Fall2012 gear up_final.report

Fall 2012
Semester
Palomar College GEAR UP
Partnership Program:
Improving the Lives of Local Youth in North
County San Diego Through Sustainable
Business Partnerships
Prepared for: Calvin One Deer Gavin
Therese Cisneros-Remington
Prepared by: April Stotler
Christopher Newman
David Harris
Kelly Bussey
Silvia Monterrosa

! !
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and foremost, we would like to express our gratitude to Therese Cisneros-
Remington who has been instrumental to the successful completion of this project. Her valuable
time and advice helped focus our efforts and made this project successful. We would also like to
thank Calvin One Deer Gavin for his encouragement and inspiration. We would like to thank
our faculty advisor Professor Alan Omens for giving us leadership and guidance throughout the
duration of this project. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Palomar College
and GEAR UP for providing us with the information and facilities necessary to complete this
project. This project has allowed us the privilege to participate and learn about GEAR UP and
the valuable role it plays within our community. Without the help of the individuals mentioned
above, we would not have been successful in completing this project.

! ! !
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1
INTRODUCTION 2
OBJECTIVES 4
METHODOLOGY & RESULTS 6
ASSESSING PERCEPTIONS OF CURRENT PARTNERS 6
PRIMARY RESEARCH 6
OUTCOMES 8
BEST PRACTICES TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN PARTNER NETWORK 10
PRIMARY RESEARCH 10
OUTCOMES 11
DATABASE DEVELOPMENT 17
DESIRED COMPANIES 17
POPULATING THE DATABASE 17
TESTING THE DATABASE 18
OUTCOMES 19
RECOMMENDATIONS 20
CONCLUSION 23
REFERENCES 24
APPENDICES 25

"!
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Palomar College GEAR UP identified a key problem: identifying potential business
partners that are willing to provide in-kind services/donations year after year. In order for
Palomar College GEAR UP to be successful in their program implementation, they need to
identify organizations that are willing and able to make repeat contributions to their program.
The student research team, from California State University San Marcos, was contracted by the
Palomar College GEAR UP Partnership Program administration team to assist them in achieving
their program objectives and goals. After several consultations with the sponsor, the student
team set out to accomplish the following tasks:
1. Identify potential partners, determine likely prospects, build a database of at least
100 potential partners, and determine if they’re willing to have a GEAR UP
presentation.
2. Solicit feedback from current partners to assess current perceptions and areas of
opportunities to strengthen the relationship.
3. Research “best practices” or strategies for creating and fostering long-term
business education partnerships.
Through great effort the student team was able to identify and create a database of almost
200 potential business partners located in the San Diego metro area. The student team gathered
information with a given set of criteria from the databases ReferenceUSA and the San Diego
Business Journal. The student team was also able to solicit sound information from seven
current active business partners. The responses resulted in positive information for Palomar
College GEAR UP and helpful recommendations for improving program partnerships was
gained as well. Finally, the student team was able to uncover good and effective practices for

#!
business education partnerships. This was best achieved through secondary research, versus
primary research conducted through direct communication attempts with outside resources.
Based on the primary and secondary research conducted by the student team, several
recommendations should be considered: maintain current online presence, keep an open line of
communication through multiple channels, make sure communications are frequent and from one
point of contact, start an advisory board/committee, network at local business networking events,
and nurture current partnerships by planning more partnership events and including partners in
upcoming GEAR UP events.
INTRODUCTION
GEAR UP is a non-profit program, which stands for “Gaining Early Awareness and
Readiness for Undergraduate Programs” (Appendix A). GEAR UP was enacted as part of the
1998 Higher Education Act to give more low-income students the skills, encouragement, and
preparation to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. The GEAR UP program offers
state and partnership grants that are competitive, discretionary six-year matching grants issued to
states and partnerships to provide services to middle and high schools. Specifically, GEAR UP
is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are adequately prepared to both
enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP, at Palomar College, is a U.S.
Department of Education grant program that allocates resources to provide early college
awareness, improve academic performance, increase high school graduation rates, and improve
the transition for students from middle school to high school in the North County San Diego area
(Appendix B).

$!
Palomar College GEAR UP is designed to help create a pre-college culture in middle
school students while facilitating the process of preparing high school students for future college
enrollment. The Palomar College GEAR UP program helps at-risk, low-income, and first
generation college students in the San Marcos, Vista, and Escondido school districts in
California. Their mission statement reads, “The Palomar College GEAR UP Partnership
Program is devoted to enhancing a college-going culture that will increase the number of
students from San Marcos and Vista Unified School Districts who are prepared for and admitted
to post-secondary institutions. By building a network of support comprised of schools, parents,
business and the community, we are committed to empowering ALL GEAR UP students for
success via these four pillars: Parents Involvement & Education, Advance Academic
Achievement, College Knowledge & Planning, Career Awareness & Planning.” Aligning with a
non-profit, such as GEAR UP, allows companies to help the community they operate in, receive
exposure as a charitable business, and also take pleasure in knowing they are helping make a
difference in the lives of many youth in San Diego.
Palomar College GEAR UP has three specific key objectives for the years 2011-2018
grant funding including:
1. Increase student enrollment in rigorous courses that reflect challenging academic
standards and increase student knowledge and demonstration of necessary
academic preparation for college.
2. Increase high school graduation rates and student enrollment and success in
postsecondary education.
3. Increase educational expectations and students’ knowledge of and access to
financial assistance for postsecondary education.

%!
Based off these objectives, Palomar College GEAR UP has identified their three goals:
1. Increase academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education.
2. Increase high school graduation and participation in postsecondary education.
3. Increase GEAR UP students’ and their families’ knowledge of postsecondary
education options, preparations, and financing.
The student research team at California State University San Marcos, for their Senior
Experience project, has undertaken a market research project on behalf of Palomar College
GEAR UP. To aid this remarkable educational outreach program, the student research team has
conducted primary and secondary research in an effort to determine how to gain business partner
relationships, how to maintain existing partnerships, and how to sustain a successful long-term
relationship with business partners. In addition to the primary and secondary research, the
student team developed a potential partner database. The purpose of this project was to assist
Palomar College GEAR UP in expanding their partner network in an effort to meet their program
objectives and goals. The objectives of this project, the methodology and results of this project,
database development, as well as recommendations for GEAR UP will be listed in the following
sections.
OBJECTIVES
Upon first introduction to the GEAR UP project, the student research team was
contracted to address a problem the Palomar College GEAR UP Partnership Program was
experiencing. As a federally funded GEAR UP grantee, the administrative team from the
Palomar College GEAR UP needed help with identifying and increasing potential business
partners. Out of necessity to meet federal regulations, a GEAR UP partnership grant recipient is

&!
required to acquire in-kind donations and/or services from outside organizations that can then be
matched by federal funds. These partner contributions serve as a lifeline to the many services
Palomar College GEAR UP provides to local students. Therefore, the problem the student
research team needed to address was how to find and make a connection with likely business
partner prospects for GEAR UP Partnership Program sustainability.
The initial goals of the project involved the following:
1. Identify the target business with demographics in the San Diego region that are
likely participants to provide contributions to educational programs such as
GEAR UP.
2. Determine the most likely prospects-perhaps 100 potential businesses that are
potential program partners.
3. Build a database of all potential business partners and their contact information
including the information of the main contact person for their respective
community outreach program.
4. Determine if the potential partner is willing to have a 20-minute GEAR UP
presentation to learn about and consider partnership.
After several consultations with the GEAR UP administrative team, it was determined
that the Senior Experience team would address these additional elements as project goals:
1. Target companies that are only related to (STEAM): Science, Technology,
Engineering, Arts, and Math (for steps 1 through 4.)
2. Survey current active business partners:
• To assess their perceptions of their relationship with GEAR UP and the
effectiveness of the relationship.

'!
• To solicit feedback on ways to strengthen business partner sponsorship
engagement with GEAR UP.
3. Conduct Research for best practices and strategies for creating and maintaining
business partner relationships with grant programs such as GEAR UP:
• Through primary research - contacting companies that currently have
community outreach programs, specifically with academic programs.
• Through a Literature Review of existing materials demonstrating
successful collaborations between companies (corporations) and
educational institutions or programs.
The Senior Experience team set out to accomplish all the elements noted, so as to assist
our sponsors, the administrative team at Palomar College GEAR UP, in achieving their program
objectives and goals.
METHODOLOGY & RESULTS
ASSESSING PERCEPTIONS OF CURRENT PARTNERS
Primary Research
The objective of this survey was to understand the perceptions of Palomar GEAR UP’s
current business partner relationships; in order to help GEAR UP identify ways to improve
outreach to both current as well as new prospects within the community. The research team
wanted to learn how GEAR UP could better maintain their relationships with these current
partners by identifying the strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement within the GEAR
UP Program, and the overall dynamics of these partner relationships.

