Project: Business Model Development
Company Name: Volunteer Alberta
Address: 609 Empire Building, 10080 Jasper Ave. Edmonton AB T5J 1V9
Email Address:

1. Who we are
Volunteer Alberta (VA) is a warm and vibrant organization that nourishes the conditions for civic
engagement and volunteerism in the province. Through a collaborative approach with our Board of
Directors, our work is guided by and responsive to the needs of the people and organizations we serve.
Working in the spirit of mutuality and reciprocity, we work to provide services, share knowledge, and
make connections to foster capability and capacity in the social good/voluntary sector.
Volunteer Alberta actively lives into our values of collaboration, integrity, learning, responsiveness,
adaptability, and engaging in an asset-based approach.

2. Project background

After successfully designing, developing, and operating the Youth @ the Table program from 2019-
2023, Volunteer Alberta has cracked the code on purposeful youth engagement. Youth @ the Table
(Y@TT) matched youth (18 –30 years old) with nonprofit and charitable boards in Alberta to
strengthen community connections, increase a shared sense of belonging, and develop personal
leadership capacity amongst youth. Since the program’s inception, organizations from across Canada
regularly reach out to us for our expertise and guidance to help with their aspirations to meaningfully
engage youth with and within their organizations.
As we re-imagine Youth @ the Table’s way of practicing, we envision it operating on a licensing model,
wherein VA shifts from offering direct service for youth engagement, towards a consulting model
where we equip organizations to meaningfully engage with youth. We imagine this will include (but
not be limited to) learning cohorts, training workshops, adaptable frameworks/tools/methodologies,
and customized forms of consultation. We intend to operate on a payment model rooted in equity,
with fees charged in alignment to the size and financial stability of an organization.

3. Project deliverables/Intended Outcomes
We are seeking an innovative, socially aware, and values-oriented consultant/consulting firm to
support us in exploring what’s next for the lessons learned, and the promising practices that emerged
during the Youth @ the Table program.
Our intended deliverables include:
- A needs assessment;
- A review of Youth @ the Table curated content (slide decks, curriculum, co-created resources)
to identify which resources can be updated or used in the business model;
- Creating a market research plan that ensures our first take at potential offerings responds to
the community’s needs;
- Identifying a set of clients that are representative of the provinces’ nonprofit sector, diverse in
geographic region as well as social issues they address, to pilot the final set of tools that we
identify for future clients; and
- The creation of a business model and business plan for this work (including operational plan,
communications plan, and financial plan).
Our intended outcomes:
- The scope for the future of Youth @ the Table is defined;
- Volunteer Alberta’s Youth Engagement work extends beyond board governance;
- Volunteer Alberta to integrate the business plan developed by the consultant into VA’s overall
service offerings;
- Volunteer Alberta is better equipped to market Youth @ the Table as a licensed product;

4. Anticipated Selection Schedule
Request for Proposal Released: May 11, 2023
Deadline for Bidders to Submit Questions: June 14, 2023
Volunteer Alberta Responds to Bidder Questions: June 15-16, 2023
Deadline for Bids: June 19, 2023
Selection of Top Bidder(s): June 21, 2023
Start of Negotiation: June 21, 2023
Contract Awarded/ Notification to Unsuccessful Bidders: June 28, 2023

5. Timeline
Volunteer Alberta needs the project completed by November 30, 2023.

6. Elements of Proposal
A submission must, at a minimum, include the following elements:
• Description of your firm/consultancy that includes a general overview, name(s), and credentials of
the consultant and whoever will be conducting the various activities.
• A one-page narrative outlining your strengths and distinguishing skills or capabilities as they might
relate to Volunteer Alberta and/or knowledge of youth engagement and/or the Alberta
nonprofit/voluntary sector, and address possible roadblocks, as listed in the RFP.
• A representative selection of relevant case studies created for current and past clients.

7. Evaluation Criteria

The contract will be awarded to a responsive and responsible firm/consultancy based on the best
value and professional capability.
Applications will be assessed on:
• The longevity of their operations. Consultants with less than 24 months of experience will be
considered upon demonstration of relevant adjacent skills related to the creation and management
of a successful service, non-profit organization, or business, for youth.
• Their ability to provide full-service, in-house capabilities for environmental scanning, research,
reporting and presenting recommendations.
• The education, experience, knowledge, skills, and qualifications of the firm/consultancy and the
individuals who will be available to provide these services.
• The cost competitiveness of the application.
• The expertise of the firm/consultant in working with similar clients
• The strength of their alignment with VA’s collaborative principles:
1. We agree to be open by default and intentional about collaboration. We check our assumptions
and actively acknowledge them.
2. We don't assume collaboration means everyone being involved from start to finish. We give
careful consideration to who needs to be at the table.
3. We operate from a beginner’s mindset. We are curious, ask questions, and listen to new ideas
vs. judging or responding.
4. We practice active and empathetic listening. We still our minds, listen with all senses and listen
without interrupting. We are respectful of people's opinions and thoughts.
5. We are in service of each other. We reach common goals by supporting each other and
checking egos at the door.
6. We give everyone space/time to reflect and speak. It's okay to say "I don't know.”

8. Possible Roadblocks
Volunteer Alberta is a nonprofit, charitable organization with a limited budget for this project, of which
bidders should be aware. Bidders should also be aware that their submission, accepted or not, is in no
way an indication of or related to any future RFPs or contracts. Bidders should ensure they are not
solely promoting their own products/services as recommendations. Bidders must be able to conduct
the current infrastructure review and presentation of recommendations in person at Volunteer
Alberta’s offices.

9. Budget
Volunteer Alberta will accept proposals up to and not over $18,000 including GST.