Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN APCOM 1

Organizational Strategic Plan:

Advocacy for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity in Rural Michigan
Nate Dixon, Amanda Mikula, Mary Nason, Bill Winowiecki, and Sara Young
Ferris State University

ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN APCOM 2


Abstract
Childhood obesity rates in the United States continue to rise. The state of Michigan is home to
one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the country. The development of APCOM, the
Advocacy for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity in rural Michigan, is an organization that is
committed to combatting childhood obesity rates in rural Michigan communities. APCOM
values the importance of providing much needed resources to communities where they are
limited as well as promoting healthy lifestyles. This report illustrates the need for such services
and interprets APCOM's mission, philosophy, goals, and organizational structure.
Keywords: childhood obesity, APCOM, Michigan, rural communities


ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN APCOM 3

Organizational Strategic Plan:
Advocacy for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity in Rural Michigan
Childhood obesity has become a national epidemic in America causing health care
expenditures to reach upwards of $14.3 billion/year (Ling, King, Speck, Kim, & Wu,
2014). These costs exponentially rise as obese children become obese adults. According to Ling
et al. (2014), by 2030, health care costs associated with obesity will be over $900 billion a
year. With studies showing a disparity between obesity rates in rural areas compared to
metropolitan areas, there is an urgent need for community-based healthy lifestyle interventions
for rural children (Cohen, Craak, Chaumenkovitch, Hyat, & Economos, 2014).
Demographics
In Michigan, 18.2% of 10-17 year olds are considered overweight compared to 15.3%
nationally; this means that 1 in 4 adolescents is overweight (Healthy Kids, 2007). Studies have
shown that 70-80% of overweight children become obese adults (Healthy Kids,
2007). Considering that the incidence of obesity in children has grown from 7% to 18% since
1980 (CDC, 2014), and that more than 25% of all U. S. health care costs are associated with
obesity (Healthy Kids, 2007), it is no surprise that this topic has gained national
attention. Furthermore, evidence has shown that the incidence of overweight or obese children is
higher in rural areas than metropolitan areas (Ling et al., 2014). Therefore, there is a need for
healthy lifestyle interventions for children living in rural Michigan.
Trends and Forces
Internet searches reveal that Michigans leaders have recognized the importance of
promoting healthy lifestyles in our youth. Campaigns like the MOTION Coalition (Michigan
Organizations to Impact Obesity and Nutrition) and the Childhood Obesity Coalitions Healthy
ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN APCOM 4

Kids Healthy Michigan campaign are designed to address the growing issue of childhood obesity
in Michigan. Neither of these programs addresses the specific issue of the health disparity of
Michigans rural children. APCOM will partner with broader programs in the fight against
childhood obesity with the distinctive focus of rural children and addressing their unique
needs. The main obstacle in addressing the individual needs of rural children is that they can be
more difficult to reach and many campaigns are Internet or school based (Cohen et al.,
2014). With this in mind, APCOM exists, in part, to increase access to childhood obesity-related
resources in rural areas of Michigan.
Capability of Environmental Support
Michigan has some of the highest childhood obesity rates in the country. Because of this,
Michigan has many organizations addressing healthy behaviors. The Michigan Center for Rural
Health coordinates resources and activities statewide, collects and disseminates information
concerning rural health issues, promotes recruitment and retention of health professionals, and
strengthens state, local, and federal partnerships. This organization will be APCOMs most
important affiliate by offering resources and providing networking support in rural
areas. APCOM also plans to utilize the power of youth organizations, such as the Girl Scouts,
Boy Scouts, The Rural Assistance Center, 4H, and the YMCA to drive our directives. Other
interested community organizations, such as church youth groups, health care providers
(including Children's Hospitals), and sports organizations will also be provided with information
about our program. APCOM will convene quarterly with three work groups that each year will
focus on more targeted action items taking steps towards accomplishing the coalition's
goals. The three work groups are Policy and Advocacy, Education and Public Awareness,
and Resource and Data Dissemination and Surveillance.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN APCOM 5