(!
The primary research for the current partners was obtained through a ten-question survey
form (Appendix C) to be collected by several methods including email, telephone, and Survey
Monkey submissions online. The data the team collected was qualitative in nature as a result of
open-ended questions and was sent to a sample size of 20 current active business partners, and
the project team received only seven submissions in return. This sampling frame was obtained
through GEAR UP’s (2011-2018) Business-Partner-Listings, which originally identified 38
business partners. The sample size was then further reduced based off of new updated listing
information provided to the research team by the GEAR UP staff. The final figure of 20
business partners represented a sample of active businesses that have ongoing personal contact
with GEAR UP, or have provided an event for GEAR UP students and/or faculty participation
recently. This final survey sample represented only fifty percent of the total original sample
population. The data the team received was both anonymous through Survey Monkey
submissions and named through email and phone submissions. The research team kept the
respondents’ submissions confidential in the final report to GEAR UP, in order to ensure
accurate feedback and respondent confidentiality (Appendix D).
The survey team completed the first draft of the survey form on September 24, 2012, and
submitted it for review by GEAR UP personnel. The project team received final approval on
October 1, 2012, and began submitting survey requests to the GEARUP current business partners
on October 3, 2012. Initial survey requests went out via email to all participants introducing the
project team and requesting five minutes of their time to complete the survey. Respondents who
did not submit a survey by the end of that week, Oct. 7, received a follow up phone call on
October 8, 2012. The survey team continued this process until October 11, 2012, when a request
was verbally submitted to GEAR UP staff, asking them to do their own personal follow up with

)!
the nonresponsive business partners. No further submissions were received after October 18,
2012.
Outcomes
The perception of the GEAR UP program by the current partner respondents was
overwhelmingly positive. The GEAR UP survey participants acknowledged the excellence of
the program and the positive contributions that the program offers to North County San Diego
students.
The current GEAR UP partnership respondents reported they chose to collaborate with
this program because it allows them to help and support the youth. As one participant stated, “It
was an opportunity to improve a child’s life.” Another organization saw this as a win/win for
both the agencies because it allows students to have a broader view of the many career fields
available to choose from after graduating from college.
The respondents of the survey were asked to describe the biggest strengths of the GEAR
UP program. Almost every response cited the dedication and the commitments of each and
every staff member. Survey participants believed that the program has some of the best and hard
working people around who are passionate about what they do and that they do it very well.
Participants were also asked what is the biggest strength of the GEAR UP program’s relationship
with their company. The respondents indicated that they like the fact that they are able to
connect directly with students and the teachers, and that GEAR UP is an excellent program they
can participate in.
Participants were also asked what they believed was the biggest weakness of the GEAR
UP program and the biggest weakness of the GEAR UP program’s relationship with their
company. Both questions resulted with answers that addressed the same concern; the program

*!
being “short staffed” and “not having one centralized community relations coordinator,” to help
coordinate between different community speakers, instructors for upcoming student lectures and
workshops with the school’s coordinators. Some participants found this to be extra work for
them in that they have to talk to different people.
When participants were asked areas of improvement for the GEAR UP program’s
relationship with their company, they responded by asking to have one point of contact, an
assigned community coordinator for their company and having more regular communications.
In regards to the program itself, some participants recommended for the program to have more
visibility and to recruit more community partners to the program. Above all, the participants
recommended for GEAR UP to be the first in planning more partnership events and to keep the
communication going with their agencies.
The research team had a good current partner survey topic inquiring about the needs,
behaviors, and affiliations of the GEAR UP program; however, the project faced two minor
limitations. Since the team minimized the representative sample size to only 20 business
partners, they needed to obtain as many responses as possible in order to validate the data.
However, one limitation that was experienced was unresponsive partners not returning emails or
phone calls for several weeks. This was discouraging for the research team considering they
eliminated the majority of business partners with the hope that the active business partners would
be more responsive to the survey. The team also ran into some contacts/individuals within the
current partner businesses who were no longer with the company or did not have enough
knowledge about the program to respond to the survey. This total accounted for twenty percent
of the representative sample size.

"+!
BEST PRACTICES TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN PARTNER NETWORK
Primary Research
To determine the best practices for establishing and maintaining an educational business
partner network, the student research team designed a primary research study which was to be
conducted through the means of a qualitative questionnaire using informal phone interviews and
email requests. The goal was for the student team to get in contact with companies that have an
established community outreach/philanthropy program already in place. Examples would
include such companies as Cox Communications, Qualcomm and SeaWorld San Diego
(Appendix E). The Palomar College GEAR UP program, being a relatively new program,
compared to the likes of Qualcomm’s Global Philanthropy/Outreach, can benefit by learning
from these larger corporations’ insights with established partnership programs. These insights
can potentially help GEAR UP avoid any mistakes that may jeopardize both small and larger
business partners from joining them.
On September 27th, 2012, a six-item open-ended questionnaire was outlined and
finalized by one of the student team members with the assistance of a Marketing Professor, Ms.
Mary Cassoni from Palomar Community College (Appendix F). Anticipating company
gatekeepers, the six-item questionnaire was designed with preliminary notes or a brief script to
assist each team member in cold calling and locating the proper contact/company representative
who might be in charge of community outreach.
The questionnaire was designed to receive open ended answers that would allow the
company representative to speak freely about aspects of developing their community
partnerships regarding such factors as:
• Important characteristics
• How they obtain partners or screen them

""!
• An ideal length of time for a partnership
• The best practices to maintain that relationship
• How to make the relationship last longer
• The best way for an organization to explore a potential partnership with their
company
The non-statistical questionnaire was administered through convenience sampling
methods of these larger philanthropic companies. A list of 55 companies was compiled using an
internet Google search to identify philanthropic businesses to contact via telephone or in many
cases emails in order to reach the person or department in charge of any community
outreach/philanthropy programs that are already in place. Once the person in charge of that
aspect of the business was reached, the questions were to be asked by the team members to
determine best practices or the best ways in which Palomar College GEAR UP can approach
potential partners and how to sustain a relationship with those partners.
The cutoff date for the primary research study with outside organizations was originally
scheduled for October 11th, 2012. However, due to lack of responses and delayed responses by
many outside companies, the student team continued to pursue connections with the companies
through October 31st, 2012.
Outcomes
With a list of 55 companies that have a corporate giving program, the student team
determined this list of companies should be sufficiently comprehensive to assist them in gaining
the valuable information the project was seeking. The resistance and the lack of responses

"#!
received by the listed companies were very surprising. The companies that did respond back to
the request were Life Technologies, SeaWorld San Diego, and Northrop Grumman.
There were several limitations that were encountered while conducting the outside
company research for best practices. The first limitation that arose was that many companies
were not receptive of the team’s cold-calling efforts. A majority of the time companies that were
contacted by phone hung up, didn’t know who to direct the call to, or failed to respond to any
messages that were left through receptionists or voicemail. The second limitation was the
inability to find a direct phone number for the community outreach department, which then led to
the team to direct their efforts through email correspondence. The email efforts proved to be
more fruitful as the team was successful in gaining feedback from three different companies.
However, the research team suspects that they did not receive more responses due to the
possibility of the emails landing into spam folders. The third limitation encountered during this
project was that when company representatives were able to be reached, some were hesitant to
reveal any information about community outreach/philanthropy programs or processes in which
partners are made/established. The final limitation was that company representatives, who were
willing to help with the project, were not able to do so at this time, due to time constraints with
their own schedules. One company asked to be contacted again in January 2013, conflicting
with the time schedule given to the research team.
Although the research team gained limited feedback through their primary research
efforts, the team did gather some helpful information by the few companies that were kind
enough to respond to the inquiries (Appendix G). The first helpful piece of information gathered
states a partnership needs to be a win/win situation for both parties. Life Technologies
mentioned a stronger collaboration would be formed with organizations that do business with
them. The Community Relations Manager for SeaWorld San Diego appreciates a partner

"$!
organization that has their best interest in mind and will promote the good work they’re doing at
their facility.
Elaborating on those thoughtful responses by SeaWorld and Life Technologies a
document found during the literature review, The 2010 Bayer Perspectives on Creating
Successful Business Education Partnerships, mentions that business-education partnerships are
on the rise; however, there are many challenges to overcome. The main challenge is identifying
and meshing the main focus of each sector. Business is more short-term focused with a results-
oriented mindset. Education focuses on the long-term where results are not immediately
recognized. A partnership between the two sectors can be satisfying and enormously beneficial
as there are many rewards to be had between the two parties. Bayer recommends that when the
two join together they must clarify their intentions at the start, maintain good communication,
and learn how to overcome their challenges so that they may recognize the rewards and benefits.
A discussion between the two parties should uncover the expected outcomes of the partnership
and the measurements for success. Within this discussion a dialogue should be framed around
the goals, roles, and responsibilities of each respective organization so as to develop a win-win
situation for each party (Babe, 2010).
During the outside company best practices survey consultation with Prof. Mary Cassoni
at Palomar College, Ms. Cassoni suggested the research team contact Joe Molina at the
Oceanside Small Business Development Center (SBDC). She thought he might be able to assist
the research team with reaching outside corporations for building the potential partners database.
Two of the student research team members visited with Mr. Molina at the SBDC on October 4,
2012, with the hopes of obtaining more company directories for the potential business contacts
listing. During the interview, Mr. Molina was unable to provide more business listings, but over
the course of the discussion, valuable insights were provided by him regarding methods of

"%!
engaging companies for educational outreach programs, as well as what to expect when the team
tries to contact these outside businesses/corporations. This interview turned into a primary
research activity for discovering best practices in recruiting and maintaining a business-
education partnership.
Mr. Molina’s first suggestion was that cold calling these large companies, without
building any kind of prior relationships, was going to be difficult, as the research team
discovered over the course of the project. During the interview, Mr. Molina also touched upon
some of the very same corporate-partnership-building principles that were discussed in many of
the articles the research team had discovered for the literature review. First was to have a
“champion,” a person who is identifiable to the outward community, who can act as a face to
GEAR UP’s efforts, such as a congressman or a city mayor, some type of person with official
capacity. This person would be on and perhaps in charge of a GEAR UP Community Board,
consisting of other prominent community members involved with education, corporate and
industry, as well as some of the GEAR UP students and their parents. He suggested these people
be recruited from organizations such as City Chambers of Commerce, and that the GEAR UP
personnel frequent chamber-networking events to recruit these members for an advisory board.
This board should meet periodically, up to five times a year, and develop action teams for
forming GEAR UP goals and events, and to reach out further into the business world to reach
colleagues as needed to run the events/programs annually.
Events involving businesses should be consistent, such as an annual dinner or mixer and
the relationships needed to hold them together have to be ongoing and constantly nurtured. He
said the GEAR UP staff should define these relationships as, “A, B and C players.” The A & B
players consistently create events and promotions together, they provide feedback and support
for each other, and they often hold events to celebrate their achievements when they have

