November 30, 2009

Kaplan University Students Bring Project Management Lessons to U.S. Food Banks

Posted by Arjun Thomas

Kaplan University, a leading provider of online postsecondary education, today announced the release of a special report, “Project Management Toolkit: Building Food Bank Efficiencies and Best Practices.” The report is the culmination of an assignment at the University’s School of Business Administration and Management in which online graduate students analyzed the operations of several food banks across the U.S. to determine best practices. From these analyses, they developed recommendations to improve competencies for food collection and distribution this holiday season.

Overall, the students found that food banks are serving growing numbers of people in their communities with shrinking resources. While the sophistication of food bank operations varied based on their size and resources, students observed that the food banks could improve their efficiencies with the implementation of the project management tools. According to “The Project Management Toolkit,” some of the best practices recommended are money, labor and time-saving strategies, including:

Utilize worksheet templates like those provided with this report to map costs, scope, project durations and activities to serve more people with shrinking resources;
Digitize paper-based systems to avoid duplication of effort and improve institutional memory; and
Rethink marketing strategies to tap into new media and ensure that media targets are relevant to potential donors and beneficiaries of donated food.

“We wanted students to take lessons from their graduate program and apply them to a real-world setting,” said Professor Jeff Tyler, PMP, who led the project. “With so many households struggling to afford food this holiday season, Kaplan University wanted its students to demonstrate how their education can help make a difference in their communities and benefit food banks across the country.”

The graduate students recorded common food bank processes, assessed challenges, proposed improvements, and created a template of best practices using the project management skills learned in their courses. They studied food banks in their home communities that serve a mix of urban, suburban and rural areas, including YWCA Eastern Area Food Pantry in Batavia, OH; Idaho Food Bank in Boise, Lewiston and Pocatello, Idaho; Bread for the City in Washington, D.C.; and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina in Charlotte, NC.

“Most people don’t understand the complexities of food banks, or the importance of technology and organizational systems in helping us end the epidemic of hunger,” said Terry Graves, Food Resources Manager for Idaho Food Bank. “Our organization has 227 partner agencies and distributed more than 11,000 turkeys, hams and chickens this year for the Thanksgiving holiday. We are proud to have taken part in the Kaplan University student project, and believe that outreach and education are key to understanding hunger issues and helping those in need.”

The students will share their insights and the final report with participating food banks and Kaplan University will distribute the report to hundreds of food banks around the country in the Feeding America Network, providing them with a valuable resource to maximize their food distribution efforts during the peak season. In addition, Kaplan’s School of Business student Ambassadors, a graduate-level leadership organization, will share the report and provide consultations to food banks in their communities.

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