the olive branch business plan 2017 · development plan our plan to launch the olive branch...
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The Olive Branch Business Plan
2017
The Olive Branch a 501(c)(3) Non-profit Organization
PO Box 6022Frisco, TX 75035
Last updated: August 2017
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1. Table of Contents
1. Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3. The Olive Branch Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4. Market Analysis: The Need for Our Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5. Sustainable Revenue (Products & Services) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
6. Marketing Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7. Development Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
8. Operations, Management and Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
9. Financial Projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
10. Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
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2. Executive Summary
Mission The Olive Branch began with a simple idea and mission: To create and maintain a self-sustaining community for young adults with special needs. The Olive Branch will be a positive, safe, secure and nurturing environment for adults with special needs where they can develop their unique abilities into meaningful job skills while building friendships, independence and a sense of belonging and purpose.
There is an overwhelmingly compelling need for a community such as the Olive Branch. 70% of adults with autism are unable to live independently. Of these, 49% live with family members, creating a huge financial burden on aging parents, and 32% live in residential care facilities, which offer little or no privacy, autonomy, or stimulation. 94% of autistic adults are unable to hold paid, full-time jobs and 65% of autistic adults have difficulty making friends. In 2014, the city of Frisco estimated that 2,500 adults in Frisco that have special needs (approximately 1.5% of the population). Nearly 4,400 special needs students were enrolled in FISD grades K-12. The population of special needs adults just in Frisco will nearly double as these children graduate from high school. Without support, families report that young adults regress and lose gains they made in school, are less likely to sustain employment, and are less engaged in their communities. Campus The Olive Branch intends to build out a community to meet the needs of these adults with special needs in the north Texas area. Some of the components of the campus will be: residential living facilities; wood working/carpentry work shop; kitchen lab; worship center; educational facilities to teach skills for independent employment and living; Medical / Dental offices; Greenhouse and organic vegetable garden; Café and Retail Shop The Olive Branch community will focus on abilities and provides a safe, secure and nurturing environment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through acceptance and positivity. As a result, each individual can utilize and develop their God-given unique abilities into meaningful job skills while fostering friendships, spiritual growth and a sense of belonging to fulfill an abundant life. Our citizens will develop a sense of pride that comes from contributing to their own support, while growing socially, emotionally, and spiritually. Self-Sustaining Revenue A significant part of the Olive Branch’s mission is to build a self-sustaining revenue model. To achieve this model, the Olive Branch will produce revenue from multiple sources, working together for a common goal. Several of these revenue streams will have
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a significant part of their labor resources provided by the citizens of the Olive Branch as part of their work within the community. Some of the revenue streams will include: Tuition, Lease Income from Property, Equestrian Services, Donations and Grants, Contract & Outsourcing by Citizens, Greenhouse and Organic Vegetable Garden, and a Café and Retail Shop. Development Plan Our plan to launch the Olive Branch Community is broken up into 4 phases, of which 2 are already completed. Phase 3 is just underway in late 2016 and early 2017. The 4 phases of development are:
Phase 1 - Organization Setup (2012-2013) Phase 2 - Saturday Work Program (2014-2016)
Phase 3 - Launch Frisco Location and Business Operations (2017 -) Phase 4 - Land Acquisition and Development of Community (Future)
Currently in Phase 3, the next step is to find a Frisco location and begin working to acquire land. Operationally we will launch the full Work Program at the Frisco location. While that launches, we plan to hire an Executive Director and begin raising funds and launching the full operation. Developing the community will be the final phase. The Olive Branch Community Finally, the Olive Branch will be developed into a fully functioning community complete with residential living facilities, educational shops and labs, middle offices, and a worship center. Two of the primary focal components will be a Greenhouse and Organic Vegetable Garden from which the produce will be used at the café with extra to be sold in the retail shop. The Olive Branch Café, open for breakfast and lunch, will be a small, quaint café serving food from the greenhouses and staffed by many of the citizens in the community. It will be located within the Retail Shop. The Retail Shop will be a focal point of the Olive Branch Community and will be the Frisco store front that features handmade crafts and items and is majority employed by adults with disabilities. Citizens will work to create and produce items such as: notecards, bags and totes, wooden crosses, wooden toys, seasonal plaques and signs, produce from garden. Work with local farmers to sell local honey or jams, and have our own label.
