MARKETING STRATEGIST

MidPen Resident Services Corporation
303 Vintage Park Drive, Suite 250
Foster City, CA 94404
Pennie Lundberg, Fund Development Director
(650 )356-2997; plundberg@midpen-housing.org

About MidPen:
MidPen Resident Services Corporation (MidPen Services) is an affiliate of MidPen Housing that provides programs and services to the residents of MidPen communities. Created in 2000, the goal is to be an active partner with our residents as they achieve their personal and professional goals. MidPen Services role is to facilitate access to resources and opportunities that affirm empowerment, self-determination, dignity and respect. We offer programs and services for youth ages 6-12, teens, families, seniors and individuals with special needs, all geared and customized to overcome roadblocks and to assist them to live healthy, productive, dignified lives.

MidPen Housing Corporation (MidPen Housing) is a Bay Area leader in the development of affordable residential communities. MidPen has housing properties in ten counties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and includes communities for families, seniors and individuals with special needs. MidPen Housing serves over 14,000 individuals, most of whom fall one to two times below the standard income levels set by counties where the properties are located and the federal government. Founded in 1972, MidPen Housing has garnered hundreds of prestigious citations and awards for its innovative housing throughout the years and is considered an industry leader in the Bay Area and the U.S.

Background:
Resident services are provided at all MidPen Housing properties, funded primarily as a “services fee” expense of the properties. Less than 3% ($125,000) of service expenses are funded through grants. The property services fees will total $5 million dollars in 2013, with 83% of the expense allocated to staff costs. To maximize program effectiveness, we need to find outside sources of funding to address increasingly complex resident issues.

Two years ago, a feasibility study was conducted to evaluate MidPen Services’ potential success in expanding its fundraising efforts beyond grants. MidPen Housing residents, staff and community citizens were interviewed.
In addition, recently the Services management staff did some preliminary work to determine the direction of Services as a whole, including “who we are, where we are going”, and a customer satisfaction survey to determine how our residents feel about the services that are offered to them. Hopefully this information will aid the Strategist in determining an overall fundraising strategy.

Project Summary:
Develop an integrated marketing strategy and plan to help MidPen Services achieve our 2013 fundraising goals. No aggressive fundraising outside of the organization has been done before, so this project will include recommendations on how to best position and brand our organization to funders and donors.

Scope of Work – Deliverables:
1. Develop a Message/Positioning Platform:
•Determine how to position MidPen services relative to other service providers with whom
we may compete for funding
•Determine how to brand MidPen Services as distinct and separate from MidPen Housing,
yet maintain affiliate status and integrate where it’s deemed to be an asset
•Evaluate what is most appealing to our target audiences – individual donors, foundations,
corporations, etc. – and develop compelling messages for each

2. Produce an Integrated Marketing Plan that includes:
•A strategy for how to successfully reach and engage each of our key target audiences, including recommendations on how to prioritize them. This should also include strategy for how to best leverage MidPen Services’ current business relationships to further fund development efforts
•Consideration of the fact that MidPen Board of Directors is not involved in fundraising activities or solicitations
•Thorough rationale for these strategy recommendations
•Recommendations for integrated marketing activities and deliverables to execute the agreed-upon strategy
•Resource requirements – the budget and personnel needed to execute the proposed plan

Requirements – We seek a strategist with experience in:
•Positioning, messaging, marketing and branding – ideally in a fundraising context
•Nonprofit fundraising strategy and planning
•The affordable housing industry (desirable but not required)

Proposal Should Include:
•Samples of work: marketing plans, corporate identity/branding materials, collateral produced, etc.
•Project budget and payment schedule
•References – three previous clients for whom you have completed similar projects

Selection Criteria –
After receipt of the proposal, MidPen Services’ Vice President of Services, Fund Development Director and Director of Marketing and Communications will select two to three individuals or organizations that:
•Best address the work at hand
•Have sufficient experience with this type of project
•Have the ability to complete the project by deadline
•Have the most cost effective strategy
•Includes financial reasonability
After proposals are reviewed, there will be a phone or face-to-face interview with final candidates.

Timeline –
By January 22, 2013, RFPs must be submitted to:
MidPen Resident Services Corporation
Attn: Pennie Lundberg, Fund Development Director
303 Vintage Park Dr., #250
Foster City, CA 94404

Final candidate selection will be February 5, 2013.
The project should be completed by March 15, 2013
Late submissions will not be considered. For more information or questions, please contact Pennie Lundberg at 650/356-2997