A BluePrint for Success: Case Studies of Successful - Educational ...

A Blueprint for Success
Since the beginning, the plan was to create a sustainable structure for the organization. Because the
funding streams are diverse, the organization is not reliant on any one source. Local sites also participate
in fundraising efforts, and the ability to provide well-documented program results contributes
to the financial health of the organization.
Bottom Line’s fundraising efforts have remained fairly consistent over time. An annual fundraiser
was added about 5 years ago that led to a great deal of individual and corporate sponsorship money,
but for the most part, Bottom Line’s fundraising approach has remained the same. Some board
members are very involved in fundraising, while others are only involved a small amount. Bottom
Line requires a financial contribution and asks that each board member raise at least $15,000 annually.
What We Do Best
CEO Greg Johnson indicated that Bottom Line is most successful in both integrating a processoriented
approach to supporting students’ college access and success, and running the programs very
efficiently. He attributed these successes to “clarity of purpose, focused programs, and a goaloriented
management team and staff.”
Lessons Learned
Since the organization started in 1997, there have been some changes. As more students get closer to
completing their degrees, the organization is adapting to address their needs. One of the major components
of Bottom Line’s program is the career piece and the goal to help students become more
career ready by the time they finish college. Thus, the curriculum that targets career readiness and
provides students with the skills necessary to be competitive in the workforce has been adapted over
time.
In addition to changes in the career component of the services, Bottom Line has also learned some
important lessons regarding data collection. Mr. Johnson explained that “collecting data is expensive—we
knew that—but we did not want to cut any corners when it came to data.” As an organization,
the staff learned that if you are going to do it right, you must take the time to build a system
out. The downside is the cost and time it requires to build out the system from the beginning. However,
the CEO is convinced that given the opportunity, Bottom Line would not change its commitment
to using data. Perhaps, he reflected, there could have been greater efforts to budget better if he
knew that such a system would cost $100,000. But in the end, it was worth it.
In terms of replication, Bottom Line is in the process of building an “instruction manual” or “program-in-a-box,”
figuratively speaking. The curriculum is mostly written out, and since a large portion
of the program’s process is based on meetings with students, the organization has materials for
all meetings. When Bottom Line opened in New York City, the goal was to replicate the program as
closely as possible to the Boston site. But certainly, there are some differences that needed to be ac-
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