"&!
reached designated goals. These celebratory events should involve a wider audience, which
helps further reach out into the community. The C players are considered “shots in the dark,”
but they are always recruited to be involved. Mr. Molina referred to them as the outside people
with minimal involvement who are always appreciated. Mr. Molina also stressed anytime there
is an event to make a press release and not just one, but also several many weeks in advance,
including using social media such as Facebook. Lastly, Mr. Molina stressed that GEAR UP
should promote these companies efforts on the GEAR UP website and in their outgoing
literature, always showing appreciation for these partnerships, highlighting the companies with
their commitments and efforts. He suggested whoever is in the GEAR UP network of volunteers
(corporations) should have their logos with links to their company websites and/or community
pages. Ultimately these companies have a bottom line for a social agenda too, by creating
awareness of their efforts at GEAR UP, they are more likely to stay committed longer if they can
see they are getting some publicity from the partnership agreements.
Congruent to Mr. Molina’s suggestions for recruiting and maintaining business
partnerships, the literature review uncovered similar suggestions in a report provided by the
National Alliance of State Science and Mathematics Coalitions (NASSMC), called The SAI
Guide to Building Effective STEM Education Programs, which was also helpful in identifying
the types of potential partners and how to recruit partners.
The guide mentions that small business organizations may be more responsive and
versatile. The inquirer will most likely deal directly with the owners or top management, the
ones that make partnership decisions. Large businesses often have a more structured approach to
partnerships with a person or team dedicated to community outreach efforts. They typically have
established guidelines on how and when they may participate in education initiatives and these
types of organizations typically look for a partner organization with a proven track record.

"'!
Business organizations such as chambers of commerce and trade associations are helpful in
providing expertise and manpower.
Keeping true to form with the recommendations from Mr. Joe Molina at the Oceanside
Small Business Development Center (SBDC), as well as with the project member’s own
individual experiences, the SAI article does not recommend cold-calling organizations as this has
proven to be ineffective. SAI recommends a four-step plan as follows (Pawlowski, 2010):
1. Identify Prospective Partners: Look for the types of organizations that share
similar interests and may be able to assist in what your organization or program is
trying to accomplish.
2. Research: Take time to investigate the potential organizations to see if they have
the type of resources that would benefit your program and if there is evidence
they support your type of program.
3. Approach: It is best to approach someone in the potential organization through an
introduction rather than a cold call. An advisory group or someone within your
broader network may be able to make a brief introduction. Make sure to target
their interests and highlight the most important aspects of your program and then
request a specific next step such as a follow up phone call.
4. Present: After a meeting is scheduled, it is best to tailor the presentation to best
suit the needs of the potential organization. Highlight the benefits they will
receive by partnering with your organization or program and outline the type of
partnership you would like to have.
With regard to what the original project goals entailed, with the limited size of the survey
sample responses, it became difficult for the team to identify and create a model, which is based
off the primary research, for which the Palomar College GEAR UP Partnership Program can

"(!
establish and maintain business partnerships successfully. The survey information and
knowledge needed to do so was barely made available to the team. Due to this, the team
continued on with their research efforts to find best practice methods and strategies through
exhaustive secondary research of existing literature.
DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
Desired Companies
Palomar College GEAR UP Partnership Program is looking to increase their company
partnerships in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (or
S.T.E.A.M.). S.T.E.A.M. orientated companies can provide the Palomar College GEAR UP
program with the essential tools and knowledge that is needed for the students to become
inspired and thrive for a postsecondary degree that belongs to one of these fields. It became the
team’s primary objective to seek out companies within the San Diego region that are S.T.E.A.M.
orientated.
Populating the Database
ReferenceUSA, an online database that provides excellent information on business and
residential information for information and research, became the main tool for the research team
to accomplish this task. Using this database, finding S.T.E.A.M. orientated companies in San
Diego became an easy task. The challenging aspect of this was to weed out the companies that
did not fit the profile of potential partners. This initial profile included S.T.E.A.M. orientated
companies, who reside in the San Diego region, either a satellite-corporate location or
headquartered in San Diego, and have between 50 and 500 employees. Deciphering through all
the potential matches was easy, as shown in Appendix H, because of the search tools that

")!
allowed the team to narrow down the results to manageable numbers and better potential fits for
Palomar College GEAR UP. A business database provided by Palomar College GEAR UP,
listing San Diego businesses by industry, was also used to collect potential partner fits.
Once the team populated the initial database (Appendix I), the next task was to narrow
down the 300+ results to a manageable number to contact. In order to do this, each member took
a section of the database and researched the company further, either online or via telephone calls
to determine which of the 300+ would potentially be a good partner for the Palomar College
GEAR UP Partnership Program. This was done by checking to see exactly what each company
does for their day-to-day operations, seeing if they currently have a community
outreach/philanthropy program in place, and look for a contact person/email to continue the next
phase of the project. If this information was not available online, the team then would contact
the company via telephone and get in contact with the person who could best represent the
company in terms of community outreach/philanthropy.
Testing the Database
The team was able to narrow down the original 300+ results to 170 potential partners
(Appendix J). Once the final list of potential partners was made, the team then worked on
creating a letter in the form of an email, asking the potential partners to consider partnership with
the Palomar College GEAR UP Partnership Program. After the initial experience with cold-
calling during the determining best practices portion of the project, the team decided to submit
the letter of introduction via email in hopes that it would result in better success. The letter was
then submitted to Therese Cisneros-Remington for her approval. The team also had the email
letter tested by presenting it to some of the California State University of San Marcos professors.
Once the final letter was approved, the team was then able to send the emails through Calvin One

"*!
Deer’s email account (Appendix K). Out of the 170 potential partners, 169 emails were sent out.
An additional 15 letters were sent via regular mail because the business companies themselves
had requested to have letters mailed directly to them. There were a total of 184 potential partners
that the student team reached out to.
Outcomes
The emails to the potential partners that were sent out with a subject line of “Educational
Opportunities for your Business” and the letters sent through the mail, were sent out on
November 6th. The deadline for a response time from these 184 potential partners was set for
November 20th
and the GEAR UP offices was asked to keep track of all of the responses due to
the possibility of late responses once the project is completed. As of November 19th, 2012,
Therese reported to have received only two responses, both responding by saying that they were
not interested in the GEAR UP program at the time. Due to the low number of responses, the
team requested to have the GEAR UP office resend the emails out one more time with a different
subject line of “Palomar College is Seeking Company Partners” and with an extended response
time of November 28, 2012. As of today, November 26, 2012 a second count of responses is
pending.
The research team believes that one of the reasons why such a low number of responses
were received is because the email requested for potential partners to attend a 15-minute
presentation and for the businesses to respond back if they wished to receive additional
information. Many of these businesses have already established a process for corporate
sponsorship; for example, one response from a potential partner stated that all sponsorship
requests must be submitted through an online application and that all requests must be made

#+!
before the corporate deadline. This leads the team to believe that every corporation must have its
own unique rules and processes on how they pick and choose which programs to sponsor.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Throughout the project, the research team took note of any recommendations for GEAR
UP to consider. An online presence is essential in today’s business world. The Palomar College
GEAR UP program should have an updated website for potential partners to look at when
considering joining. Up-to-date and relevant articles on the website should be present to show
potential partners that the Palomar College GEAR UP program is current and active in relaying
important information to those who are searching. Adding a link to the website that directs
potential sponsors to a sponsorship form is also suggested. The National Society for Black
Engineers has a Summer Engineering Experience for Kids program that lists program sponsors
and has a link to a donation/sponsorship form for the program (Appendix L).
A constant and open channel of communication with business partners is imperative.
GEAR UP should consider as many methods as possible to reach out to their current and future
partners. Methods of communication can be online or offline and pursued through the following
avenues: direct mail flyers and/or newsletters, e-mail and e-newsletters, an up-to-date website,
social media utilizing social and professional networking sites (specifically LinkedIn), forum
boards, video conferencing, phone calls, face-to-face, and advisory committee meetings. The
first half of the list entails a less involved, passive approach. Whereas the second half of the list
will require more time and energy that involves a higher commitment level for one or more
persons within the department. GEAR UP is presently using several of the online methods
suggested; however they are not current. Whichever approach GEAR UP continues to use, or

#"!
considers in the future, it is essential that the individual(s) responsible for the approach stays
committed to the approach. Maria Rocha-Ruiz from UC Santa Cruz Educational Partnership
Center/UCCP recommends that GEAR UP staff remain consistent in their communication
efforts.
One of the more comprehensive guides found on the topic of school-business
partnerships, found during the literature review, is called the, “How to Guide for School-
Business Partnerships,” published by the Council for Corporate & School Partnerships. The
guide is very detailed on how to engage and develop corporate involvement. The concepts
provided in the guide are integral to “improving the education experience” for all, including
educators, students, and businesses. The research team highly recommends that the GEAR UP
staff and their partners refer to this guide and others, as a means for support and information
when developing their ongoing programs. In addition, when assessing their needs and details
based on their individual programs circumstances.
A very important reason why the team wanted to conduct a current partner survey was to
find out any areas of improvement or weakness of the GEAR UP program. The team believes
that in order for the program to continue to be successful, the suggested improvements that the
program can make should be considered. An area of improvement that was mentioned in the
survey responses, and that the team recommends the program to take into consideration, is to
assign one person as the centralized Community Relations Coordinator. This would be someone
that the business partners can talk to directly to help organize partnership events and to be the
mediator between the business partners and the school coordinators. This position would help
keep the communication going between both agencies.
Having a corporate partner (CEO) sit on a board of directors or advisory board is another
recommendation made by the team. For education partners, an advisory board or a board of