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3. The Olive Branch Overview
Overview: The Olive Branch began with a simple idea - to create a self-sustaining community for young adults with special needs. Currently we run a Day Program on Saturdays, but our long-term plans are to build a true community within a community.
Mission Statement: To create and maintain a self-sustaining community for young adults with special needs.
Vision Statement: The Olive Branch will be a positive, safe, secure and nurturing environment for adults with special needs where they can develop their unique abilities into meaningful job skills while building friendships, independence and a sense of belonging and purpose.
Campus Components:
• Residential living facilities
• Wood working/carpentry work shop
• Kitchen lab
• Worship center
• Educational facilities to teach skills for independent employment and living
• Medical / Dental offices
• Greenhouse and organic vegetable garden. Produce will be used at café with extra to be sold in shop.
• Café and Retail Shop (open for breakfast and lunch) in a Frisco store front that features homemade items and is majority employed by adults with disabilities.
• Possible items to sell – wooden crosses, wooden children toys, signs with scripture, produce from garden. Work with local farmers to sell local honey or jams, and have our own label.
Purpose Statement: Our community focuses on abilities and provides a safe, secure and nurturing environment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through acceptance and positivity. As a result, each individual can utilize and develop their God-given unique abilities into meaningful job skills while fostering friendships, spiritual growth and a sense of belonging
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to fulfill an abundant life. Our citizens will develop a sense of pride that comes from contributing to their own support, while growing socially, emotionally, and spiritually.
Goals and Objectives:
The Olive Branch will begin working to acquire land in 2017and begin working towards a 5 day a week program in either an interim leased location and/or in temporary structures on that land.
1. Work on acquiring land and raise administrative funding for TOB. Begin plans for structural buildout on Land. Raise funding for land and operations of the Work Program.
2. Hire 1 full-time teacher and 1-2 full-time aide(s).
3. Locate interim lease property to launch Work program
4. Build out Board of Directors and search for Executive Director
5. Begin Full-Time Work Program in interim location
6. Hire Executive Director to begin raising funding/grants and launch operations
7. Begin moving some program to structures on the new land
Legal Form: 501(c)(3) Not for Profit Company
Advisory Community: Brookwood Community located in Brookshire, TX, just 40 miles west of downtown Houston, is the model for what the Olive Branch wants to build and become. Brookwood Community was founded in 1985, and has grown into a proven self-sustaining model. The Brookwood Campus consists of: Eight group homes, two single-family staff homes, a residential Inn, health and dental clinic, Worship Center, enterprise building, activities and administration building, 47 greenhouses, Gift and Garden Center and the Café at Brookwood, and several other support buildings. The Brookwood Community currently houses 110 resident adults (known as Brookwood “citizens”) who are functionally disabled and live at Brookwood 24/7. Another 80 plus adults participate in their day program. The range of diverse needs they help include people with autism spectrum disorders; intellectual disabilities; developmental disabilities, traumatic brain injury; dual diagnosis; and/or aging care needs. They also serve as a resource for families.
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4. Market Analysis: The Need for Our Community
Nationally
According to a National Autistic Society survey of over 450 children and adults with autism, an astonishing 70% of adults with autism are unable to live independently. Of these individuals, 49% live with family members, creating a huge financial burden on aging parents, and 32% live in residential care facilities, which offer little or no privacy, autonomy, or stimulation.
70% of Autistic Adults are Unable to Live Independently
Only 3% of adults with autism live fully independently. In terms of employment, only 6% of adults hold paid, full-time jobs. Regarding mental health, over half of adults with autism have been diagnosed with depression some time in their adult life while 11% say they have suffered a "nervous breakdown."
94% of Autistic Adults are Unable to Hold Paid, Full-Time Jobs
Even though the majority of adults surveyed had participated in at least two autism interventions in childhood, 65% continue having difficulty making friends. Of teens surveyed, 74% stated that they had difficulty making friends. Of children under 13 years old, 31% participated in no social activities at all.
