Abstract
This paper will seek to discuss the feasibility of starting a pregnancy center in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The establishment of the center is an initiative of a non-governmental organization known as Catholic Charities. The feasibility study will begin by analyzing the type of organizational structure that will be used to run the center. This part of the feasibility study will also look at the framework that will be used to when setting up the center. After an examination of the organizational structure as well as the structure that will be used in the pregnancy center, a discussion will be carried out to determine the age of women that will be targeted by the pregnancy center. Moreover, an analysis of the niche that the organization intends to fill will be discussed. A discussion of what will be required to start a venture and the expansion plans that will be explored as the center continues to develop, will also be included within the paper . The paper also looks at the benefit of the organization to the community of Flatbush. It also looks at the potential pitfalls that the business may come across and way to prevent them.
Organizational structure and framework
Catholic charities are a non-profit making organization whose main aim is to foster the pregnancy center program for women. The target age group of the center will be women between 14 and 25 years of age, who get unplanned pregnancies. The center will be located in Flatbush area, in Brooklyn. The main purpose of the center will be to help young women who have dropped out of school due to early pregnancies or due to their inability to find a means of taking care of their children after they give birth. This paper looks at the factors that will determine the success and failure of the center.
The central structure of the business will be to provide a workshop where the young women can be sensitized about the importance of education. The company will also connect them with centers that offer GED classes and trainings. The business will also offer day care facility which will allow women to pursue education without any excuse of having to take care of the child. The workshop will also offer counseling to ensure that women are not overwhelmed by their state (Covitch, 2012).
Target Market and Niche
Young women between 14 and 25 years are at the stage of experimenting with their sexuality. Some of them end up with unwanted pregnancies. When these women get pregnant, they become worried and distressed. This is mainly because having a child usually changes their future completely. Most of their plans and ambitions have to be reassessed and to do this they need a guiding hand. Catholic Charities plans to give a guiding hand through this trying time. The company aims to give counsel to pregnant women in order to facilitate their acceptance of the situation. This type of counseling will deal specifically with the suicidal tendencies of young women who have just gotten pregnant. It will also try to resolve the issues that are brought about by the exclusion that these ladies experience when they become pregnant. In most cases, friends and family change how they treat them and this brings the feeling of resentment which affects them during this delicate time (Covitch, 2012).
What the Organization offers
The company will offer transition in cases where a young lady has to look for accommodation elsewhere. This usually happens when the ladies live in the school premises which do not allow ladies with children to live there. It can also be due to family rejecting the lady due to pregnancy. Catholic Charities in this case seek to support these women when they undergo this trying time. The company will help these ladies find affordable accommodation and a way of earning an income to maintain themselves and their children (Covitch, 2012).
Catholic Charities will also try and provide day care facilities for those ladies who have already had children. This will enable them to concentrate on their studies. The company will organize ways for the young ladies to access GED classes. GED classes are a great option to regular school because they have minimal stigmatization by peers. The classes are also flexible enough to allow mothers with breastfeeding children time for breastfeeding their children in the centers (Coles, Coles, Coles, & Coles, 1997).
Start up requirements
The central resource that the company needs to start off is a structure where the center will be located. It should be large enough to accommodate the number of ladies who have pregnancies in Flatbush area. There should be a small conference room that can accommodate 10 women during workshops .There should be an area that is converted to a day care where young women can leave their children at affordable prices. There should also be offices where young women can get counseling one on one in private. There is also a need for offices for management and finance in order to ensure smooth running of the center (Coles, Coles, Coles, & Coles, 1997).
There is also need for resources to start up and run the business. These resources will be needed in purchasing and renovation of the building, as well as employing more people who are required. There is a need for employment of an administrative manager, a social worker and also someone who will look after the child day care. It also requires resources to advertise it in the beginning. This is the toughest part before the business gets off the ground. There will be a need to ensure that there are adequate resources for day to day running of the center to ensure that it does not become bankrupt (Covitch, 2012).
