In the service-learning project with the CVJM Pfalz e.V., the student team supported the association with ongoing management issues.

Problem definition

Voluntary work in the Palatinate region is declining. There is a lack of non-project-related donations, which are needed for the salaries of paid employees, for example. In addition, the number of people doing a voluntary social year and federal volunteers is falling continuously.

Three specific goals were defined in the course of the project:

• Development of new measures to recruit volunteers
• Revision of funding applications for new donations
• Improving the approach to contacting potential cooperation partners

Approach

In order to identify the target groups of the YMCA Palatinate, the student-student team applied the customer model according to Helmig, Michalski and Thaler (2009) to the customers of the YMCA Palatinate. The customer stereotypes were then developed from this and addressed using various methods.

In order to increase the number of volunteers, a cooperation with Dr. Isabel Neto Carvahlho, the study manager of the Department of Social Sciences, TUK, was initiated. The YMCA Palatinate now has the opportunity to give a short presentation in the introductory course for student teachers at the beginning of each semester. Teacher trainees must complete a 15-day extracurricular internship as part of their bachelor's degree, which is now also possible at the YMCA Palatinate.

In order to reconstruct the funding applications, the applications that had already been submitted were analyzed with regard to commonalities. The analysis revealed that many sponsors require the same or similar application content. As a result, the student team, in consultation with the association management, created descriptions that could be used in future applications and designed a short question section for the most frequently asked questions with standardized answers. The sustainable development goals were optionally incorporated into the application material.

To make it easier to contact potential cooperation partners, the student team created a cover letter template based on the homepage. The template consists of a brief description of the YMCA Palatinate and leaves enough space for an individual cooperation request.

Problem definition

In 2018, the ASZ opened a conference and leisure center, the "Galappmühle". Due to a lack of time resources, it was not possible for the ASZ to answer the associated management questions.

The following objectives were defined during the project:

• Increase awareness of the conference and leisure center
• Securing future customer acquisition
• To make the "Galappmühle" economically viable in the long term

Approach

First, the market and the Galappmühle's public image were analyzed. The student team identified the most important customer groups.

Building on this, the students carried out a positioning analysis. This showed that the Galappmühle can fill positioning gaps in the market, particularly by expanding sustainability aspects, setting up recreational areas and extending the facilities.

Next, the students drew up a network diagram and compared the Galappmühle with specific competitors in the Kaiserslautern area. This revealed a clear competitive situation, but the students also recognized the potential for a unique position.

To address the Galappmühle's target groups, the team identified the possible relevant channels and marketing instruments.

The team also made recommendations for the next steps and further expansion as well as for external impact and customer acquisition.