##!
directors is recommended per Bayer US (Babe, 2010). Hayward Promise Neighborhood is
Promise Neighborhood implementation grant funded by the U.S. Dept of Education that utilizes
an advisory board. Through the questionnaire, Life Technologies mentioned having a company
member sit on the board for the program, which in turn will assist in sustaining the relationship
between the two entities. If an advisory board is created, then regular meetings will be necessary
to achieve effectiveness.
Another important aspect to consider should be Palomar College GEAR UP’s methods of
finding potential partners. In the past, the majority of partners came from personal
recommendations and connections. This method of finding partners is crucial and very
important to the growth of the GEAR UP program, but it cannot be the only way to find them.
Either by using available databases such as ReferenceUSA or the San Diego Business Journal’s
email list can be very successful ways to find new potential partners all depending on the way
Palomar College GEAR UP sets the parameters on what they are looking for in a partner
(S.T.E.A.M. orientated, etc.). Also, networking within civic associations and the business
community will help ensure the proper connections with potential partners. There are numerous
networking events throughout the San Diego metropolitan area, but the San Diego Business
Journal’s weekly publication was found to be the most relevant source for current business
events.
It is recommended GEAR UP focus their attention and priority on nurturing their current
business partners in order to grow and develop the partnerships. Danielle Magee from SeaWorld
San Diego mentioned, “The best way to maintain a [long-term] relationship is to continue to be a
great partner.” Regular meetings with current business partners is the best way to collaborate on
projects or services per Ms. Rocha-Ruiz from UCCP. Hosting annual events to invite all current
business partners together to say thank you and give an update on what GEAR UP has been up to

#$!
the last year can also do this. This also allows each business partner to see what other businesses
have been doing with GEAR UP in their community.
It is understood that this project was severely limited by time constraints. The team
suggests that GEAR UP follow up with the businesses in the database that do not respond to the
letter of introduction and to focus on specific businesses in the database they are particularly
interested in partnering with and targeting those businesses. Tackling these partnerships on a
one-to-one basis will be more effective than mass emailing and during the project, the team
learned that cold calling is the least effective way to introduce oneself and establish current
partnerships. GEAR UP should go to their local Chamber of Commerce and network through
them as face-to-face introductions will be more sustaining than cold calling or emailing.
CONCLUSION
The student research team, given the time constraints of less than eight weeks to develop
the research project, was able to solicit current active partner perceptions and recommendations,
conduct primary and secondary research for finding best practices, and develop a database of
almost 200 potential business partners. With the information collected and recommendations
made, the student research team has laid the groundwork for Palomar College GEAR UP to
obtain new program partners and to maintain and sustain current program partner relationships.

#%!
REFERENCES
Babe, Greg. "Building a Diverse United States STEM Workforce: Perspectives on Creating Successful Business
Education Partnerships." Bayer, 2010. Web. 24 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.bayerus.com/MSMS/web_docs/80104_STEM_RELEASE1e.pdf>.
"Full-Service Schools Roundtable, Boston MA." Full-Service Schools Roundtable, Boston MA. The Council for
Corporate & School Partnerships, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.fssroundtable.org/school_partnerships.htm>.
Hayward Promise Neighborhood. http://www.haywardpromise.org/partners.html
Molina, Joe. Personal Interview. 04 Oct. 2012
Pawlowski, Brett. "The SAI Guide to Building Effective STEM Education Programs." . Lockheed Martin, 2010.
Web. 25 Sept. 2012. <http://www.dehavillandassociates.com/SAIGuide_NASSMC.pdf>.
Rocha-Ruiz, Maria. Email inquiry. 29 Oct. 2012.
Soares, Louis. "The Power of the Education-Industry Partnership | Center for American Progress." Center for
American Progress. Center for American Progress, 4 Oct. 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2010/10/04/8518/the-power-of-the-education-industry-
partnership/>.
The Council For Corporate & School Partnerships. A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR SCHOOL-BUSINESS
PARTNERSHIPS. http://dese.mo.gov/se/ep/nasdsehandouts10_07.pdf

#&!
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: Company Profile
Palomar College GEAR UP
Partnership Program
Company Profile
Bussey, Kelly
Harris, David
Monterrosa, Silvia
Newman, Christopher
Stotler, April

#'!
Palomar College
GEAR UP Partnership Program (Map)
1140 West Mission Road, TCA-1
San Marcos, CA 92069 (Map)
Phone: 760-744-1150
Fax: 760-891-3402
http://www.palomar.edu/gearup/
Palomar College is a public, post-secondary educational institution. The GEAR UP Partnership
program is a federally funded program that receives discretionary/competitive grant monies
administered by the U.S. Department of Education.
Industry Code
NAIC # 923110 - Administration of Education Programs
SIC: 9411
According to the NAIC definition this industry includes government establishments primarily
engaged in the coordination, planning, supervision, and administration of funds, policies,
intergovernmental activities, data collection, and centralized programs for educational
administration. Also included in this industry are government scholarship programs. Other
examples include education offices (nonoperating, public administration), state education
departments, education statistics centers (government), and university regents or boards
(government).
http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/sssd/naics/naicsrch
Company Description
GEAR UP is a non-profit program. GEAR UP stands for “Gaining Early Awareness and
Readiness for Undergraduate Programs”. GEAR UP is 1 of 46 grants funded in the nation to help
at-risk, low-income, and first generation college students in the San Marcos, Vista, and
Escondido school district. GEAR UP is a U.S. Department of Education grant program allocating
resources to provide early college awareness, improve academic performance, increase high
school graduation rates, and improve the transition from middle school to high school. GEAR
UP offers state and partnership grants. Both the state and partnership grants are
competitive/discretionary six-year matching grants issued to states and partnerships to provide
services to high schools and middle schools. Specifically, GEAR UP is designed to increase the
number of low-income students who are adequately prepared to both enter and succeed in
postsecondary education.
Palomar College GEAR UP is designed to help create a pre-college culture in middle school
while facilitating the process of preparing high school students for future college enrollment.
Their program begins with students in middle school and will move with those students through
high school graduation. Palomar College GEAR UP has three specific key objectives for years
2011-2018 grant funding including: (1) Increase student enrollment in rigorous courses that
reflect challenging academic standards and increase student knowledge and demonstration of
necessary academic preparation for college (2) Increase high school graduation rates and student

#(!
enrollment and success in postsecondary education (3) Increase educational expectations and
students’ knowledge of and access to financial assistance for postsecondary education. Based off
these objectives Palomar College GEAR UP has identified three goals correlated to these
objectives including: (1) Increase academic performance and preparation for postsecondary
education (2) Increase high school graduation and participation in postsecondary education (3)
Increase GEAR UP students’ and their families’ knowledge of postsecondary education options,
preparation, and financing.
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/gearup/index.html
http://www.palomar.edu/gearup/info/objectives.html
http://www.escondidochamber.org/file/GEAR%20UP%20Grant%202011-
18%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
Key Numbers
The FY 2011 appropriation for all Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate
Programs (GEAR UP) is $302,816,154, approximately 6.3% below the previous year’s level.
Palomar Community College District FY 2011 Partnership Award for year one funding is
$2,524,920. In-kind services and contributions are required to match the $2.5M per year
allocation provided by the 2011-2018 grant years. The Palomar College GEAR UP program total
award for the current grant years is $17.5M.
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/gearup/gu-abstracts2011.pdf
http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/new-gear-grants-awarded-help-more-275000-middle-
schoolers-get-pathway-success-co
Key People
There are ten (10) staff members associated with the Palomar College GEAR UP Program. The
following members are part of the GEAR UP Administration:
Staff Name Staff Title
Calvin One Deer Gavin Director (primary contact)
Cecilia Rocha Supervisor
Patricia Rodriguez Grant Specialist/Staff Assistant
Joe Vasquez Tutor Coordinator
Therese Cisneros-Remington Marketing Advisor (alternate contact)
http://www.palomar.edu/gearup/info/contact.html
Top Competitors
• Federally Funded Grant Competitors

#)!
Race to the Top (RTT) is a competitive grant program designed to incite innovation and reform
nationwide in schools K-12. It is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
awarding points to schools demonstrating substantial gains in student achievement, improved
high school graduation rates, and successful preparation of students for college.
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html
TRIO is a federally funded student services program designed to identify and provide programs
for disadvantaged students. This outreach program targets low-income individuals, first
generation students, and students with disabilities in middle school and helps academically assist
them through high school graduation and into post baccalaureate programs.
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index.html
Upward Bound, part of the Federal TRIO programs, is a program that caters to low-income
students and students from families with neither parent holding a bachelor’s degree. Upward
Bound provides services to assist students in preparation for college entrance. Their goal is to
increase the rate of participants enrolling in and graduating from secondary and postsecondary
education.
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/trioupbound/index.html
• Local Partnership Competitors
There are ten institutions, in FY 2011, receiving GEAR UP Partnership Awards in the State of
California. Of the ten listings in California, two are located in the San Diego County area;
Palomar College and MiraCosta College. The partnership programs within these two educational
institutions share the same vision and goal. However, MiraCosta College can be seen as a direct
competitor with Palomar College as they try to secure sources (local
agencies/businesses/organizations) to help fund their respective program through fundraising, in-
kind donations, etc.
http://www.castategearup.org/about-us/local-partnerships
Recent News Summaries
Article 1-This was a newspaper announcement, from October 2011, regarding the financial
support that Palomar College and Miracosta College were awarded to help fund the student
services under the GEAR UP program. It mentions briefly the goal of the GEAR UP program; to
assist low-income, at-risk junior high school kids in obtaining resources (academic and financial)
to successfully manage their school career up until the time they reach their first year of college.
See Appendix A for copy of complete article.
Article 2-This article was written for explorations now, an electronic educational magazine,
through UCSD. The article mentioned that approximately 200 North County middle school
students were given the chance to visit the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego
to witness firsthand career options and opportunities. They were afforded this educational
opportunity, back in April 2012, as direct result of the funding provided by the Palomar GEAR
UP program. See Appendix B for copy of complete article.
Article 3-This announcement was posted online for Del Dios School. It was a brief article that