65% of Autistic Adults have Difficulty Making Friends
Clearly this data shows the burden on quality of life for adults with autism, issues such as independence, self-determination, employment, mental health, social support, and meaningful relationships are virtually ignored when planning treatments, assessing treatment outcomes, or evaluating an overall program’s effectiveness.
Adults with autism are in need of treatment programs which focus on improving family life, self-perception, self-esteem, confidence, ability to compete in employment
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opportunities, the ability to live in the least restrictive environment, ability to decrease depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns, for more successful outcomes.
Locally: Frisco, Texas
Determining the actual number of special needs adults who might benefit from the Olive Branch community is difficult. Part of the difficulty is that many slip through the cracks and are sitting at home after high school, unreported after they leave the school system. They simply fade away from the systems that track their progress and needs.
The best way to determine what the potential numbers of special needs adults who might fit into our community is to track those exiting the public school system. Just under 10% of all students enrolled in FISD are classified as special needs. In 2014, the city of Frisco estimated that 2,500 adults in Frisco that have special needs (approximately 1.5% of the population). Nearly 4,400 special needs students were enrolled in FISD grades K-12.
In 2016, the city of Frisco has 152,710 residents. At buildout, that number is expected increase to 375,000.
CityofFriscoProjectedBuildoutAGrowingCommunity
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The Olive Branch will serve not only Frisco but the surrounding North Dallas area, the state of Texas, and possibly the entire US.
Independent State Analysis
In 2009, the state of Texas paid for an independent analysis on the costs and benefits of providing services to adults in Texas with ASD and related disabilities. It was called Texas House Bill 1574. The study was completed in 2009 and it showed a significant need for services for adults with these disabilities. The state did not pursue the execution of a plan to address these issues. Below is a summary of the finding of THB 1574:
Texas House Bill 1574 (2009) Study on the Costs and Benefits of Initiating a Pilot Project to Provide Services to Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Related Disabilities In 2009, nearly 8,300 adults in Texas with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) either received services or were on a waitlist to receive services from the Dept. of Aging and Disability Services (DADS), the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), and/ or the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS). Nearly half did not receive service due to lack of funding. The study inventoried existing programs that provide services to adults with ASDs and related disabilities in Texas, which include:
• special education services delivered through the State’s 1,700 high schools;
• vocational rehabilitation supports provided by DARS;
• home and community-based service waiver programs operated by DADS;
• health care services through HHSC; and,
• other programs that provide housing, workforce, and other supports.
During the study, many consumers, parents, providers, and other stakeholders were engaged to get a better understanding of what the state of Texas has to offer.Gaps in existing systems were identified and included:
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• Insufficient resources result in individuals being unable to access services. More than 78,000 individuals are currently on interest lists for DADS’ waiver services including an estimated 4,000 adults with ASDs. Without supports, families report that young adults regress and lose gains they made in school, are less likely to sustain employment, and are less engaged in their communities.
• Services are not designed for adults with ASDs. For example, services lack behavioral components that are critical to individuals with ASDs, day habilitation programs provide “baby-sitting” rather than meaningful activities, and jobs in which consumers are placed are beneath their abilities.
• The existing system is fragmented. Unlike in school when services for children with disabilities are primarily the responsibility of their school, responsibility for providing services to adults with ASDs is spread across multiple state agencies, local authorities, and contracted providers. This can overwhelm families and result in consumers not receiving services they need.
• Employment outcomes are poor. Adults with ASDs are chronically unemployed, having difficulty in both obtaining and retaining a job.
Customers and Supporters
Supporters of the Olive Branch do not have a typical demographic profile. People who have a tendency to be charitable and find causes to support will donate and support this organization. In addition, people who have immediate and extended family members with special needs, or whose lives are touched by someone with specials needs will have a higher probability to support a foundation like the Olive Branch.
Customers of the Olive Branch will encompass a broader demographic scope than primary supporters. The range of products produced by the Citizens of the Olive Branch will likely draw customers who both support the Olive Branch mission, and also those who enjoy a well-made handcrafted product.
A goal of the Olive Branch will be to continually develop and improve product offerings that will attract an ever increasing and wider customer base.
