Reference no: EM133168179

Case: Big Brothers of Fairfax County

Big Brothers of America is a social service program designed to meet the needs of boys ages 6-18 from single parent homes. Most of the boys served by the program live with their mothers and rarely see or hear from their fathers. The purpose of the program is to give these boys the chance to establish a friendship with an interested adult male. Big Brothers of America was founded on the belief that an association with a responsible adult can help program participants become more responsible citizens and better adjusted young men.

The program was started in Cincinnati in 1903. Two years later, the organization was granted its first charter in New York State through the efforts of Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt. By the end of WW II, there were 30 Big Brothers agencies. Today there are more than 300 agencies across the U.S. and more than 120,000 boys are matched with Big Brothers. The Fairfax County chapter of Big Brothers of America was founded in Fairfax in 1966. In 1971, United Way of Fairfax County accepted the program as part of its umbrella organization and now provides about 85% of its funding. The remaining 15% is raised by the local Big Brothers agency.

Information about the Big Brothers program in Fairfax County reaches the public primarily through newspapers (feature stories and classified advertisements), radio, public service announcements, posters (on buses and in windows of local establishments), and word-of-mouth advertising including social media. The need for volunteers is a key message emanating from these sources. The organization's website with contact information is always included so that people who want to know more about the program can get more information. Those calling or emailing are given basic information and are invited to attend one of the monthly orientation sessions organized by the Big Brothers program staff. At these meetings, men get the chance to talk to other volunteers and to find out what will be expected of them should they decide to join the program. At the end of the session, prospective volunteers are asked to complete two forms. One is an application form and the other is a questionnaire in which the person is asked to describe the type of boy he would prefer to be matched with, as well as his own interests.

The files on potential Little Brothers are then reviewed to match boys with the volunteers. A match is made only if both partners agree. The agency stays in close contact with the pair and monitors its progress. The three counselors for the Big Brothers program serve as resources for the volunteer.

Most of the inquiries received by the Fairfax County agency are from women who are interested in becoming Big Sisters (in the Big Brothers program) or from people desiring information on the Couples Program. Both programs are similar to the Big Brothers program and are administered by it. In fact, of the 55 inquiries concerning a recent orientation meeting, only 5 were from males. Only three of the five of those who inquired about the program, attended the meeting, a typical response.

Although the information campaigns and personal appeals thus far seemed to have some effect, the results were also generally disappointing and did little to alleviate the shortage of volunteer Big Brothers. Currently, 250 boys are waiting to be matched with Big Brothers, and the shortage increases weekly.

Big Brothers of Fairfax County believed that a lack of awareness and accurate knowledge could be the cause of the shortage of volunteers. Are there men who would volunteer if only they were made aware of the program and its needs? Or is the difficulty a negative program image? Do people think of Little Brothers as problem children, boys who have been in trouble with the law or who have severe behavioral problems? Or could there be a misconception of the type of man who would make a good Big Brother? Do people have stereotypes with respect to the volunteers, for example, that the typical volunteer is a young, single, professional male?

Questions

1. What is (are) the marketing decision problem (s)?

2. What is the resulting research problem and associated research questions? Offer a hypothesis to the questions offered.

3. What types of information, data and statistical analysis would be useful to answer these questions?

4. How would you go about securing this information?