#*!
mentioned the college fair in San Diego back in April 2012. . Students, parents, and GEAR UP
tutors were in attendance to check out all the opportunities that exist at different colleges and
universities. See Appendix C for copy of complete article.
Article 4-This article was printed in the North County Times, February 2012. It was a secondary
announcement regarding the final grant funding, $17.5 million, that Palomar College will receive
for its GEAR UP program. Four local schools will be receiving assistance through the program
so as to increase the likelihood that its students will see their way through to a higher education.
See Appendix D for copy of complete article.
APPENDIX A
REGION: Palomar, MiraCosta to get millions to prepare kids for college
October 05, 2011 7:00 pm • By CIGI ROSS cross@nctimes.com
North County's two community colleges will get millions of dollars in federal grant money to
help prepare at-risk students for college, school officials announced Wednesday.
Palomar College was awarded $17.5 million, payable over the next eight years, and MiraCosta
College was awarded $7.5 million, payable over the next seven years, for the GEAR UP project,
which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.
Palomar has been administering the program for 20 years, but this is the first time MiraCosta has
applied to participate.
At MiraCosta, the grant will provide funding to pay for academic support services for more than
1,000 sixth- and seventh-grade students at Chavez and Jefferson middle schools in Oceanside,
following them through high school and into the first year of college.
Richard Robertson, vice president of student services at MiraCosta, said the grant is a big deal
for the college and has allowed it to create a strong partnership with the Oceanside Unified
School District.
"Seventh- and sixth-graders will be prepared academically to go to college and have every
opportunity to go to college, wherever they choose to go," he said.
Palomar College spokeswoman Laura Gropen said the grant there will benefit students in
Escondido and San Marcos.
There were 66 GEAR UP grants awarded across the country totaling $177.4 million. The
program is expected to help about 275,000 at-risk students nationwide.
This is the largest grant MiraCosta has ever received for any program, said spokeswoman Cheryl
Broom.
Robertson said the college and Oceanside Unified chose Chavez and Jefferson to participate in
the program because both schools have a high percentage of students who qualify for free lunch.

$+!
At Chavez, 77 percent of students meet the income criteria, while 71 percent of Jefferson
students qualify.
The extra money will be a big help to students at the two schools, said Duane Coleman, associate
superintendent in charge of educational services for Oceanside Unified.
"This is just such a great opportunity for our kids," he said. "I can't tell you how happy I am that
we're going to be able to give our kids more support."
Oceanside Unified partnered with UC San Diego to apply for a similar grant four years ago but
didn't get it, Coleman said.
MiraCosta will receive about $1 million this year to pay for services, including tutors, mentors,
and counselors, after-school programs and college visits.
Robertson said about $678,000 of that will be used on staff members who will work with the
students and consultants, including researchers who will be tasked with tracking the students'
progress over the course of the grant.
The money will also be spent on students' travel to colleges and universities, supplies and
materials, and other expenses.
Staff provided through the grant will also try to keep students engaged in school by following up
with those who have frequent absences or disciplinary issues, analyzing progress reports and test
results, providing support for English-language learners and encouraging involvement in
extracurricular activities.
Those workers will also assist parents and students with financial planning for college.
The MiraCosta College Foundation has also pledged to raise $100,000 over the next seven years
so it can provide scholarships to the students once they're ready for college.
Robertson said officials will begin meeting with parents soon to discuss the GEAR UP project
and extra services and programs that will be provided.
(Retrieved September 6, 2012 from
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/oceanside/region-palomar-miracosta-to-get-millions-to-
prepare-kids-for/article_3063bbbc-cb37-5db4-ae56-c503cfca8aff.html)
APPENDIX B
Around the Pier: Strangers on a Train Create an Educational Opportunity
ON MAY 7, 2012
200 middle school students get a hands-on experience with genomics at Scripps

$"!
To sixth- and seventh-graders everywhere, slimy things whipped up in lab beakers will forever
be cool.
But about 200 such middle school students got a little added wonder last month when they came
to visit the lab of marine microbiologist and chemist William Gerwick on the campus of Scripps
Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. The goo they were stretching into spaghetti-length
strands was pure DNA material cultivated by the Scripps graduate students who served as their
guides.
The occasion was a visit orchestrated by the Palomar College GEAR-UP program. Short for
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, GEAR-UP is a federal
grant project that gives middle school students exposure to experiences that could influence their
career choices.
“They’ve never really experienced something like this before,” said Lindsay Barth, a GEAR-UP
outreach coordinator at Palomar and a leader of the April 11 field trip. “Seeing the labs, all the
different science experiments opens up their minds to how much a university can offer them.”
For Gerwick, who is a professor of oceanography and pharmaceutical sciences at the Center for
Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine (CMBB) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and
UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the benefit was not just for the
youngsters. The 57-year-old said his viewpoint has changed as he has aged and the desire to
make a difference occupies a larger part of his thoughts these days. He was given the opportunity
during a chance train ride to Santa Barbara two years ago. The stranger sitting next to him with
whom he struck up a conversation was Cameron Russell, a GEAR-UP tutor at Palomar. The two
described what they did for a living and exchanged contact information with no particular end in
mind.
Almost two years later, Russell remembered Gerwick when Barth polled her team for field trip
ideas.
The tour-takers are from San Marcos, Del Dios, Hidden Valley, and Mission middle schools
from the San Marcos and Escondido school districts. The Palomar GEAR-UP program will work
with them through high school offering similar opportunities to consider various career choices.
The Scripps visit included an introduction by Gerwick to the kinds of research that happens at his
lab. Afterward, small groups of the students visited individual labs to learn about how potentially

$#!
valuable compounds are extracted from marine algae, how genomics could improve medical
care, and how molecules are isolated.
“What was most fun was seeing my postdocs and grad students get inspired by the fact that they
can have this inspirational effect,” said Gerwick. “To see them in this role was really satisfying
to me.”
Calvin One Deer, director of grant funded student programs at Palomar College, said the visit
was among several trips to San Diego State University, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, and
a science fair at Petco Park that GEAR-UP enabled middle school students to make this year.
Barth said she would welcome a chance for return visits to Scripps.
“We have these students from 6th
grade until their first year of college so we’re hoping to come
back and have them learn something new,” she said.
— Robert Monroe
http://explorations.ucsd.edu/around-the-pier/2012/around-the-pier-strangers-on-a-train-create-an-
educational-opportunity/)
APPENDIX C
GEAR UP! Students and Parents attend National Association for College
Admission Counseling College Fair!
posted Apr 30, 2012 8:21 AM by Amy Murphy [updated Aug 25, 2012 8:37 PM]
On the evening of April 26, 2012, 33 parents, 26 students and our wonderful parent liaison
Senora Mendoza joined us on our trip to the San Diego Convention Center for the National
Association for College Admission Counseling College Fair.
With over 300 colleges in attendance, parents were able to explore the different options available
throughout the United States, from University of New Hampshire to University of Southern
California and many in between. GEAR UP tutors were available to help generate and continue
conversation between the college representatives and our families who attended with us.
It was a great experience for us all, and the parents were quite happy to join us as they unaware
that events like this even existed and were free and to the open to the public.
Thank you for your continued support!

$$!
--
Ryan Young
Site Leader
Palomar College GEAR UP Partnership Program
Del Dios Middle School
1400 W. 9th Ave
Escondido, CA 92029
(760) 432-2439 x 170
http://deldios.eusd.org/programs/gear-
up/gearupstudentsandparentsattendnationalassociationforcollegeadmissioncounselingcollegefair)
APPENDIX D
ESCONDIDO: GEAR UP holds kickoff ceremony to encourage students to
attend college
February 01, 2012 6:00 pm • By GARY WARTH gwarth@nctimes.com
Students at Mission Middle School in Escondido got fired up about GEAR UP Wednesday
morning in a kickoff ceremony celebrating the federal program's arrival in four local schools.
Palomar College received a $17.5 million federal grant late last year to bring GEAR UP ---- or
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs ---- to select schools in
Escondido and San Marcos to help students enter and be successful in college.
"I want to go to college!" hundreds of students chanted at Mission Middle School on Wednesday
morning as they were led by GEAR UP employee Charles Iyoho, who later performed an
original song called "Dreaming."
GEAR UP's mission is to create opportunities for low-income students to attend college, and
Palomar College President Robert Deegan told Mission Middle School students that he was an
example of how financial difficulties do not have to hold back goals of higher education.
"Many people look at me and go, 'Look at Bob. Mr. Suit,'" Deegan told the students. "'Maybe
you grew up in this big house, your family probably had some college fund that helped put you
through school.' But let me tell you who I am."
Deegan said he grew up as one of six children in a small house with his family, cousins and
grandmother. He slept on a couch in the living room, and his father worked as a custodian in a
middle school, he said.
"But throughout, my family always emphasized education, to study hard," he said.