The table below is a representation of estimates for the start up
Industry information and trends
The Information on this business is that there are many centers that are put up. Most of them deal mainly with counseling and medical care for pregnant young women. Catholic charities are unique in that they not only offer counseling for pregnant women, but they also offer support to these young women who already have children in the Flatbush area. This makes Catholic charities have an advantage as they provide more services than other conventional centers. There has also been a lot of criticism on such centers by the claim that they offer abortion services. Catholic Charities will stand out as it supports young women to live a sustainable life with their children (Covitch, 2012).
Expansion of the Organization
The expansion plans for Catholic Charities will start with the expansion of the center itself. The center will start small with a capacity of 10 women. The next milestone is expanding the center to accommodate 20 women and their children in day care. This will involve increasing the staff of the daycare in order to handle the number of children. The center should also start up other branches in the Flatbush area. This will improve access to the services as young women will not have to travel great distances to get help (Coles, Coles, Coles, & Coles, 1997).
The center also hopes to expand services to women who are above 25 years of age. There are single working women who also have unwanted pregnancies who need help in managing their lives. These women can be offered daycare services at affordable prices so that they can continue furthering their careers. The counseling services will also reduce the number of abortions in Flatbush area. Catholic Charities hope to expand to other states that are lacking these services. This will allow the centers to impact positively to young women across the country. In the long run, the main aim is to reduce abortion rates and enable young women to accept that they can have a productive life even after becoming pregnant at an early age (Covitch, 2012).
Benefits of the organization to the community
The benefit of the Catholic Charities business is that it provides a service that is lacking in the community. The rate of young women under 25 years becoming pregnant is growing at an alarming rate. This means that a large number of them are faced with the stress and uncertainty of life. The center will be a guiding hand to the young women in Flatbush area who find themselves in this predicament. The center will also help reduce the number of pregnancies in Flatbush area. The counseling services will try and convince these young ladies that even with a child they can live a successful and productive life. This will lead to acceptance of the situation rather than choosing abortion which has severe health risk (Covitch, 2012).
Potential Weaknesses
The main weakness for Catholic Charities is raising revenue. Since it is nonprofit, many investors will shy away from it since there is no real expectation to make a profit of to get back their capital. The main source of revenue will have to be from the charity. It will be hard to get people and organizations that are willing to fund the center. The other weakness will be advertising. Since they will be operating as nonprofit making organizations, the money allocated for adverts will be minimal. There will be a need to rely on fliers and word of mouth. Fliers can be distributed in learning institutions as well as pinned on their notice boards. In the beginning, the Center can offer free workshops for ladies. It can give certificates to participants in order to encourage attendance (Coles, Coles, Coles, & Coles, 1997).
Getting counselors and workers in the center will also be difficult. Due to the limited revenue that the center will have, most workers will have to be volunteers. This brings many challenges such as the fact that the volunteers will be coming according to their hours of availability. Volunteer workers are also known to be quite temporary as better opportunities usually come their way. There will also be a need to employ a few permanent employees who will manage the business. This will be a manager who can also be in charge of the finances of the organization. There will also need to be a permanent employee who will be taking care of the children in the day care (Coles, Coles, Coles, & Coles, 1997).
Catholic charities aim to be a nonprofit organization solely based on providing an essential service to the young women of the community. The fact that it is nonprofit means that it is exempt from taxes by the government. A potential problem will arise when government regulation changes its tax exemption status. This would mean that costs would rise, and the organization will fail to make as much impact as before. The tax exemption status is very important to the organization.
The establishment of a pregnancy center is a very noble idea. It is nonprofit making with the purpose of providing a needed service to the young women of Flatbush area. There are several factors to consider ensuring that the business succeeds. The best way forward is building on strengths and minimizing weaknesses.
References
Coles, R., Coles, R. E., Coles, D. A., & Coles, M. H. (1997). The youngest parents : Teenage pregnancy as it shapes lives. New York: the Center for Documentary Studies in Association with W.W. Norton & Co.
Covitch, L. (2012). The Epidemic of Teen Pregnancy: An American Tragedy. New York: Dorrance Publishing.