Mission Statement
APCOM exists to minimize prevalence in childhood obesity in partnership with rural
communities in Michigan. We strive to improve the overall physical well-being of children and
to provide them with the necessary tools to achieve a healthy lifestyle.
Philosophy
The Advocacy for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity in rural Michigan (APCOM) is a
not-for-profit agency committed to building a healthier community by decreasing childhood
obesity rates and related complications in rural Michigan. We will achieve this through
education, prevention, referrals, and physical activity programs.
Education-We strive to educate communities and families about the prevalence and
health risks of childhood obesity to promote better health in the community.
Prevention-We pledge to teach and motivate children, families, and the community to
reduce risk factors that cause childhood obesity.
Referrals-We will make referrals to colleagues and organizations when expert advice
and further assistance is needed to empower children and families to make healthy
choices.
Physical Activity Programs-We will locate physical activity programs in rural areas
and encourage children to engage in exercise for better health.
Organizational Goals
Ensure children in the rural communities of Michigan have information regarding the
prevalence and health risks associated with childhood obesity and to promote better
health in the community through appropriate referrals and physical activity programs.
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Decrease the prevalence of childhood obesity in rural Michigan by 3% (the national
level) within ten years by teaching and motivating children, families, and the
community to reduce risk factors that cause childhood obesity.
Organizational Objectives
Assist parents in identifying and utilizing community resources related to childhood
obesity during the start-up year by way of marketing: brochures in doctors offices
and community centers, newspaper articles, local schools, TV news and internet.
Improve access to childhood obesity-related resources by 2016 and assessing needs
through use of parental surveys with an improvement of 10% of current benchmark.
Observe decreases in childhood obesity rates in Michigan to beat the national average
by 2016 based on Michigan county statistics and research.
80% of all rural public school students will demonstrate knowledge of childhood
obesity prevention through written and verbal skills, as well as identify resources
available in the community for the prevention of childhood obesity by 2019.
Increase referrals to nutritionists and enrollment in physical activity programs by 5%
by 2019.
Job Descriptions
The board of directors for APCOM includes the president of APCOM, chief of treasury,
and chief of marketing. Other important leadership roles are the manager of policy and
advocacy, the public health manager, and the resource manager (see Appendix A). APCOM will
convene quarterly with three work groups that will focus on more targeted action items taking
steps towards accomplishing the coalition's goals. The board of directors will oversee all
ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN APCOM 7

meetings keeping APCOMs goals at the forefront of each meeting. The three work groups are
Policy and Advocacy, Public Health, and Resource and Data Dissemination and Surveillance.
President of APCOM
It is the responsibility of the president of APCOM to manage the advocacys goals and
strategies as well as to attend each committee meeting. He or she also oversees the group budget
and ensures resources are properly allocated. The president confirms each committee stays on
track to meet their individual goals and is responsible for overall accountability to investment
holders and partners (President, 2014). The president of APCOM guides the values of the
organization and presides over board meetings.
Chief of Treasury
APCOMs chief of treasury is responsible for cash-management activities, overseeing
banking transactions, and monitoring investments and funds from outside sources (Codjia, n.d.).
In addition, the chief of treasury will apply cash-management skills and insight to help APCOM
increase short-term and long-term portfolio values. The treasurer evaluates APCOMs financial
data, detects trends in cash levels, and identifies opportunities to increase investment and/or asset
value (Codjia, n.d.). The chief of treasury reports to the president of APCOM and attends any
committee meeting involving the allocation of funds.
Resource manager.
Responsibilities of the manager of APCOMs resources include managing resources for
all potential and assigned projects and acting as a point of contact for resource booking
confirmation, conflict resolution, and development of solutions in support of APCOM goals.
This manager attends all meeting where resource requirements are discussed and provides
updated information regarding APCOMs resources. He or she also manages internal data
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collection to aid in public relations and program dissemination. In addition, it is his or her
responsibility to recruit and manage volunteers and contribute to the design of the APCOM
familiarization process for all volunteers, while keeping an accurate database of all volunteer
records. This manager leads the Resource and Data Dissemination and Surveillance committee
and reports directly to the chief of treasury, but works closely with all committee leaders.
Chief of marketing.
The chief of marketing for APCOM is responsible for overseeing APCOMs marketing
initiatives. He or she will manage marketing communications, advertising and promotions,
market research, and customer service. Other responsibilities include reducing costs,
implementing and managing the marketing budget, and preparing an overall marketing strategy
(Chief Marketing, 2014). The chief of marketing reports to the president, but is involved in any
committee work involving advertising or marketing.
Policy and advocacy manager.
The policy and advocacy manager has the important task of the development and delivery
of APCOM's policy and advocacy work. This person controls the development of strategic
policy priorities, and through training, ensures team members are updated in policy and practice
developments. Of optimal importance to this role is the development of empirically sound
evidence and a thorough research base focused on community needs. The policy and advocacy
manager leads the Policy and Advocacy work group and then reports committee
recommendations to the chief of marketing in addition to updating the president of APCOM on a
quarterly basis. This manager also monitors the success of advocacy promotion, improves and
develops the delivery of advocacy services across rural Michigan communities, and initiates
ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN APCOM 9