$%!
Deegan told students that success is a combination of education and opportunity, and he said
GEAR UP would help them with both, through activities such as tutoring, parent workshops,
after-school programs and field trips to colleges.
"We want you to know that you won't be doing this alone," he said. "You're representing the
(college) class of 2022. We start today to help you, assist you so you are prepared to go to
college."
The grants are for students now in grades six and seven at Del Dios, Hidden Valley and Mission
middle schools in the Escondido Union School District and at San Marcos Middle School. For
the next eight years, those students will participate in GEAR UP activities as they progress
through high school and into college.
Palomar College also has had two six-year grants for GEAR UP programs in Vista and San
Marcos, and has received a $700,000 extension to continue the program at Vista, Rancho Buena
Vista, San Marcos and Mission Hills high schools.
Wednesday morning's ceremony also included comments from former area students who
attended college after going through GEAR UP.
Cal State San Marcos student Jacqueline Rivera, a 2009 graduate of Orange Glen High, said she
first participated in GEAR UP when attending Mission Middle School. At that time, the school
was named Grant Middle School, and the program was offered through CSUSM.
"I really liked the tutors," she said. "I looked up to them. After school I'd go to the designated
room and do my homework, get help, and as soon as I got home I was free."
Israel Narvaez, who is working toward a teaching credential at San Diego State University, said
he didn't use the tutoring services, but was helped by GEAR UP in other ways while at San
Marcos High.
"They helped me keep track of what I needed to graduate high school and to be the best
candidate possible for college," said Narvaez, who now works as the GEAR UP program
assistant at Mission Middle School.
Narvaez said GEAR UP also helped him decide which college to attend by taking him on field
trips. He said he picked Cal State Fullerton because it was in a more suburban setting than
UCLA, which he also visited.
Wendy Bryer, a 2005 graduate of UC San Diego who earned a master's degree from San Diego
State last year, said GEAR UP helped her find scholarships.
"They used to call me into the office any time they found a scholarship that matched my
criteria," she said.
GEAR UP helped her receive a $50 scholarship from Daughters of the American Revolution and
a $2,500 Youth Excellence Scholarship from the PennySaver, she said.

$&!
"That was the big one," she said. "Then I was like, 'GEAR UP is cool.'"
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/escondido/escondido-gear-up-holds-kickoff-ceremony-to-
encourage-students-to/article_dfeb1360-dc8c-57fa-851e-68f5f10f9f1c.html)

$'!
APPENDIX B: Industry Analysis
Palomar College GEAR UP Partnership
Program
Griffin Industry Analysis
Bussey, Kelly
Harris, David
Monterrosa, Silvia
Newman, Christopher
Stotler, April

$(!
Griffin Model – Environmental Analysis:
Gear Up Palomar College
The nature of the Palomar College - Gear Up Foundation’s business model - entails both the
“Administration of Educational Programs” and “Social Advocacy,” for promoting, encouraging,
and helping young students to go on to post secondary education and college, in both primary-
middle and secondary educational schools. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau
NAICS codes for these types of organizations are listed as NAICS: 923110 – “Administration of
Education Programs,” and NAICS: 813319 – “Other Social Advocacy Organizations”
respectively (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). The following report will use the Griffin Model of
Environmental Analysis to analyze these industries and the Palomar Gear Up organizations
present business environment.
External Environment
General:
Political/Legal
The Gear Up program was created by current Congressman Chaka Fattah, a democrat for
Pennsylvania. Gear Up became into a law after President Bill Clinton signed it in 1998. Over the
past few years, the Gear Up program has received about $4 billion in federal grant money.
President Obama has passed a budget that includes close to $303 million to continue Gear Up
nationally (Fattah, house.gov).
Congressman Chaka Fattah continues to be strong supporter for the Gear Up program. In an
article written by Jerry Large for the Seattle times, Chaka Fattah is quoted by telling a former
Gear Up student “when you are successful, you open door to others...if you succeed, America
succeeds” (large, 2002.)
Socio Cultural
Researchers have identified socio economic status as one of the main reasons as to why students
drop out of high school. These high-risk students include students who live with a single parent.
Living with a single parent can sometimes create a burden on the student to take on earlier life
responsibilities such as obtaining a job to help support the family. Other students have parents
with no high school degrees and so the parents have little expectations for their children (Viloria,
2012).
Another major factor that Viloria points out in his report is that school engagement and school
behavior are part of the reasons why some students have poor school attendance and are less
committed to going to school. He writes “even for students who have difficult home lives,
dropping out has much to do with how schools operate and the educational experiences students
have within them”. At risk high school students have reported that they have received less
support and guidance from their professors and that sometimes the relationships are bad ones
(Viloria, 2012).
Economic
According to a report released by the Federal Reserve (2012) current economic conditions

$)!
remain positive. The economy has become stable and in some areas such as tourism and new
vehicles, sales have increased. But in a recent study done by researchers’ Wise and Rothman,
they point out that America is at a serious educational crisis - where in 2010, 6 million youths in
grades 7 through 12 were at risk of dropping out of school, and that the numbers are only
increasing. Wise and Rothman argue that “at this current time of tight budgets: the annual losses
in federal and state income taxes from dropouts total about $50 billion.” “In California cutting
the dropout rate in half would save the state $550 million a year” (Wise & Rothman, 2010).
International
Outside of the global economic downturn the International Dimension is probably not a primary
concern for the Palomar Gear Up Foundation directly for conducting its operations, but the
nature of globalization and its impacts on the educational needs of the United States and its youth
cannot be ignored. According to a 2008 PBS documentary on the state of our school systems; the
United States, once ranked number one in 1995, is now ranked 15th among developed nations
for its College graduation rates. A well known educator Geoffrey Canada - President of the
Harlem Children’s Zone – exclaimed in the film “we need to have an infrastructure that allows
our kids to compete globally.” According to the PBS website/program, “the European Union and
China graduate more scientist and engineers every year than the United States.” Some other
statistics cited in the film and from a recent Huffington Post article included how the U.S. scored
21st in science and 25th in Math, out of the top 30 developed countries (PBS). As well as the
U.S. was once ranked in 1st
place with college graduates, is now listed as 12th
- with only about
41.4% of U.S. citizens completing a post secondary education or college degree, compared to
over 43% who do among some of the other developed nations such as with Russia (54%),
Canada (48.3%), and Israel (43.6%)(Huffington Post).
Technological
The Fundraising and Social advocacy industries have a new technology advantage with the
advent of social media such as with Facebook, Twitter, and others. According to a report on
Nonprofits and Social Media - a Benchmark Study entitled “The Convio Online Marketing
Nonprofit Benchmark Study” - was cited in an article from socialbrite.org. The 2011 report
found that over all online-fundraising had grown year over year by 14%, and most online
fundraising groups had seen at least a 10% increase in fundraising dollars between 2009 and
2010. According to the article/report advocacy emails returned the “highest open, click and
response rates” while in contrast pure fundraising efforts had the least responses. On average
Facebook Nonprofit pages (among some of the larger entities) have 15,053 users who followed
them and have “liked” their profiles (Socialbrite.org: Convio).
Task Environment:
Customers
According to a report for the U.S. Census 40% of children in the country live in low-income
families. Children who live in poverty have shown to have greater cognitive and behavioral
problems than other children who are not living in poverty. Children that are poor are less likely
to finish school and as they become adults many have to deal with years of unemployment. In
2010 just in California alone 2 million children lived below poverty, an increase from 1.85
million in 2009 (U.S. Census, 2011).

$*!
Participating North San Diego County Schools
(Gear up – Palomar College)
San Marcos School District:
Mission Hills, H.S.
San Marcos, H.S.
San Marcos, M.S
Vista School District:
Rancho Buena Vista, H.S.
Vista, H.S.
Escondido School District:
Del Dios M.S.
Hidden Valley, M.S.
Mission Middle school
Escondido, H.S.
Orange Glen, H.S.
San Pasqual, H.S.
Suppliers
Suppliers for a nonprofit entity such as with the Palomar Gear Up Foundation, which involves
working with students & social advocacy, federally funded grant money, and other related
fundraising activities, can involve both public and private sectors for procurement purposes.
Strategic Allies (see next section) might also be considered key suppliers for the Gear up
Foundation as well. Things such as office supplies and business services that are required to run
daily operations would be obtained from either in kind donations or bought through a wholesale
or retail supplier. The following list is a brief but not inclusive summary of potential suppliers
that the Gear up Foundation might require to run their operations (U.S. Communities.org):
Suppliers Private Sector
• Banks: Wells Fargo, Bank of America, etc.
• Office Supplies: Staples, Office Depot, etc.
• Legal Services – Lawyers
• Records Management - Accountants
• SDG & E – Energy needs
• Pacific Bell Company – Telephone
services
• Cleaning supplies/services
• Non profit procurement alliances
Suppliers Public Sector
• U.S. Government
• Federal Gear Up program
• Palomar College
• Local Cities & Governments
• County Governments
• State Government
Strategic Allies
The following is a list of strategic allies or partners that have worked in tandem with the Palomar
Gear up Foundation presently and over the years (Gear Up – Palomar College):
• The San Marcos Unified School District • Vista Unified School District

%+!
• The Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos • YMCAs - San Diego & North County
Region
• California State University San Marcos
(CSUSM)
• Palomar College
• The University of California San Diego
(UCSD)
• Encuentros Leadership of Northern San
Diego County
• Kid’s College – specialized instruction • AVID - Advancement Via Individual
Determination
• PIQE - Parent involvement Program • COIN - Career exploration
• Vista Chamber of Commerce • The San Marcos Chamber of Commerce &
the San Marcos Community newsletter
• Cox Communications – Vista • City of San Marcos
• San Diego County - Office of Education • North County Latinas Association (NCLA)
• The North County Voice - N.C
Newspaper
Regulators
Nonprofit organizations (NPO) have several regulatory agencies and guidelines they must follow
whether federally, state or locally mandated by individual governments. Each state, city and/or
county may have their own set of rules and regulations that must be adhered to. One primary
NPO regulation that is most likely required by federal, state and local counties/cities would be
the need for registration as a Tax Exempt Organization. Just filing for exempt status with the IRS
may not be adequate. Separate filings may be required for state and local governments.
Another concern to address is the solicitation of funding; Federal state and local government
agencies might require some sort of registration in order to conduct these types of operations –
“often called the unified registration statement” - which can be used in several states at one time
if needed (National Council of Nonprofits.org/Foundation Center.org). Federal agencies such as
the U.S State Department (and the “State Dept.” within local state governments) also regulate the
dissemination of grant monies, and will have procedural requirements or rules such as ensuring a
“drug free workplace” etc. (U.S Dept of State).
Competitors
There are numerous fundraising competitors and advocacy groups who are soliciting and raising
money for community or social causes within San Diego County alone, not to mention the state
of California and the entire U.S. Some direct competitors who are competing for federally
funded educational grants and private donations include “The Race to the Top” (RTT) grant
program, “TRIO” - a federally funded student services program, and “Upward Bound” - a
program that caters to low-income students/families with no parents holding a bachelor’s
degree. As well as other local Gear Up Partnership competitors. Please refer to the Gear up
company profile for information on these competitors (Palomar Gear Up Company Report).

