UNC Social Business Competition- UNC Charlotte 

Solution InSi ht 

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Seeing you forward 

Social Problem 

There are approximately 7,000 people without a safe or consistent place to sleep in Mecklenburg County. This number has risen 
with declining economic trends, making homelessness one of CharlotteÕs most pressing community issues. There are now 42 
dedicated organizations in the areaÕs Homeless Services Network. Most homeless individuals have a variety of needs but do not 
know the breadth of resources available. While resources exist, there is little coordinated outreach to make homeless people 
aware of the many ways they can get help. 

Proposed Opportunity/Solution 

We propose to build a network of shared information that connects homeless citizens to resources for overcoming their needs. 
Solution InSightÕs service for homeless persons includes individualized strategic plans complete with tactical steps to improve the 
individualÕs situation and lifestyle based on needs and personal history. The social initiative will: provide thousands of homeless 
individuals with awareness and problem-solving strategies to better equip them for success; make CharlotteÕs homeless efforts 
more connected, targeted, and logical by tracking current resources and maintaining contact with homeless organizations; 
conduct research detailing most common needs, history, and goals of homeless persons. Conversations with several directors 
serving homeless organizations have indicated that the community could greatly benefit from coordinated homeless planning. 
The revenue program will connect CharlotteÕs nonprofit community while generating funds for homeless outreach. Our paid 
website service will allow nonprofits, large and small, to benefit from shared best practices in running a cause-driven enterprise. 

Social Benefit 

The program offers strategic planning reports to homeless citizens by interpreting their histories and critical needs in order to 
connect them with community resources. Organizations serving CharlotteÕs homeless will help identify our homeless citizens to 
engage them in the process. Success depends upon our intimate knowledge of resources available for the homeless. This will 
require close relationships with each organization, as well as research and analysis to determine key resources. 

Our research team will track and produce information about available solutions for homeless persons. We plan to recruit 20 
members on the research team by the initial launch, and 50 by the end of year one. The management team will collaborate with 
directors of relevant organizations to seek support in distributing our ÒSituation FormÓ to homeless individuals. We will also 
designate days for teams of college student volunteers to reach out to homeless camps in order to assist homeless people who 
do not frequent CharlotteÕs Homeless Services Network. 

Projected Costs- 2013 

Need 

 Cost 

 Specification 

Bus Passes 

$5,000 

1,000 at $5 per pass 

Notebooks for Homeless Persons 

$4,500 

1,000 at $4.50 per notebook 

Printing Materials 

$2,000 

1,000 reports at $2 per report 

Recruitment & Training Materials 

$500 

50 at $10 per volunteer 

Website Costs 

$500 

Domain registration and maintenance 

Promotional Materials 

$400 

400 printed handouts at $1 per unit 

Database and Research Software 

$200 

Subscription to data processing software 

Total 

$13,100 

 



Directors at the various organizations will receive copies of Solution InSightÕs ÒSituation FormÓ, which homeless individuals may 
fill out to inform us of their relevant history and most critical needs. Each homeless person will be given a five-dollar bus pass as 
an incentive for completing the form. Directors will forward the completed forms to us for processing. Report contents will be 
generated by the research team; these members will generate tactical plans by navigating Solution InSightÕs ÒOpportunity 
DatabasesÓ, which will be prepared by the management team before the launch date in 2013. 

Each report will be delivered in the form of a 
lightweight notebook. The notebook will detail 
resources pertinent to each homeless 
individualÕs needs and paths to improvement. 
The goal within the first year is to distribute 
1,000 personalized reports to homeless 
individuals. 

Another phase of impact will manifest in 
research. Data forms will be consolidated into 
analyses of homeless commonalities. The 
analysis will address the most common factors 
within the homeless population. Findings will be 
shared through an awareness campaign launched through social media, the website, and media interviews. The studies will 
increase the understanding of homeless issues in order to help Charlotte and cities nationwide form more progressive models for 
dealing with homelessness. 

After first yearÕs operations prove successful, the Solution InSight will expand to increase impact. Potentially, the model could 
branch out to be used in other cities and colleges. Plans include extending the program to other university locations throughout 
the state, then the Southeast, and ultimately the nation. 