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Competition
The Olive Branch has patterned it’s design and setup after the Brookwood Community just outside of Houston, Texas. At the full extent of the Olive Branch’s buildout, Brookwood will be the only comparable competition to the Olive Branch. Brookwood has been a partner, mentor and supporter of the Olive Branch and the two organizations will continue to work together and support each other.
In terms of simple Day program activities, local organizations who offer similar service are:
Marbridge – Manchaca; Cornerstone Ranch – McKinney; My Possibilities - Plano
Conclusions
In conclusion, the data shows an overwhelmingly compelling need for the Olive Branch. The number of adults who need services is growing every year, and the state is not equipped to handle these adults due to lack of funding, fragmented agencies, and lack of specific knowledge about how to address their disabilities. Below is a summary of the data that points to these conclusions:
• 70% of adults with autism are unable to live independently - Of these, 49% live with family members, creating a huge financial burden on aging parents, and 32% live in residential care facilities, which offer little or no privacy, autonomy, or stimulation.
• 94% of autistic adults are unable to hold paid, full-time jobs.
• 65% of autistic adults have difficulty making friends.
• In 2014, the city of Frisco estimated that 2,500 adults in Frisco that have special needs (approximately 1.5% of the population). Nearly 4,400 special needs students were enrolled in FISD grades K-12. The population of special needs adults just in Frisco will nearly double as these children graduate from high school.
• In 2009, nearly 8,300 adults in Texas with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) either received services or were on a waitlist to receive services from 3 different state agencies. Nearly half did not receive service due to lack of state funding.
• Without support, families report that young adults regress and lose gains they made in school, are less likely to sustain employment, and are less engaged in their communities.
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5. Sustainable Revenue Model
A significant part of the Olive Branch’s mission is to build a self-sustaining revenue model. To achieve this model, the Olive Branch will produce revenue from multiple sources, working together for a common goal. Several of these revenue streams will have a significant part of their labor resources provided by the citizens of the Olive Branch as part of their work within the community.
Self-Sustaining Model
The model above has been used successfully at our mentor facility in Houston, Brookwood Community. Brookwood has been involved with the Olive Branch in an advisory capacity for 4+ years and plans to continue helping us avoid pitfalls and teach us strategies that have proven successful within their community.
GrowandStrengthentheCampus
PrivateDonations,Grants,Tuition
BusinessRevenueonCampus
Restaurants,Stores,Greenhouses,Landscaping
Continualtrainingandeducationforcitizens
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Planned Revenue Streams of the Olive Branch
• Tuition
• Lease Income from Property
• Equestrian Services
• Donations and Grants
• Contract & Outsourcing by Citizens
• Greenhouse and Organic Vegetable Garden
• Café and Retail Shop / Product Sales
Tuition
Each stage of the programs the the Olive Branch offers to its citizens will have a tuition cost attached to it.
* Final prices will be heavily dependent upon location, property, and facilities
Lease Income from Property Plans for Phases 3 and 4 include installing Retail, Medical, Dental, Café, and Restaurants on the proposed property for the Olive Branch. These businesses will pay a lease for the building and location. In addition to lease income, many of these businesses will be able to offer jobs to citizens who will eventually live on the property.
Equestrian Services The primary responsibility of the Olive Branch equestrian services is to provide therapeutic sessions for citizens as well as opportunities for citizens to care for the horses. As a
PHASE PROGRAM/STAGE PRICEPhase 2 Saturday Day Program FREE
Phase 3 Day Program (5 day a week) at new location $800-$1450/month*
Phase 4 Housing/Program/Community $4500/month
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secondary source of income, equestrian riding, horse boarding and training services will be offered to the general public.
Donations and Grants As a 501(c)(3) organization, the Olive Branch will continuously work to fundraise through donations which will remain as a primary source of revenue. Beginning in Phase 3 and as the management structure is installed, the Olive Branch will seek grants as a secondary method of raising funds.
Contract & Outsourcing by Citizens As the Olive Branch better understands the skills and talents of existing and new Citizens, there will be opportunities for citizens to work outside of the Community.