%"!
Internal Environment
Please refer to the Gear Up Company Profile Report:
Owners - Board of Directors – Employees – Culture - Physical
Bibliography:
21 TV - NEW YORK. (n.d.). Where We Stand . Globalization - Video Report | PBS. WHERE
WE STAND: AMERICA’S SCHOOLS IN THE 21ST CENTURY. Retrieved September 4, 2012,
from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wherewestand/reports/globalization/video-report/7/
Charitable Registration | National Council of Nonprofits. (n.d.). Home | National Council of
Nonprofits. Retrieved September 6, 2012, from
http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/resources/fundraising/charitable-registration
Congressman Chaka Fattah : MEET REP. FATTAH . (n.d.). Congressman Chaka Fattah : Home
. Retrieved September 4, 2012, from
http://fattah.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2&sectiontree=&searchkey=Gear+up&locale=-1
Current Economic Conditions. (2012, June 6). Federal Reserve.gov. Retrieved September 3,
2012, from www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/beigebook/files/Beigebook_20120606.pdf
Establishing a NonProfit organization. (n.d.). Foundation Center - Knowledge to Build On.
Retrieved September 4, 2012, from
http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/establish/regs.html
Fareed. (2011, November 3). How U.S. graduation rates compare with the rest of the world –
Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs. Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs. Retrieved
September 4, 2012, from http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/03/how-u-s-
graduation-rates-compare-with-the-rest-of-the-world/
Large, J. (2012, August 8). GEAR UP program helps students look up | Jerry Large | The Seattle
Times. The Seattle Times | News, sports, weather, events in the Northwest. Retrieved September
6, 2012, from http://seattletimes.com/html/jerrylarge/2018878424_jdl09.html
!
Lasica, J. (2011, March 23). New report: Nonprofit numbers for social media, advocacy,
fundraising. Social media consulting for nonprofits | Socialbrite. Retrieved September 4, 2012,
from http://www.socialbrite.org/2011/03/23/new-report-nonprofit-numbers-for-social-media-
advocacy-fundraising/
Macartney, S. (n.d.). Child Poverty in the United States 2009 and 2010. Census.gov. Retrieved
September 3, 2012, from www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acsbr10-05.pdf
Non Profit Resources from U.S. Communities . (n.d.). U.S. Communities Purchasing Alliance.
Retrieved September 4, 2012, from www.uscommunities.org/non-profit/
Post. (2011, May 25). Countries With The MOST College Graduates. HuffingtonPost College.
Retrieved September 5, 2012, from www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/22/countries-with-the-
most-c_n_655393.html#s117378&title=

%#!
Rep. Fattah, GEAR UP architect, will address college-readiness. (2011, Feb 11). PR Newswire,
pp. n/a. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.csusm.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/851307485?accountid=1
0363
The Palomar College GEAR UP Partnership Program - GEARUP. (2012, August 31). Palomar
Community College District. Retrieved September 3, 2012, from
http://www.palomar.edu/gearup/
U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). U.S. Department of State. Retrieved September 4, 2012, from
http://fa.statebuy.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=120&menu_id=66
United States Census Bureau. (2012). North American Industry Classification System. Retrieved
September 3, 2012, from United States Dept. of Commerce: U.S. Census Bureau:
http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/sssd/naics/naicsrch
Viloria, J. (2012). High schools in california that are beating the odds and how they are doing it.
Pepperdine University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.csusm.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1030445737?accountid=
10363. (1030445737)
Wise, B., & Rothman, R. (2010). A greater society: The transformation of the federal role in
education. New Directions For Youth Development, 2010(127), 123-131. doi:10.1002/yd.368

%$!
APPENDIX C: Current Partner Survey
Palomar College GEAR UP Partnership Program
Current Program Partners’ Survey
Topic: Analyzing the current effectiveness of Palomar College GEAR UP Program’s
relationship with their current partners.
Summary: The objective of the survey is to analyze how the current partners of Palomar
College’s GEAR UP Program feel about their effectiveness in establishing and maintaining
beneficial partnerships.
Questions:
1 Please describe to me what your perception is of the GEAR UP program?
2 Why did you choose to collaborate with the GEAR UP program?
3 What is the biggest strength of the GEAR UP program?
4 What is the biggest weakness of the GEAR UP program?
5 What are some areas of improvement for the GEAR UP program?
6 What is the biggest strength of the GEAR UP program’s relationship with your company?
7 What is the biggest weakness of the GEAR UP program’s relationship with your
company?

%%!
8 What are some areas of improvement for the GEAR UP program’s relationship with your
company?
9 Overall what recommendations do you have for GEAR UP to improve their program?
10 Are there any referrals you can offer to GEAR UP to find more local partnerships?
Disclaimer: This information is for the purpose of determining Palomar College GEAR UP
Program’s effectiveness in maintaining local relationships with their current program partners.
This information will be used only for the purposes of analyzing their efforts and will not be
released to any parties except GEAR UP.

%&!
APPENDIX D: Current Partner Survey Responses
GEAR UP Partnership Program
Current Partner Survey Responses
1. Please describe what your perception is of the GEAR UP program?
! Great! Seems like a well-organized program.
! We partnered with GEAR UP to help us place life science and technology entrepreneurs in the
classrooms for volunteer speaking engagements.
! It's a fantastic resource for students.
! A program to help high school students transition to college.
! A very positive, supportive and inclusive program, it is well known in the San Diego community
for their positive contributions.
! My perception is that it is an effective education program that needs to grow.
! It is the best Gear Up program ever.
2. Why did you choose to collaborate with the GEAR UP program?
! Win/win for both agencies. We benefit by being able to help "raise up our own" future water
district employees. Helps us raise awareness that this is a great field to get into - we need more
young people in this industry to replace soon-to-be retirees.
! We chose to partner up with GEAR UP because they have contacts within many of the local
schools.
! We provide GEAR UP with their online data management system and related services.
! Our organization thinks it is important to support science education in the community.
! Because the credit union believes in educating and supporting our youth. At the credit union we
believe in "People Helping People".
! Primarily because I was asked by Theresa Cisneros.
! It was an opportunity to improve a child’s life
3. What is the biggest strength of the GEAR UP program?

%'!
! Staff! Everyone involved is excited about the program and it shows! Therese, Wendy, and Calvin
definitely believe in what they are doing and that energy transfers to the students!
! The biggest strength of this program is the direct access they have to students.
! The enthusiasm of the staff, the variety of services, the multi-targeted approach (services to
students, No Response
! Excellent reputation and outstanding marketing and Public relations.
! The collaborative nature of the program is one of its greatest strengths.
! Solid structure, efficient team at every school site; very passionate and committed.
4. What is the biggest weakness of the GEAR UP program?
! Nothing at this point, but we haven't really planned any school events yet.
! We found that there was no centralized coordination of the GEAR UP program and we ended up
speaking with a lot of different people about getting out Entrepreneurs involved in the
classrooms.
! The U.S Dept. of Ed is so short staffed - it doesn't get the attention it should there.
! No Response
! Geographical area (only Vista, San Marcos and Escondido), I wish it will cover all the county.
! It needs to get more visibility in the community.
! Don’t see any
5. What are some areas of improvement for the GEAR UP program?
! Nothing at this point.
! Establish a centralized person for community members to contact that can then disseminate to
others in the organization.
! No Response
! No Response
! I can't think of one, I believe that with the resources available, they have done their best.
! More visibility and more partners.
! Work on relationship with school officials to strengthen their participation.

%(!
6. What is the biggest strength of the GEAR UP program's relationship with your
company?
! See #2
! Access to classrooms and teachers.
! The competence of the GEAR UP leadership team.
! No Response
! People know the program. Excellent branding and name recognition.
! It is a positive education program that we can support.
! Their presence at the school and their communication.
7. What is the biggest weakness of the GEAR UP program's relationship with your
company?
! Because there was no centralized coordinator, we ended up increasing our work load in regards to
this program.
! Sometime there are delays in getting the data we need from the schools to upload into the system
to run reports, etc.
! No Response
! I think it has lots of strengths, I can't think of a weakness
! Lack of adequate time to participate more actively.
! (Couldn’t think of anything)
8. What are some areas of improvement for the GEAR UP program's relationship with
your company?
! Have one point of contact.
! More timely data submission to our company so we can use it for the benefit of GEAR UP.
! No Response
! They do such a good job, that I can't think of any in relation with my company.
! More regular communication would help.

