STARTUPS & PROGRAM
DEVELOPMENT
Our Methodology
Schall & Russo partners with organizations to plan and facilitate discussions among key stakeholders, evaluate new program opportunities, develop staffing plans and, when ready, operationalize new initiatives
Examples of Projects
• Community Outreach:
World Trade Center Health Registry: Schall & Russo worked as a community outreach consultant to facilitate voluntary enrollment of up to 100,000 persons for the World Trade Center Health Registry, a comprehensive survey following the mental and physical health of those most directly exposed to the WTC collapse and subsequent clean-up efforts.
Schall & Russo worked as part of a large, complex project team and successfully implemented several innovative outreach strategies to achieve understanding, buy-in, and participation from highly-impacted corporations, local businesses, schools, universities, residents, retail establishments, major transportation providers, and professional licensing authorities.
• Start-Up Consulting:
Fund for Public Health NY: Schall & Russo provided start-up consulting and leadership recruitment for a new non-profit, established by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Steven Schall began working with this public-private partnership just after its inception and developed several analyses and products to help the client make key decisions around organizational development, board development, fundraising, and staffing plans.
Mobile Commons: Schall & Russo provided start-up consulting and continues to provide sales and marketing expertise to Mobile Commons (formerly Rights Group, LLC) — named one of the “Fast 50“ by Fast Company magazine. Alyce Russo performed the role of interim Chief Operating Officer. Mobile Commons offers a web-based text messaging platform to assist a wide range of organizations focused on turning supporters into activists for advocacy and electoral politics and enhancing the effectiveness of service delivery operations.
Mr. Schall then led the organization’s leadership recruitment efforts and successfully recruited, screened, interviewed, and conducted reference checks for the Executive Director, Contracts Manager, and Program Officer Positions.
• Facilitation:
The Annie E Casey Foundation: Schall & Russo planned and facilitated community workgroups for the US District Court-appointed New Jersey Child Welfare Panel charged with overseeing the reform and improvement of NJ’s child welfare system. These two months of weekly workgroups developed sustainable reform recommendations in three areas: system-wide practice models; foster parent recruitment, certification, and retention; and incorporation of community partnership.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice: Schall & Russo planned and facilitated two national meetings for John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Prisoner Reentry Institute to discuss fostering entrepreneurship as a strategy to facilitate prisoner reentry. The initiative, funded by the Marion Ewing Kauffman Foundation, brought together more than 40 expert policymakers, practitioners, and researchers from the fields of criminal justice, microenterprise, entrepreneurship, and community, and economic development.
• Business Planning:
University Settlement: Schall & Russo carried out Strategic Development Planning and a Feasibility Study for a 90-acre recreational camp property in Beacon, NY. Schall & Russo worked closely with executive staff to explore two options: sale of the property for residential development and retaining the camp.
Schall & Russo explored various finance mechanisms for camp retention, including the sale of development rights, zoning changes, the creation of partnerships with developers and educational institutions. Schall & Russo also identified necessary reprogramming, marketing, and capital improvements.
Schall & Russo, with its collaborating graphic designers, Omnivore, Inc., developed a clear, concise, and well-designed “Decision Scrapbook” as a tool for its presentation to the Board of Directors.