Phyllis Wheatley Community Center Business Plan

Client Need

Phyllis Wheatley Community Center owns a camp about an hour West of the Twin Cities. While they have been able to use the camp for some purposes, they have a significant need to expand the camp to provide additional services to the youth and families they work with. Prior to fundraising or planning for a camp re-construction, a business plan was needed to ensure their plans for the camp would be feasible.

Our Solution

A business plan was put together for Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, and included the following components: service description & competition (competitive assessment), profiles of three different target markets, marketing strategies & sales forecast, and funding projections and plans.

“Phyllis Wheatley Community Center retained the services of Kristen to develop a business plan for our Camp Katharine Parsons. Kristen researched local, regional and national organized camping and event facilities trends. She also completed a comprehensive SWOT analysis for Camp Parsons and Phyllis Wheatley Community Center. Through that process she identified marketing segments, strategies, sales forecasts and potential sources of funding for capital support. We were particularly impressed with Kristen’s professionalism and attention to detail. The final product provides clear, research supported findings and practical suggestions which are critical to moving forward with plans for a capital campaign and preparing a detailed annual operating budget.”

—Steve Gustafson, Director of Development and Marketing, Phyllis Wheatley Community Center

About Phyllis Wheatley Community Center

Phyllis Wheatley Community Center opened its doors in 1924 as a settlement house. The center was the first agency in the Twin Cities dedicated to meetingthe human service needs of a growing African-American community. Throughout the agency’s history, it has reinvented itself to respond to the changing needs and conditions in the community.

In its early years, Phyllis Wheatley was a safe place for young African American women to seek shelter, receive guidance and marketable skill development.  Gradually, the agency became the center of the African American social scene and it evolved into a home-away-from-home for numerous African-American civic leaders, educators, entertainers and students. The Wheatley, as it was called, was the only place in Minneapolis where non-whites were permitted to lodge during those days.

Today Phyllis Wheatley programs address the needs of children, youth, families and elders by providing tailored education and skill building opportunities to help individuals and families discover their strengths, develop their personal networks of support and take control of their futures.