funding/sponsors/stakeholders to ensure long term sustainability (Rainbow Project Belfast,
2014).
Public health manager.
APCOMs public health manager coordinates a multidisciplinary workgroup and its
programs using current and relevant evidence-based research to guide program development.
The public health managers main responsibility is collaborating with team members to develop
educational programs based on community needs assessments for rural Michigan communities
(Education Portal, 2014). This manager reports to the chief of marketing regarding finances
necessary for obesity prevention projects. He or she also reports workgroup recommendations to
the president of APCOM in keeping with the coalitions goals.
Advertisement Plan
Advertising is a key part of the recruitment process. APCOM intends to advertise for the
position of Chief of Marketing in the Detroit Free Press, as well as in Crains Detroit Business
magazine (see ad in Appendix B). In speaking with a Detroit Free Press advertising consultant,
quotes for APCOMs advertisement were obtained. The price for a less than 200 word
advertisement is $1200 for the first day, and $216 for each day thereafter. To run this
advertisement for one week in the Detroit Free Press, the cost is approximately $2496. The
Detroit Free Press is published seven days a week, with home delivery on Thursday, Friday, and
Sunday of each week.
Crains Detroit Business magazine is published weekly, issued on Monday (Crains
Detroit Business, 2014). Advertisement in this magazine offers posting options that fit into
APCOMs advertising plan. The magazine caters to business executives, which allows APCOM
the opportunity to seek professional, qualified individuals for the position. An 8 week posting
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with a 10 inch color ad in the magazine cost $2202; purchase of a print ad offers an additional 2
weeks of free online advertising at Crains Detroit Business website (Crains Detroit Business,
2014). Resumes for potential candidates will be sent to the APCOM email address for review by
the board.
Other advertisement considerations are LinkedIn and Craigslist. Both of these sites offer
the potential to reach a large audience for a minimal cost. LinkedIn is a business-oriented social
networking service with approximately 300 million users. Craigslist is a classified
advertisements website that provides the ability to search through advertisements by location.
These sites can both be beneficial in the search for a candidate for this position.
Budget Proposal
The budget proposal for APCOM (see Appendix C) provides a detailed layout of income
revenue through corporate grants, local and charitable foundation contributions, individual
contributions, fund raising events, and additional donations from healthcare organizations for a
projected total of $275,000. This revenue is crucial to meeting APCOMs operating expenses
that are estimated at $250,000 annually with an additional $25,000 set aside for miscellaneous
and unforeseen expenditures. Salaries and benefits consume approximately 70% of projected
revenue. Additional expenses include the rental space necessary for meetings, marketing and
outreach programming, office supplies and equipment as well as costs incurred for professional
development of staff. Estimated full-time equivalents (FTEs) needed to meet APCOMs
objectives would be 2.5 annually. Hours of operation will be Monday through Friday 9am-5pm.
Initially, a majority of APCOMs community efforts will be funneled through the work and
assistance of volunteers until APCOM realizes persistent yearly growth. The goal is to
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eventually employ full-time staff to optimize the needs of the organization in order to benefit
child obesity education and outreach in rural Michigan communities.


ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN APCOM 12

References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
Chief marketing officer job description. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.americasjobexchange.com/chief-marketing-officer-job-description
Codjia, M. (n.d.). Treasury job description. Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/about_6693113_treasury-job-description.html
Cohen, J.W., Kraak, V.I., Choumenkovitch, S.F., Hyatt, R.R., & Economos, C.D. (2014). The
CHANGE study: A healthy lifestyles intervention to improve rural childrens diet quality.
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, 114, 48-53.
doi:10.1016/j.jand.2013.08.014
Crains Detroit Business. (2014). 2014 rate card. Retrieved from
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/assets/PDF/CD9246113.PDF
Education Portal. (2014). Public health manager description. Retrieved from http://education-
portal.com/articles/Public_Health_Manager_Job_Description_and_Requirements.html
Healthy Kids Healthy Michigan. (2007). Childhood obesity epidemic in Michigan. Retrieved
from http://www.healthykidshealthymichigan.com/childhood-obesity-facts-and-
statistics.html
Ling, J., King, K.M., Speck, B.J., Kim, S., & Wu, D. (2014). Preliminary assessment of a school-
based healthy lifestyle intervention among rural elementary school children. Journal of
School Health, 84, 247-255. doi:10.111/josh.12143
President job description. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.americasjobexchange.com/president-job-description
ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN APCOM 13

Rainbow Project Belfast. (2014). Policy and advocacy manager. Retrieved from
http://www.communityni.org/job/policy-and-advocacy-manager#.U6i01pDD-UK

ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN APCOM 14

Appendix A




President of
APCOM
Chief of
Marketing
Policy and
Advocacy
Manager
Public Health
Manager
Chief of
Treasury
Resource
Manager
APCOM Organizational Flow Chart
ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN APCOM 15

Appendix B






Chief of Marketing:
We are seeking a chief of marketing for a non-profit advocacy program for the prevention of
childhood obesity in Michigan. This part-time position plans, directs, and coordinates market
research and planning of the organizations services in a specific market. Other responsibilities
include reducing costs, implementing and managing the marketing budget, and preparing an
overall marketing strategy. The chief of marketing develops and implements marketing
programs in support of market strategic needs and growth goals. This position may require full-
time employment with organizational growth. Benefits package included with a starting salary
of $30,000 per year.
Education & Experience:
Bachelors degree from four-year college or university required; Business or Marketing
degree preferred
Minimum 5 years marketing experience
Minimum 2 year experience managing a marketing staff
Experience developing marketing strategy and plans and executing those plans to support
growth goals
Hours: Variable, quarterly meetings are mandatory
Travel: May be required for meetings
Email resume or CV to APCOM@yahoo.com

Need a new
job? APCOM is
seeking a part time
Chief of Marketing
to lead our
marketing team!
ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN APCOM 16

Appendix C
APCOM Budget Proposal
I ncome
Income Type Income Source % of Projected Income
The Kresge Foundation
Meijer Foundation
Corporate Grants 60%
Kellogg
Nestle Pure Life
Blue Cross Blue Shield
DeVos Foundation
Local and Charitable
Foundations
20%
Donations from Interested
Individuals
Individual Contributions 5%
5k/10k Run/Walk
Rock-a-thon
Park Party
Fund Raising Events 5%
Donations from Healthcare
Organizations : Detroit
Childrens Hospital
In Kind Support 10%
Total $275,000 100%


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APCOM Budget Proposal
Expenses
Expense Type Expense Source % of Projected
Expenses
Salaries President of APCOM $45,000
Chief of Marketing $30,000
Chief of Treasury $30,000
Policy and Advocacy Manager
$15,000
Public Health Manager $15,000
Resource Manager $15,000
54%
Benefits Benefits: Medical, Dental,
Life, and Vision
40 hours paid
vacation/yearly
403b with 2% Match
$40,000
15%
Office Space Rental $15,000 5.5%
Marketing/Outreach/Advertising $15,000 5.5%
Supplies and Equipment $15,000 5.5%
Professional Development $15,000 5.5%
Cash (for miscellaneous/unforeseen
expenditure)
$25,000 9%
Total

= $275,000 100%