The sparkpoint toolkit
United Way Bay Area’s Guide to Replicating SparkPoint for Student Success at Postsecondary Institutions
What’s In This Section
The Planning section is designed as a facilitator’s guide for college staff, faculty and/or administrators that provides practical guidance and tools for decision-making and executing on strategies to launch a center. Click each step of the planning process below to learn more, or, go to the bottom of the page to read the whole planning section in the pdf.
1. Launch Planning Process
Though every SparkPoint Center’s planning timeline varies, on average it takes about twelve months to fully launch a Center after an institution has completed the discovery phase. This timeline is applicable once you’ve achieved readiness on the institutional self-assessment with funding secured and strong buy-in from your leadership, staff and students. It is important to note that getting buy-in and advocating for initial funding is a long-term process that could take years to secure.
Goals for this section:
- Review the timeline for the planning phase
- Establish the planning committee and decision-making structure
- Identify a SparkPoint lead
- Understand and utilize a work plan to support the planning phase
- Familiarize yourself with the tools in the toolkit and the steps you’ll need to take to reach your goal of launching a SparkPoint Center
2. Visioning
The first step in building your SparkPoint Center is to have a clear vision of what your Center could look like. Developing a plan without a vision for the future is like building a bridge to nowhere. The committee needs to agree on where the process is leading and why.
Goals for this section:
- Define the vision for your SparkPoint Center on campus
3. Needs Assessment
The next step in planning your SparkPoint Center on campus is to gather information about student needs and interest. Understanding the main financial and economic challenges students face will help you plan your service offerings and partnerships. This step can also be an opportunity to hear directly from students on important operational aspects of the new Center, such as timing of services offered, location, and other amenities. The timeline for completing a needs assessment will vary depending on your institutional resources and the data you can access.
Goals for this section:
- Understand the main financial and economic challenges that students face
- Identify potential priority populations, services, recruitment strategies, and operational considerations
- Brainstorm ways to continue to solicit student feedback and input
4. Priority Population
Based on the needs assessment and interpreting the survey results, discuss and determine your priority population. No program can serve the needs of every student, so it is important to be clear on who should be prioritized for recruitment and who would benefit most from SparkPoint.
Goals for this section:
- Identify who your SparkPoint Center will serve, including eligibility criteria
- Brainstorm on-campus programs that will be part of SparkPoint or that will support recruitment
- Draft your Priority Population Statement
5. Services
The services offered at your SparkPoint Center should be based on the information you gathered during your needs assessment. This is an opportune time to review existing partnerships and resources, and what you still need to build out the services that students and families can count on for their financial and educational success.
Goals for this section:
- Determine the resources available (or possible) through local organizations and institutions
- Research which issues are impacting the community
- Identify gaps that need to be addressed
- Develop an ongoing process to solicit student feedback and input
- Review services to be offered
6. Budget & Sustainability
This section is about creating a budget for your Center that lists revenue sources and major expenses. The section also discusses considerations for long-term financial sustainability for your Center beyond the first few years.
Goals for this section:
- Create a budget for your SparkPoint Center.
- Develop a process for creating a sustainability plan.
7. Partnerships
SparkPoint is built on leveraging both internal and external partnerships, which work together in an integrated service delivery model. In both internal and external partnerships, it is important to align with agencies and departments that have shared goals and values. SparkPoint acts as a hub by providing services and referrals to partners, and partners reciprocate by providing service referrals to SparkPoint.
Goals for this section:
- Understand the impact of both on-campus and off-campus partnerships
- Identify existing partners to participate in the planning and implementation of SparkPoint
- Connect with potential partners
- Develop clarity on the role of partners and the benefits of the partnership
- Secure partnership agreements
8. Service Integration
Service integration refers to multiple service agencies working together to provide holistic interventions to clients through collaboration and coordination. This client-centered approach focuses on students who have multifaceted needs that require services from multiple agencies.
Goals for this section:
- Define how your partners will work together to provide a seamless experience for students through the development of a Service Integration Plan
9. Staffing
This section includes recommended positions, leveraging existing staff, funding considerations, sample job descriptions, questions for the planning committee, and initial hiring and onboarding considerations. If SparkPoint is new to your college or district, it will take time for the institution to understand what SparkPoint does for the student community and what staffing is needed. We recommend starting the planning for positions early, as staffing approvals and hiring at postsecondary institutions take time.
Goals for this section:
- Determine roles that are necessary to launch your Center
- Create job descriptions from existing roles in your college or district
- Decide on a hiring timeline
- Identify funding sources for staffing
- Plan staff onboarding processes and training
10. Scheduling
In this section you’ll decide what hours your Center will be open based on the needs of your priority population as well as staff capacity. You will create a master calendar and consider what appointment system will best suit your needs.
Goals for this section:
- Develop a master calendar that meets the needs of your priority populations
11. Space
Ideally, SparkPoint would be located in a large, centrally located office on campus. However, due to limited space and resources on postsecondary campuses, SparkPoint Centers often do not get their first choice of location and must assess and select from the alternatives available to them. When assessing options, consider a few factors, such as size, stability, and which organizations will share your space.
Goals for this section:
- Identify where in the community your SparkPoint Center will be located
- Determine whether you have adequate space for the services your SparkPoint Center will offer
- Develop a plan for making the SparkPoint space welcoming
12. Marketing & Outreach
While each new SparkPoint Center will have their own marketing strategy based on the needs of their community, it is important to identify who will be responsible for your marketing strategy, how you will connect with your priority population, how you will raise awareness about the totality of SparkPoint services, and how much support you will be able to get from your institution. By answering some guiding questions, you will have an overall understanding of your marketing and outreach strategies.
Goals for this section:
- Understand marketing needs and priorities
- Use a cohesive branding strategy
13. Re-evaluating Budget
Now that you have thought more about your SparkPoint Center, revisit your budget and consider if it needs to be adjusted.
Goals for this section:
- Re-visit your Budget and Financial Sustainability Plans and make any needed adjustments.
14. Evaluation & Learning
This section will cover SparkPoint data including what data is used for, how it is collected and how SparkPoint measures client success.
Goals for this section:
- Review SparkPoint’s performance metrics
- Create your program goals for Years 1 & 2 or for the program pilot through a logic model
- Determine what system you will use to track metrics
- Determine how you will evaluate the program
15. Culture & Client Journey
Client Journey Mapping is an exercise to map the journey that users go through from the beginning of their time with SparkPoint to becoming and remaining engaged as clients.
Goals for this section:
- Understand and shape the student experience from program entry through completion
- Identify and address gaps in the client experience
16. Center Launch
The purpose of hosting a launch event is to formally announce the SparkPoint Center to the community, students, staff, and faculty. The launch brings awareness of services, shows institutional commitment, and serves as an end to the planning phase.
Goals for this section:
- Plan and hold an event to formally announce the launch of the new SparkPoint Center
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