Greenhouse and Organic Vegetable Garden Another opportunity for the citizens to have purposeful work within the Olive Branch community will be within the Greenhouses and organic vegetable gardens within the community. Brookwood Community in Houston has demonstrated a successful greenhouse program that the Olive Branch will emulate. Produce will be used at café with extra to be sold in the retail shop.
Café and Retail Shop / Product Sales • The Olive Branch Café - (open for breakfast and lunch) will be a small, quaint café
serving food from the greenhouses and staffed by many of the citizens in the community. It will be located within the Retail Shop.
• The Retail Shop - will be a focal point of the Olive Branch Community and will be the Frisco store front that features handmade crafts and items and is majority employed by adults with disabilities.
• Product Sales - Citizens will work to create and produce items such as: notecards, bags and totes, wooden crosses, wooden toys, seasonal plaques and signs, produce from garden. Work with local farmers to sell local honey or jams, and have our own label.
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6. Marketing and Promotion
The Olive Branch will engage in promotion and marketing through multiple mediums with the primary objective being brand recognition and awareness. Marketing began in the latter half of Phase 2 and will ramp up in Phase 3. Early marketing will be done primarily though free channels such as website, social media, and editorial press. In Phase 3, efforts will graduate to paid campaigns including email, social media and developed fundraisers.
Website The Olive Branch website is the primary destination for communicating information to the general public and displaying photos and details of ongoing events and progress. The website is built on a responsive design platform that takes full advantage of mobile devices where the majority of the population views online and social communications.
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Social Media
• Facebook - The first social media launched in June of 2013 and was the primary source of online communication in the social media category until fall of 2016. Beginning in 2017, the 826 likes on the page.
• Instagram / Twitter - New social platforms were launched in Fall of 2016 and will help to reinforce the message being delivered online.
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Email Email campaigns are delivered on a periodic basis to opt-in recipients using the Smore platform. At the end of 2016, the Olive Branch had almost 400 email addresses in the database and is adding addresses everyday. Email drives traffic back towards the website and social media and provides a method to proactively communicate information to those who have requested updates.
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Local Businesses The Olive Branch partners with local businesses in a variety of ways and create a critical momentum of support in the community. Local businesses include:
Fundraisers The Olive Branch has participated in multiple different fundraisers over the past 3 years. Online, North Texas Giving Day has been a primary platform of participation every Fall since 2014. In 2015-2016, multiple local businesses including Chili’s, Mooyah, and 3 Stacks donated a portion of sales to the Olive Branch from designated day events.
In August 2016, the Olive Branch launched its first planned event - a luncheon at Embassy Suites Frisco called Branching Out.
Beginning in 2017, plans are in place to begin holding multiple large-scale fundraising events throughout the year. Ideas include: Top Golf, Frisco Gun Club, Golf Tournament, and another luncheon.
Coffee n Cream 3 Stacks Mooyah Gary Burns Fun RunThirty OneOrigami OwlCity of Frisco (Merry Main Street) First Baptist Frisco Faithbridge Presbyterian Church Dallas Morning News Blue Sky Therapeutic Riding
North Texas Giving Day Chili’s Frisco Dallas Stars Frisco Gun ClubEmbassy Suites Frisco Quiggles Jewelry Kevin James McCrea Photography Barre3 Starwood Motors Lone Star Park Pinderella
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Partnerships / Alliances As Phase 3 begins in 2017, the Olive Branch will work to develop partnerships and alliances with companies and foundations who desire to support the Olive Branch on a long-term, ongoing basis. The Olive Branch engaged in its first true partnership with the Jordan Spieth Foundation for ongoing financial support for Phase 3 and beyond at the end of 2016.
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7. Development Plan
This section will outline the overall plan for developing the Olive Branch from concept to operational and sustainable community. Development will not happen overnight, and will instead happen over a series of phases outlined in this section.
Phase 1 - Organization Setup (2012 - 2013)
Phase 1 began in approximately 2012. This is the phase where the concepts and ideas for the Olive Branch were laid out by the founders, Darin and Jill Blackwell. From the initial ideas, they researched and met with members of the Brookwood team to develop an initial plan for a self-sustaining community for adults with special needs located in North Texas.
