March 19, 2015

A team of health policy and management undergraduate students from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health recently designed a comprehensive fund-development strategy for a local free clinic which is administered and wholly staffed by students from UNC’s professional schools.

From August to December 2014, seniors Kelly Reed, Taylor Bogart, Bri Ratté and Erica Kakarlamudi, seniors in the Gillings School’s Bachelor of Science in Public Health program, consulted with the Student Health Action Coalition (SHAC) as part of a service-learning course in the health policy and management program.

Health policy and management team members (l-r) Kelly Reed, Brianna Ratte, Erika Kakarlamudi, and Taylor Bogart, developed strategies to help a student-run clinic in Carrboro, N.C.

Health policy and management team members (l-r) Kelly Reed, Brianna Ratte, Erica Kakarlamudi and Taylor Bogart developed fundraising strategies to benefit a student-run clinic in Carrboro, N.C.

The course is taught by Karl Umble, PhD, clinical assistant professor of health policy and management.

SHAC is a student-led, free health clinic located in Carrboro, N.C., with a mission to provide free services to local underserved individuals and communities, partner with the local community to develop and implement sustainable programs, and nurture an interdisciplinary service-learning environment for students in the health sciences programs at UNC.

The clinic relies solely on grants and private donations to fund these important community health services. Because of that, the student team developed a five-year strategic action plan to help SHAC better meet its financial needs and the needs of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community.

SHAC leaders said they recognize that implementing the team’s recommendations over the next few years will improve their ability to meet their yearly operating budget while continuing to grow their endowment fund.

Adam Willson, SHAC’s co-director, spoke highly of the team members’ efforts.

“SHAC has been in operation for almost 50 years,” Willson said. “If we are to continue to operate and expand, we need to be sure that we have sponsorship to do so. The Gillings School team did a great job in developing a personalized plan for our organization to properly manage our donors, look for other sources of funds, and manage and apply for grants. We already are implementing some aspects of the plan, such as adding a grants officer, and we will continue to apply their recommendations over the coming year. I am thoroughly satisfied by the effort and work completed by the team and look forward to seeing the impact it has on SHAC.”

To develop their recommendations, the team worked with SHAC’s coordinating council and the North Carolina Medical Foundation. Project activities included a literature review of fundraising best practices for nonprofits, free clinics and student-run organizations; meetings with SHAC’s coordinating council to conduct an analysis of the organization’s current state of affairs; and research to determine additional funding sources, including grants, local partnerships, and corporate sponsorships that align with SHAC’s mission.

Team members used a collaborative approach to identify strategies and recommendations, which included strengthening SHAC’s partnership with the North Carolina Medical Foundation, redesigning SHAC’s website to increase donor-friendliness, and streamlining the donation process. They also redefined staff resources and created a transition plan to meet the goals outlined in the five-year strategic action plan.

The health policy and management Bachelor of Science in Public Health program emphasizes experiential learning and exposes students to public health practitioners and organizations. The health leadership course, a UNC APPLES service-learning course, places each student in a service-learning team.

Team member Bri Ratté enjoyed contributing to the project.

“Working with SHAC was a wonderful way to apply concepts learned through coursework in the health policy and management program to help a local organization and ultimately improve health outcomes of SHAC patients in the community,” Ratté said.

Umble said he was impressed with the team’s thorough and professional fund-development strategy.

“This is exactly the kind of professional experience we delight in providing for our students,” he said. “Our teams have had a great partnership with SHAC over the years. The relationship engages our students in meaningful, highly motivating service with an essential organization aimed at helping our most vulnerable neighbors. I know of no better way to develop leadership and managerial capabilities and organizational understanding, while also deepening students’ commitment to reducing health disparities in our society.”

Learn more about SHAC.

Learn more about the health policy and management bachelor’s program.


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Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu.

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