FUNDRAISING AND BUSINESS PLANNING
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
None
For students attending class, the final valuation is based on in-class interaction and assignments (both at individual and group level). The final grade will be calculated as the average of the two partial grades received for the two modules (part A and B); both grades must be equal or above 18/30. To succeed, students must obtain not less than 18 (eighteen) out of 30 (thirty). Students whose work obtain a total sum higher than 30 are entitled to pass the exam with honor (cum laude).
More specifically:
For the exam of PART A): each working group must prepare a business plan agreed with the teacher and must submit a written report. They have to prepare an executive summary. Each team should prepare a 15 minute power point presentation (PPT) final presentation that will be followed by a 5 minute discussion. 100% of the grade is based on the business plans prepared during the course, on the executive summary, on the PPT presentation and on the discussion. The assessment is based on the originality of the business idea, on the completeness of the analysis carried out, on the use of the tools acquired during the course, on the critical ability to connect and elaborate the knowledge acquired. All the members of the group have the same evaluation. Students will grade their colleagues’ business plans; the originality of the business idea and the clarity in the presentation. Based on these grades, instructor will vary his grade from -1 to +1; +1 there are both the 2 characteristics; 0 if there is only originality or clarity and -1 if there are none of the two characteristics. Deadline for the BP, executive summary and PPT presentation (3 different files) will be defined at the beginning of the course.
The exam of PART B) consists of two parts:
- a written exam based on open questions and an exercise: the 30% of the final grade
- a groupwork focused on the discussion of the business plan developed during the first part of the course (part A) and revised during the in-class discussion to be ready to raise funds for the business. Each group will present their work (and the required materials to be prepared) at the end of the course: 70% of the final grade.
More details will be provided at the beginning of the course.
The course is a balanced mix of theory and practice. It specifically provides students with the unique opportunity to understand the fundamentals of fundraising activities and practice with business plans and related hypothesis and scenarios. Students will be provided with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills that will help them in building from scratch the business plan for a real business to be fund with a proper fundraising campaign.
Specifically, the course is organized in two parts:
PART A provides students with specialized knowledge to build the business plan (BP), starting from the analysis of the economic-strategic convenience of the project and then verifying their feasibility.
PART B provides the fundamentals of fundraising, as well as an understanding of the specificities of establishing, maintaining and developing efficient relationships/partnerships/collaborations between companies and fund providers.
Overall course objectives involve students achieving some advanced learning outcomes, i.e.:
- a thorough knowledge of which are the fundamentals of a business plan and understanding of how to analyze financial sustainability, both of existing companies and start-ups;
- design a business and development plan by creating it from scratch within groupworks;
- a thorough knowledge of which are the characteristics of a fundraising campaign, how to incorporate the different components of fundraising into a comprehensive fundraising development plan;
- deal with the different fundraising techniques and use them appropriately according to the projects to be implemented;
- design and implement a successful fundraising campaign;
During the course, students will be asked to work in team.
PART A – DETAILED PROGRAM
Students are required to develop a business plan choosing from: a start – up: a manufacturing company or a services company.
Detailed program:
*Business plan, business planning, entrepreneurship and strategic management
*Market analysis and marketing planning
*Market forecast
*Competitive analysis
*Product system design and competitive advantage creation and defense
*Firm structure design
*Organization design
*Make, Buy and connect decisions
*Competitive - advantage based alliances
*Financial simulation
*How to evaluate the business plan
PART B – DETAILED PROGRAM
*Business Evaluation – Review
*How to design a Go-to-market plan
*Introduction to fundraising: basics
*Funding Options Available
*Fundraising strategies
*Actors involved
*Fundraising vehicles
*Fundraising campaigns
- Front lecture;
- Groupworks;
- Power point presentations;
- Seminars
- Additional material uploaded on the e-learning platform.
This course is based on a learning by doing approach. Time pressure is part of the teaching approach, as well as the ability of organizing group activities. Tutorial classes will help groups to focus their efforts and in to deal with methodological issues.
Office hours as indicated in the professors' homepage. Professors usually meets student before or after lectures.
Teacher is also available remotely, via Microsoft Teams.
Students can e-mail the teacher to arrange a meeting.