The Olive Branch was legally setup as a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization under the name “The Olivia Blackwell Charity dba The Olive Branch Frisco” and has operated under that structure. An initial Board of Directors was created and operated to govern this new entity.
Phase 2 - Saturday Work Program (2014 - 2016)
The first operational service launched was a Saturday Day program operating 1 day a week approximately twice a month. The Day program is run by Jill Blackwell and is held in a variety of locations. The special needs adults, known as Citizens, worked during these days to build and create crafts that are then sold at fundraising events and during special occasions throughout the year.
During this timeframe, the Olive Branch developed an online presence through a website and social media and launched a periodic email campaign to inform those interested of news and updates. Multiple fundraising sales were held to distribute products created by Olive Branch citizens.
The first official fundraising events were launched in the Fall of 2016, led by a luncheon, called Branching Out, at the Embassy Suites in Frisco. The Olive Branch also participated in the North Texas Giving Day campaigns in 2015 and 2016.
Phase 3 - Land Acquisition and Operational Launch (2017 -)
In order to maintain positive forward momentum and growth, the Olive Branch plans to launch into 3 major categories during Phase 3. These categories are:
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1) Potential Leased Space for Work Program
2) Land Acquisition
3) Operational Launch
1) Potential Leased Space for Day Program The potential leased space for a day program would be a temporary interim move to allow the first part of Operations to launch without having to wait on the variability of acquiring land.
The are many factors to consider in launching the program and much is dependent on the future purchase of land such as timing, size, location, existing structures, zoning, and infrastructure.
Due to the variability of land acquisition, Leased Space will be strongly considered in order to maintain positive momentum and move forward independent of land acquisition.
It is important to analyze the projected expenses and revenue for an interim leased space for the launch of the Day Program, above and beyond any current ongoing expenses. These numbers are projected estimates for the simple purpose of demonstrating viability of this option.
2) Land Acquisition There are multiple properties under consideration for land acquisition, and the Board will continue to evaluate each property to determine the very best fit for the Olive Branch using metrics such as location, size, development potential, existing structures, growth potential, and expandability. This phase is where the real growth of the Olive Branch Frisco will begin to occur.
AnnualEstimatedFinancialsRevenue
Tuition/Citizen $115,200
Annual Donations $25,000
TOTAL Revenue $140,200
Expenses
Teacher $50,000
Aide $20,000Lease $31,800
Insurance $12,000
Utilities $6,000
Comm $1,200
Miscellaneous $10,000
TOTAL Expenses $131,000
Surplus / Loss $9,200
Assumptions
Monthly Tution $800
Number of Citizens 12
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Selecting the future Olive Branch location is one of the most mission-critical components to long-term success and growth of this community. Many factors will come into play for the evaluation of the land.
Timing
As donations continue to come in for the purpose of acquiring land, the Olive Branch would like to see initial land acquisition be completed by the end of calendar year 2017 at the latest. The selection of a property is the single most important decision to be made in Phase 3, so this will be reviewed and evaluated throughly before finalizing a purchase.
Size
Ideally, the Olive Branch will purchase land in the 10-50 acres size, with future expansion of up to 300-500 acres. In order to build out the community with future plans similar to Brookwood in Houston, approximately 400 acres is the ideal size of land options.
Proposed Location
The location of the Olive Branch Community is very important. Ideally, the land acquisition will be long-term and allow for future growth of the community, but this is not a certainty. It is possible to acquire land that would be an intermediate step towards a final location sometime in the future. If it is an intermediate step, then the Olive Branch would need to establish an “exit plan” or “alternative use” plan for the property.
The location will be important to citizens and their families, as well as to businesses who make the community their home for operations. Ideally, the location will be near major traffic patterns, but large enough to afford an open expanse for horses, retail, homes, parking, and offices. Frisco has been the home for the Olive Branch for many years, and ideally the land will be located in Frisco or in one of the surrounding cities.
Existing Structures
Existing structures on a piece of land would be a bonus, but they are not necessary for purchase. An ideal piece of land will have existing pastures and horse facilities, as well as structures that can be converted in to classrooms, offices, or greenhouses..
