Website Democracy At Work Institute
Contract: Request for Proposals
Project Name: Rapid Response Cooperatives Sales and Client Development
RFP Issue Date: September 8, 2021
Response Due Date: September 30, 2021
The Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) seeks an experienced, self-directed and collaborative person to support sales and client development for our rapidly expanding network of Radiate cooperatives, which provide high-quality professional services to a variety of clients.
About DAWI
DAWI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit movement-based think-and-do tank that expands the promise of cooperative business ownership to communities most directly affected by economic, social, and racial inequality. Our core work is supporting the expansion of democratic employee ownership of business as a strategy for racial, gender and economic equity. We do research and advocacy; we develop tools and new models; we train worker-owners and developers; and we convene communities of practice to ensure that further growth in the worker cooperative movement reaches low-income people, BIPOC communities and recent immigrants. We are affiliated with the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, the national grassroots membership organization.
Values: In all our work, as well as internal operations, DAWI strives to embody our organizational values of Excellence, Equity, Entrepreneurialism, Collaboration, and Human-Centeredness.
Flexible, remote work: Having staff and contractors all over the country requires and allows us to create flexible working hours and locations. All staff and contractors are expected to be able and willing to learn and help improve the technological tools for remote working.
Strong team: We are a high-functioning, close-knit staff, and we want to work with a skilled and reliable colleague.
Growth potential: This is a contract in a maturing organization, and is key to our sustainability as we grow. The contract has potential to grow as the organization grows.
Stable organization: DAWI has a diversified revenue stream, multi-year funding, and a commitment to building an annual reserve that creates stability for our growing organization. Our annual budget for 2021 is just over $3 million, and our average staff tenure is over 5 years.
Project Overview
This project will focus on building a sales and client pipeline for the rapid response worker cooperative businesses making up the Radiate Consulting network, including Radiate Consulting SF Bay Area, Radiate Consulting NYC, and Radiate Consulting North Carolina. The work scope is to develop and secure institutional anchor clients and contracts within education, government agencies, and social services organizations, and clients in the private sector, especially those emphasizing diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) practices and social impact.
Qualifications
Successful proposals will demonstrate the following experience and skills:
Institutional vendors and procurement practices: Familiarity and experience with developing client/vendor relationships with large institutions.
Client development and sales: Experience developing and supporting sales and client outreach, negotiating contracts, and closing deals.
Communication and training: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation and training skills, and familiarity with participatory and popular education. Strong phone skills and ability to build relationships remotely.
Bilingual: The ability to speak both English and Spanish proficiently. Community connections: Familiarity with immigrants rights organizing, first-generation college student and Dreamer communities, recent graduates.
Equity lens and cultural competency: Contractor must be able to communicate with a broad range of people and institutions confidently and effectively, with a critical analysis of power, privilege, race, class and gender.
Collaborative approach: Ability to work with a team, track and report on progress on deliverables and quarterly goals. Collaborate with RRC program staff to set, achieve and communicate about goals.
Self-management: Self-starter, comfortable taking initiative, scoping projects, managing priorities and time, and holding yourself accountable to realistic goals. Strong organizational skills, task-tracking and 100% follow-through on deadlines.
Full competence with basic office tools: Microsoft Office Suite, GSuite, online project management systems, remote file systems, online/remote meeting tools. We use Slack and Zoom for most communication.
We value emotional intelligence, kindness, and sense of humor: Diplomacy, judgment and discretion are important.
Scope of Work
Anticipated project period: October 15, 2021 – October 15, 2022
Anticipated project budget: $50,000-65,000
Work Area
Description
Milestones/Deliverables
Sales Strategy Development
20%
Meet and consult regularly with the RRC Project Director and RRC Business Developers on sales strategy and marketing for Radiate Consulting businesses.
Learn each company’s products and services offerings, features and pricing.
Create, develop, and execute on a sales strategy, including establishing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for success and benchmarks, for six Radiate Cooperatives.
Meeting agenda and notes
Written sales strategy, projections and KPIs for each cooperative
Institutional/
Anchor Sales Strategy Development and Execution 40%
Identify and nurture potential anchor clients from existing and established institutional relationships.
Develop a template to assess, define, and negotiate commitments for anchor client contracts.
Create anchor client analysis and projections for anchor client contract sales for each cooperative
Research procurement and vendor best practices for institutional clients.
Anchor client target list and sales contracts
Anchor client contract template
Analysis and projections for each cooperative
Procurement how-to document.
Register Radiate cooperatives as City vendors
Member Coordination and Capacity Building 10%
Work with Radiate Consulting members and marketing committees to ensure collaboration and cohesion in marketing and sales outreach efforts.
Stay up to date with the industry trends, benchmarks, and best practices. Monitor competition.
Member meeting agendas
Updated Radiate Consulting website.
Training – 15%
Support cooperative developers and RRC staff in leading Radiate Network sales and client development, and establishing accessible sales projections and goals to ensure future cooperative business success.
Co-facilitate and co-present trainings, when appropriate, on client negotiation and sales for Radiate members and DAWI staff.
Training materials
Communication – 15%
Attend regular team meetings with Radiate Consulting Cooperatives, and DAWI’s RRC team to keep communication and projects on track.
Track projects via Asana.
Meeting Agendas
Proposal
Interested parties should submit a proposal/letter of interest including the following sections. These materials should be submitted using the link below as one PDF.
Statement of Qualifications: An overview of why the contractor is qualified to do the work outlined in the scope, including relevant experience and demonstrated competence in the required areas, per a standard resume.
Resume, including description of work experience and formal training
If an organization, names, location and role of assigned staff, including a short bio and resumes of staff that will be allocated to the project.
Statement of Work: Clearly written, brief proposal describing the proposer’s understanding of and plan to address the work described in the Scope section of this document, including key project milestones and/or deliverables.
Budget, including proposed hours and rate.
Additionally, in the form below we will ask that you provide us with three references.
Proposal Submission Instructions
Organizations and individuals that meet the qualifications outlined in this document should submit their documents electronically in a single PDF by uploading your materials using this link.
Project Name: Rapid Response Cooperatives Sales and Client Development
RFP Issue Date: September 8, 2021
Response Due Date: September 30, 2021
Link to submit proposal materials
Notice of Nondiscrimination
Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) is committed to a multi-racial and class-diverse staff that reflects the future of worker cooperatives. We are an anti-racist organization that centers racial equity in our values, programs, and vision. Women, people of color and others who may be underrepresented at senior levels of the nonprofit workforce are strongly encouraged to apply. DAWI is committed to equal opportunity for all persons without regard to sex, age, race, color, religion, creed, national origin, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law. It is the policy of DAWI to comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding equal opportunity. In keeping with that policy, DAWI is committed to maintaining a work environment that is free of unlawful discrimination and harassment. Accordingly, DAWI will not tolerate unlawful discrimination against or harassment of any of our employees or others present at our facilities by anyone, including any supervisor, coworker, vendor, client, or customer of DAWI.