulty to collect
funds due to a lack of structure (i.e: bank direct transfer, sending invoice, etc.). So far, we have only
collected the money in person. ?
Ideas Farm
The Idea Farm (picture in the left) is a ranch
– a co-working space – where social
ventures in Raul Soares work together for
the improvement of the town. Some of the
organizations that use the space are: Nossa
Cidade, IAD, Environment Department
(local government), etc.
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pilot III (9/13 to 2 /14)
Business Model
The new business model is based on
marketing of social technologies to city halls,
schools, associations and enterprises of
small towns.
Social technologies are products, methods,
processes, or techniques designed to solve a
social problem. They tend to be simple and
inexpensive, with a great potential for
transformation and easily replicable. Our
portfolio of social technologies (constantly
growing) is ready to be transferred / delivered
to small towns by partner organizations or
independent suppliers.
Examples of technologies in our portfolio are:
- Creation of a community fund to finance the
town’s developmental projects.
- Participatory assessment through arts
-Manufacture of low cost bricks using locally
available raw material reducing the cost for
building houses.
- Game-Oasis for social transformation,
winner of the Bank of Brazil Foundation
Social Technology award in 2013.
Methodology
When we realized that the various organizations in the town
had different needs, we changed our methodology so that we
had a diversified range of solutions for the town. We also
realized that creating new solutions to each specific demand
would not be viable. However, we noticed that many solutions
already existed, having been created and tested by NGOs,
government and individuals.
Pilot III took a fun and ludic social solution to Raul Soares.
The Oasis game (see the pictures in this page) was
implemented by a third party supplier with the support from
Nossa Cidade.
Results
Implementation of the Oasis game was a success!
We offered a solution that was aligned with what the
community wanted. Participation was at a record level and
implementation was very easy with the support from an
expert in the subject.
As part of Oasis, the community’s collective dreams were
identified. Then, residents “took care” of the dreams, planning
for a day of service that gathered 150 people in a weekend to
clean the neighborhood, paint walls and the bridge, and to
plant flowers in the neighborhood. We had the participation of
volunteers from Belo Horizonte (the capital city) who formed
friendship ties with local residents.
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pilot III (9/13 to 2 /14)
Learning
? The business model of distributing social technologies showed to be a viable strategy and to
demand less from Nossa Cidade since we do not have to invest in curriculum development and can
rely on a specialized supplier to implement it. On the demand side, having a larger solution portfolio is
also positive. ?
? We found people in Belo Horizonte and in the small town itself who were willing and available to work
as volunteers in the initiative we brought to the small town. ?
? We were able to mobilize the
community in the project. They were
satisfied with the results and the ludic
process we used. ?
? The costs associated with Oasis were
completely covered by local
fundraising made by the community
itself. ?
Oasis Game
The Oasis Game is a community mobilization tool developed by Instituto Elos to materialize collective
dreams. The game involves players and communities, bringing together people from many different
areas of society such as NGOs, local government, nearby businesses and the community itself. It was
conceived to be applied at no cost and in a fully cooperative way so that, together, all participants can
accomplish a common goal. The design of the Oasis Game strives to allow all players to be winners,
without exception.
We have used the Oasis game methodology in the town as a social technology to increase community
engagement and instill a culture of civic engagement and activism.
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
We have finalized the pilot phase of Nossa Cidade. Now we enter into the product development
phase in preparation for offering it to the towns. The period in which Nossa Cidade was a pilot project
revealed that we should focus our attention on three dimensions in our work in small towns:
Organizationally, we consider that creating a hybrid non-profit/for-profit organization will be the best
structure to achieve the goals that we set out for Nossa Cidade. We will build Nossa Cidade
Community Foundation as a not-for-profit membership association with chapters spread throughout
the small towns.
The Nossa Cidade Community Foundation activities includes:
? Management of the towns’ community fund, offering to the chapters a banking,
institutional, juridical, methodological and communication structure. The resources
fundraised will be used to finance local development projects chosen by the chapters;
? Mobilization of the members from Nossa Cidade Foundation to engage as volunteers in the
social interventions in the small towns. We want volunteers to have fun, establish friendship
ties with the town, and have a meaningful and fulfilling experience of doing good;
? Social venture and social initiatives incubation, adding value to these projects by
offering to them an institutional umbrela organization and fundraising structure from Nossa
Cidade Foundation. The social ventures being incubated will also have access to the
volunteer network, receiveing support such as mentorship and specialized consultations.
Attached to the Nossa Cidade Foundation, as an incubated social venture, is Nossa Cidade social
technology distributor, a for-profit organization in which the Nossa Cidade Foundation is the main
shareholder. The mission is to bring high impact social technologies, best practices and solutions to
small towns.