Zoning
The land will ultimately end up being multi-use so the zoning should be minimal at startup with the opportunity to define zoning within the city where it is located. There should be the options to place retail/medical storefronts and associated parking, fields for equestrian and greenhouses, internal community roads for housing, restaurant and café, as well as school and office buildings.
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Infrastructure Infrastructure will be primarily dependent on location of the property, and includes roads, electrical, water and sewage. The ideal property will have most infrastructure in place or zoned and planned with minimal work to be done to get the infrastructure to the property.
On the property itself, there will be extensive infrastructure work done, most likely in stages, as different parts of the property are developed.
3) Operational Launch Operational Launch is important as the separation of the Board and Operations will become more visible when the Day Program is able to officially launch. The Board will assume the role of governance with the head of the operational team reporting into the Board.
Operational Launch will be another part of the development that will likely happen in Phases. Much of the operational rollout is dependent on funding, properties, and talent acquisition.
Foundation for Operational Expenses The Olive Branch will establish a separate Operational Foundation with the sole purpose of raising money for operational/administrative expenses needed to run the Olive Branch. By establishing a separate foundation, donations can be kept purely for the purpose of the donation, with donations to the primary Olive Branch Foundation used 100% for the purposes stated. Keeping administrative/operational donations separate will maintain a clean accounting of donations and provide incentive for people to give knowing exactly how their donation will be used.
Executive Director See Section 8 on Operations, Management and Organization for a definition of the Executive Director position.
Day Program and Retail Shop Minimum operational personnel needed to begin the 5 day-a-week day program is 2 full-time people including a teacher and an aide to work in either a leased property or a structure on the new land. Volunteers will be expected to help out as well.
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Phase 4 - Development of Community (Future)
Phase 4 will consist of developing the land into the complete Olive Branch Community, patterned after the successful Brookwood community just outside of Houston, Texas.
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8. Operations, Management and Organization
The operations and management of the Olive Branch will oversee all day-to-day operations of the community, fundraising, grant writing, and promotion. Management will be headed by an Executive Director, who will report directly to the Board.
Executive Director The key position needed to officially launch the operations of the Olive Branch will be the Executive Director. This position will serve as the leader of the business/operations of the program and will report directly to the Board. Funding will need to be secured for a minimum of one-year in salary and expenses, and ideally for 2-3 years before hiring this position. The Executive Director will manage all operational aspects of the Olive Branch and be the primary driver in fundraising efforts, grant writing, and sponsorships. In the role, the Executive Director will help secure his or her own funding and will drive the management and growth of the Olive Branch moving forward.
Management StructureThe organizational chart below demonstrates how the management structure of the Olive Branch might be setup. The Board of Directors, in existence since early in the life of the Olive Branch, will handle all governance of the organization, and will directly oversee the Executive Director.
The Board may have an advisory committee made up of people who provide insights, services, and additional help as needed. Advisors to the Board may attend some Board meetings when invited, but are not required. The Board will also work with TOB attorney, CPA, and insurance agent to maintain the necessary and proper administrative filings, paperwork and counsel.
The Executive Director, similar to a CEO in the for-profit world, will oversee and manage all operations of the Olive Branch. All staff and personnel will report directly into the Executive Director.
BoardofDirectorsAttorney
CPA
Insurance
AdvisoryCommittee
ExecutiveDirector
Teachers/Aides OtherStaff
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9. Financial Plan
The Olive Branch’s mission statement uses the phrase “self-sustaining” because this is a key tenet to the operation and financial viability of the organization.
12-Month Financial Projection Included in Appendix 101.1, you will find a 12-month profit and loss financial projection based on assumptions indicated on the sheet. Based on fundraising and donation forecasts, the Olive Branch intends to be cash-flow positive from the very beginning with the only debt incurred from the purchase of land.
Donation/Grant/Fundraising Forecast This may be added at a later date.
3-Year Financial Projection (Optional) This may be added at a later date.
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10. Appendices
10.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Month Financial Projection
Examples • Industry studies • Blueprints and plans • Maps and photos of location • Magazine or other articles • Detailed lists of equipment owned or to be purchased • Copies of leases and contracts • Letters of support from future customers • Any other materials needed to support the assumptions in this plan • Market research studies • List of assets available as collateral for a loan