 

 

 

 


Revenue Model/Financial Plan 

The revenue generator for Solution InSight will be a website offering resources to nonprofits and employees in the Charlotte 
area. Website contents fall into seven categories: (1) Success stories about events, programs, or processes written by nonprofit 
managers; (2) advice for nonprofit enhancement written by consultants or professionals; (3) opportunities for involvement or 
volunteering submitted by nonprofit members; (4) needs and requests of nonprofit members; (5) access to a social forum for 
members; (6) job board and resume posting for nonprofit employment; and (7) host the database of information on homeless 
persons so that agencies serving them can track services for consistent care and avoid duplication and abuse of resources. 

For the premium membership, nonprofits pay $10 a month, while individuals pay $5 per month. The website will have a basic 
(free) membership that accesses only the first two of the seven categories of membership. This way, all nonprofits can be 
involved at some capacity whether or not they commit to the subscription. Nonprofits and people affiliated with them have no 
vehicle for communication in Charlotte. Thus, there is very little shared development and few mutually beneficial relationships. 
There is currently no service similar to what the site will provide. 

Participation will allow nonprofits to benefit from information sharing, cooperation, and networking with each other. Individuals 
seeking nonprofit employment will be able to access our job board to make themselves known to employers. 

The management team will spend this academic year contacting area nonprofits to collect content for the website. Once the 
website is launched in August 2013, nonprofits will begin paying for the service. 

For the first year, we anticipate premium memberships at 300 individuals and 150 nonprofit organizations. If this goal is 
achieved, it will generate $36,000 within the first 12 months of operation. Initial startup capital will be funded by an $8,000 grant 
from the Leon Levine Foundation. In total, first year revenue will amount to $44,000. This will leave us with $30,900 after the first 
year (subtracting $13,100 in startup costs) to invest in expanding the reach of the company. Next steps will be to host networking 
events for nonprofits, increase the number of reports for homeless individuals, and provide additional resources for clients. 

Market Analysis 

Solution InSight will focus marketing efforts for the paid subscription on nonprofits, nonprofit employees, and job seekers. 

There are over 1,400 nonprofits in Mecklenburg County. Nonprofit members will be the top priority target market, as the service 
will not function without their participation. To attract these organizations, the management team will first attend networking 
meetings and nonprofit niche groups, such as the Care Ring, a collaboration of low-income health providers, and the Homeless 
Services Network. Another method will be to tap into UNC Charlotte networks to get higher profile nonprofits involved. Around 
two-thirds of our management team has completed a local nonprofit internship, and the connections that team members have 
made will prove beneficial to the cause. After networking with groups of nonprofits, the team will begin to contact prospective 
nonprofit members individually to discuss the merits of the service and to procure submissions for website content. 

There is a total employment of 26,405 people in Mecklenburg CountyÕs nonprofit sector. Social media will be a significant 
component of the teamÕs effort to connect to these employees. The team will reach out to nonprofit employees primarily through 
LinkedIn¨, Facebook¨, and Twitter¨. 

In terms of securing members who are interested in working in the nonprofit field, online marketing will also be a major factor. To 
turn employment seekers into new members, we will advertise the service through local job boards and forums in addition to 
social media hubs. The main promotion within this category, however, will be reaching out to graduate students and recent 
college graduates with majors that indicate an interest in nonprofit employment. 

The website has no known competitors. Currently, no organization serves to unify the nonprofit services to the community as a 
whole. The challenge of profitability will not be about a lack of market opportunity, but about whether or not an adequate amount 
of nonprofits will back the service and encourage others to get involved, which will require strategic promotion on our end. 

Launch Strategy 

Before launching the service, the Solution InSight management team will complete multiple tasks: Recruit 20 qualified students 
from UNC Charlotte to join research team; create training program for student researchers; develop a collection of databases to 
locate effective resources; connect with organizations around Charlotte; develop website and conduct marketing campaign. 

Recruitment of volunteers and promotion of services will be the primary focus during the launch phase. Volunteer recruitment will 
be coordinated by reaching out to UNC Charlotte student organizations. Management will also conduct a social media campaign 
in order to appeal to student volunteers. To promote the services to nonprofit clients, the team will begin setting up and attending 
meetings with nonprofits around Charlotte. Another component to the companyÕs success will be through strategic partnerships 
with affluent individuals. The team has already secured a meeting with Harvey Gantt, the first African-American mayor of 
Charlotte, and will soon be in discussions with Leon Levine, founder of Family Dollar. Support of prominent individuals will help 
propel marketing efforts to optimal efficiency. 

By training volunteers, making resources known to individuals, connecting nonprofits, and producing research, Solution InSight 
could serve as a national model for ensuring connectivity among nonprofits and facilitating homeless empowerment.