%)!
! (Couldn’t think of anything)
9. Overall what recommendations do you have for GEAR UP to improve their program?
! My one recommendation would be for GEAR UP to take the first step in organizing partnership
events instead of relying on the participating agencies to get something started. My fear is that if
GEAR Up doesn't call me at certain times of the year to say, "It's about time for us to start thinking
of another event. Let's talk", then I'm afraid we will get so busy that we will forget to organize
something...and I would hate to see that happen. :-(
! No Response
! No Response
! No Response
! Keep doing the same great job!!!
! Increase visibility in the community.
! Communication between the site coordinators and outside organizations.
10. Are there any referrals you can offer to GEAR UP to find more local partnerships?
! Yes, I will speak to Therese Cisneros for additional water agencies. Thanks for everything! Glad we
can be a partner with such a great group!!!
! If we were confident in the strength of a partnership with GEAR Up we would be pleased to
inform other companies about this opportunity.
! Not really.
! No Response
! Yes, and we have already put Gear Up in contact with them. FanFaire foundation was referred to
the program.
! No Response

%*!
APPENDIX E: Call List for Outside Companies
1. Encore Capital Group
2. Diversified Specialty
Institutes
3. Intuit
4. Qualcomm
5. Chrysler
6. American Specialty
Health, San Diego
7. Marriott
8. Eli Lilly
9. Cox Communications
10. MICROS Systems
11. Starbucks
12. Bank of America
13. Chevron
14. Cisco
15. Salesforce
16. General Electric
17. Merck
18. Pfizer
19. Shell
20. Target
21. Allstate
22. Home Depot
23. Verizon
24. Bayer
25. Boeing
26. Campbell Soup
27. DOW
28. PriceWaterhouseCooper
29. Time Warner
30. Capital One
31. State Farm
32. Waste Management
33. BMW Mini
34. American Express
35. AT&T
36. Union Bank,
37. SeaWorld & Busch
Entertainment Corp
38. Novartis
39. Life Technologies Corp
40. Sempra Energy Corp
41. WD-40 Community
Involvement Program
42. Amylin
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Corp Giving
43. American Honda Motor
44. Walt Disney Co.
45. Edison International
Corp Giving
46. Nestle USA, Inc. Corp
Giving
47. Northrop Grumman
Corp
48. Occidental Petroleum
Corp
49. Sunkist Growers, Inc.
Corp Giving
50. Toyota Motor Sales
Corp Giving
51. Pacific Life Insurance
Co
52. Kingston Technology
Co
53. California Bank & Trust
54. Vons
55. Wells Fargo

&+!
APPENDIX F: Outside Company Questionnaire
*** Do you have a community- philanthropic outreach program? (This would qualify them for the survey)
***Do you have a Department or Person in charge of your community outreach?
Yes- ask for them or how to contact them - explain who WE our (students) and what Gear up is.
No - Does your company make one time donations or would you willing to hear about the Gear up
Educational Foundation program in the Future? (For our database)
**Once you have reached the proper person
Interview
1) Are you involved in any community and/or social partnerships right now?
2) What are you looking for in a (community outreach) partnership? - What is the most "important
characteristic(s) in a Partner you are looking for?
3) Do you seek out partners or do they come to you?
Yes - what do you look for? (If they seek them out)
No - How do you screen them? (If they come to them)
4) How long is your typical relationship with a partner? - What do you consider an ideal length of time for
a partnership?
a) What do you do...what are the "best practices" you use to maintain that relationship?
5) What would you want to see happen to make that relationship last longer?
6) What is the best way for an organization like Gear Up to set up a meeting with you/your company for
exploring a relationship such as an educational partnership?
- What do we/they have to do to get you interested?

&"!
APPENDIX G: Outside Company Questionnaire Responses
GEAR UP Partnership Program
Outside Company Questionnaire Responses
1. Are you involved in any community and/or social partnerships right now?
! Yes (Northrop Grumman)
! Yes (Life Technologies)
! Yes (SeaWorld San Diego)
2. What are you looking for in a (community outreach) partnership?-What is the most
important characteristic(s) you are looking for in a partner?
! This is always hard. Depending on the source of funding, it either needs to be a national program
or impact an area close to one of our operating facilities. For education, it must be STEM focused.
From there, we can drill down a little more. We like to concentrate on middle school students and
teachers, so that is something else we look at. (Northrop Grumman)
! From a financial perspective, those who do business with us have stronger collaborations. (Life
Technologies)
! Key factors include if the organization falls into one of our three focus categories. We also make
sure the philosophies and practices of the organizations align with ours. (SeaWorld San Diego)
3. Do you seek out partners or do they come to you?
! For us, it is both. We do seek out some of our partners and are also open to looking at proposals
from non-profits who are looking to partner. (Northrop Grumman)
! Both. (Life Technologies)
! No answer. (SeaWorld San Diego)
4. How do you establish a long-term relationship with a partner?
! We do both [short and long-term partnerships.] There are some cases where there might be an
immediate need, so you provide funding for just that year. In other cases, it takes time to build a
program and we (and the organization we are funding) need to have a three-five year
commitment to make sure everything operates as planned. (Northrop Grumman)

&#!
! We have started work with K-12 educational institutions recently, with a hands on life sciences
program called InnovatioNation. It's funded by our Foundation and administered through our
community relations department. (Life Technologies)
! See number 5. (SeaWorld San Diego)
5. What do you do...what are "best practices" you use to maintain the relationship?
! I don't know if I would say there is a best practice. As the landscape of education changes so
should our programming. We try our best to keep national programs funded by our foundation
and local programs funded by the business units in our operating communities-our team in those
communities are in a much better position to know what the right programs to support are.
STEM education is a big area, so we try to choose topics that are aligned with our business. For
example, we don't do a lot of chemistry or civil engineering work. So, we don't fund a lot in this
type of area. (Northrop Grumman)
! In-Kind donations are easier to get...business units have some small budgets to provide materials,
experts who can offer curriculum help...to get the people involved and the money will follow.
(Life Technologies)
! The best way to maintain a long-term relationship is to continue to be a great partner. The
partners may remain the same, but we might change the way we support them from year to year.
For example, we may provide a $5000 cash donation one year, and then the next year host a
fundraising event for the group at SeaWorld. Changes to organizations would occur if senior
leadership decided to change the three areas of focus. (SeaWorld San Diego)
6. What would you want to see happen to make the relationship last longer? (Sustain the
relationship)
! Each year, funding seems to get tighter and tighter. It is important for an organization to
understand our criteria. It is also important for organizations to understand that we can't fund
someone "forever". There is always opportunity to be more strategic and there are always new
organizations coming forward with new opportunities. (Northrop Grumman)
! Get someone from [our company] to sit on your board. (Life Technologies)
! We always appreciate when an organization shows that they have our best interest at heart. For
example, the Helen Woodward Animal Center recently talk to a newspaper columnist and told

&$!
him about the good work we do with our wildlife animal rescue program. Based on this
discussion, the writer set up an interview with us to feature our program in one of his columns.
(SeaWorld San Diego)
7. What is the best way for an organization like GEAR UP to set up a meeting with
you/your company for exploring a relationship such as an educational partnership?
! Usually, someone would pick up the phone and call or email with an introduction. From there,
we would spend time discussing the proposal. If it seems to align with what we fund, we would
ask someone to submit a request via our online system. (Northrop Grumman)
! Start with a business unit or the Corp Dev team, which has a designated team working with
universities. We also have a University Relations department. (Life Technologies)
! No answer. (SeaWorld San Diego)
Respondents:
" Carleen Beste from Northrop Grumman
" Heather Virdo from Life Technologies
" Danielle Magee from SeaWorld San Diego

&%!
APPENDIX H: ReferenceUSA Screenshot

&&!
APPENDIX I: Initial Database

!
!"#
Company Name Address City State
ZIP
Code
Primary
NAICS
Primary NAICS
Description
Phone
Number
NAICS 54 Active Network Inc 10182 Telesis Ct # 100 San Diego CA 92121 541512
Computer Systems
Design Services (858) 964-3800
!
Althea Technologies Inc 11040 Roselle St San Diego CA 92121 541711
Research &
Development In
Biotechnology (858) 882-0123
Bio Focus DPI 9640 Towne Centre Dr San Diego CA 92121 541711
Research &
Development In
Bio Legend Inc 11080 Roselle St San Diego CA 92121 541711
Research &
Development In
Biosite Inc 9975 Summers Ridge Rd San Diego CA 92121 339112
Surgical & Medical
Instrument
Manufacturing (858) 597-4815
Cirrascale Corp 12140 Community Rd Poway CA 92064 541512
Computer Systems
Design Services (858) 874-3800
Div X LLC 4780 Eastgate Mall San Diego CA 92121 541511
Custom Computer
Programming Services (858) 882-0600
Erreca's Inc
12570 Slaughterhouse
Canyon Rd Lakeside CA 92040 236115
New Single-Family
Hsng Constr (Exc For-
Sale Bldrs) (619) 390-6400
GCE Industries Inc 1891 Nirvana Ave
Chula
Vista CA 91911 332322
Sheet Metal Work
Manufacturing (619) 421-1151
Genzyme Corp 6659 Top Gun St San Diego CA 92121 541711
Research &
Development In
Geocon Consultants-Inc 6970 Flanders Dr San Diego CA 92121 541711
Research &
Development In
Hayward Baker Inc 1870 Cordell Ct # 201 El Cajon CA 92020 237110
Water & Sewer Line &
Related Structures
Constr (619) 443-3891
Howard Hughes Medical
Inst
9500 Gilman Dr # Mc
646 La Jolla CA 92093 541711
Research &
Development In

Fall2012 gear up_final.report

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (11)

Destaque

Destaque (20)

Semelhante a Fall2012 gear up_final.report

Semelhante a Fall2012 gear up_final.report (20)

Último

Último (20)

Fall2012 gear up_final.report