Knowledge
(Social
Technologies)
Talents
(Volunteers)
Resources
(Community
Fund)
Next steps
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
The Nossa Cidade pilot project that took place from October 2012 to February 2014 was made
possible thanks to the generous support from the following organizations:
Center for Finance, Law & Policy | Boston Universityhttp://www.bu.edu/bucflp/initiatives/nossa-cidade/
Entrepreneurship Programs Office | Boston Universityhttp://www.bu.edu/entrepreneurship/
Dell Social Innovation Challengehttp://www.dellchallenge.org/projects/nossa-cidade-our-town
Start Something That Matters Foundationhttp://www.startsomethingthatmatters.com/
Global Social Venture Competitionhttp://www.gsvc.org/
We are also grateful to the following funders who supported us along our journey:
Crowd funding
Amanda Barry
Anshuman Mirani
Ariadne Magalhaes
Boris Bulayev
Christena Wong
Danna Collony
Elaine Queiroz
Joao Pignataro
Kelly Mackey
Marisa Lo Verde
Marcio Pereira
Marion Westgate
Monica Szalay
Nancy Folan
Nishant Sharma
Pablo Gómez
Gallardo
Pammi Bhullar
Paul Bruere
Renato Rocha
Rodrigo Rocha
Stacey Sharer
Shirley Guan Yi
Shubha
Chandramouli
Yang Wang
Raul Soares
Alexandre Saulo
Célio David Nesce
Cleusa Nininha
Denilson Bramusse
Éder Sebastião
Eymard Rodrigues
Geni Lacerda Silva
Geraldo Pereira de
Melo
Janaína Lima
José Maria Peixoto
Juracy Mendes
Laudacio Lasmar
Lopes
Luis Alberto Tonini
Luiz Carlos
(Paraguai)
Machado Silveira
Marques Mateus
Neide Ribeiro
Neudimar Moreira
Roberto Pires
Tarcísio Sad Salomão
Luciano Gariglio
Tassar
Terezinha Pacheco
Vitor Delazari
Wilma Machado
Partners
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Nossa Cidade’s financial summary from pre-pilot (May 2012) to the pilot´s conclusion (February
2014) and the planning period that ensued can be found below:
Now that the pilot stage has concluded, we are now developing our product portifolio and
building the organizational structure. Although we are still actively seeking investors for Nossa
Cidade, we expect to start having a revenue from our operations starting in the second half of
2014.
Below, a summary of Nossa Cidade’s investors and supporters to date:
Item 2012/13 2012/13 (%) 2014 (ends 31.03) 2014 (%)
TOTAL REVENUE 21.142 $ 100% 350 $ 100%
Foundations or Enterprise (outside Brazil) 17.157 $ 81% - $ 0%
Community Fundraising (Raul Soares) 1.623 $ 8% - $ 0%
Crowdfunding 588 $ 3% - $ 0%
Prizes 1.401 $ 7% - $ 0%
Operational revenue - $ 0% 350 $ 100%
Other revenue 373 $ 2% - $ 0%
TOTAL EXPENSES 8.269 $ 100% 2.632 $ 100%
Salaries and compensation 2.183 $ 26% 910 $ 35%
Subsidies to local operation 1.190 $ 14% - $ 0%
Travel 925 $ 11% 915 $ 35%
Food and accomodation 192 $ 2% 124 $ 5%
Rent 373 $ 5% - $ 0%
Training 290 $ 4% 117 $ 4%
Marketing 70 $ 1% - $ 0%
Communication (internet & phone) 327 $ 4% 16 $ 1%
Technology (programming) 32 $ 0% - $ 0%
Product development 1.541 $ 19% 467 $ 18%
Registry expense 452 $ 5% 39 $ 1%
Equipment 680 $ 8% - $ 0%
Other expenses 15 $ 0% 43 $ 2%
RESULTS 12.874 $ -2.282 $
CASH AVAILABLE 12.874 $ 10.592 $
REVENUE PER SOURCE US $ %
Boston Universtiy - Center for Finance, Law & Policy 15.686 $ 74%
Start Something That Matters Foundation 1.471 $ 7%
Community Fundraising 1.308 $ 6%
Boston University - Business Concept Competition 934 $ 4%
Crowdfunding 588 $ 3%
Dell Social Innovation Prize 467 $ 2%
Community Fundraising - Carnival stand 373 $ 2%
Operational revenue (Oasis) 350 $ 2%
Finances
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Renato Orozco (Executive Director)
Master in Economics and MBA, a former management consultant and specialist
in public policy and governmental management.
Vitor Filogonio (Management Director)
Organizational management consultant and founder of Filogonio Falconi, a
management consultancy.
Vanessa Rodrigues (Marketing Director)
Marketing expert and Founder of the consulting company PLAN, which hosts
Nossa Cidade’s office
Mariana Almeida (Director of Communications)
Digital Marketing Expert and Founder of PLAN, a consultancy on digital
marketing and events.
Daniel Junquer (Social Technology specialist)
Educator with 10 years teaching experience in schools and community
associations.
Nuno Arcanjo (Social Technology specialist)
Artist, manager and founder of Mangaia House Community Center.
Camila Rocha (Intern)
Communication student
Team
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Pammi Bhular
MBA, Public & Nonprofit management, working with social
entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland.
Marisa Lo Verde
National coordinator of an Italian NGO with experience in fundraising and
impact assessment. She is a Nossa Cidade partner in Europe.
Nishant Sharma (Social Technology advisor - USA)
Consultant in Information Technology with experience in the social sector.
Nishant helps us with IT related issues
Partners abroad
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
We are grateful for the help of Nossa Cidade mentors who, in different stages of our journey,
were present with valuable insights and advices:
Professor Sara Bachman (Social Impact Assessment)
Director, Interdisciplinary PhD Program - School of Social Work at Boston
University
Professor Lee Staples
(Community Organization)
Director, Bridge Program - School of Social Work at Boston
University
Professor David Stolow (Budgeting and fundraising)
Director, Public & Nonprofit program – School of Management
Boston University.
Professor Peter Russo (Entrepreneurship)
Executive in Residence Director, Entrepreneurship
Programs and Executive MBA – Boston University
Mentors
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NOSSA CIDADE
Turnaround for Towns
Learn more
Nossa Cidade – Turnaround for Towns – www.nossacidade.net
Nossa Cidade in the youtube :
Nossa Cidade and Boston University:http://www.bu.edu/bucflp/initiatives/nossa-cidade/
OASIS Game in Raul Soares:http://slide.ly/view/06a799494f2f9264525018671b61902b?utm_source=Em_ORG_Share
Check out our newsletter:http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/home/?u=8a866ece25b1c49e56a47f0da&id=37f15e31c4
doc_761153871.pdf