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PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — Marketing students at the University of West Florida lent their expertise to a local wildlife sanctuary.
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According to a university news release, the students conducted research for The Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida, which helped the group to determine community support for a “major capital campaign” to move their facility out of the chronic flood zone that it is in.
Undergraduate students in Dr. James Mead’s class created and conducted a capital campaign feasibility study, determining community awareness, donor profiles, willingness to give, and responses to possible campaign messages, according to the release.
“The students designed and fielded a Qualtrics survey to residents and supporters across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, collecting data through multiple methods,” the release read. “They then used statistical analysis, including regression analysis and donor segmentation, to translate the findings into strategic recommendations for The Wildlife Sanctuary.”
The students found that there is capacity for the sanctuary’s campaign, and they recommended the sanctuary focus the campaign on prior donors, using social media and other outreach opportunities.
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“This is what we want a business education to look like. Our students took on a real client with a real decision to make, and the Wildlife Sanctuary walked away with research it could actually use. That’s a win for the students and genuine impact for the community,” Mead said. “I’m proud of this class. These were undergraduates producing professional-grade research. Such work would cost $50K+ if performed by a marketing research firm.”
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