Constructing Application
Yield Sustainability Consistent with
Resource Efficiency and Flexibility
Peace Corps Presentation
University of Chicago Consulting: Bain Competition
April 2011
Vrushank Vora, Vincent Yu & Mike Zhang
Objectives
• Focus on financial link between recruiting
activities and yield creation
• Develop understanding of how to:
• Create yield through recruiting activities
• Develop more relevant metrics to capture yield
value of recruiting activities
• Generate synergy between strategic contacts,
recruitment sites and regional recruiters
• Utilize multimedia tools to increase recruitment
efficiency and flexibility
Key Findings
• Recruiting activities create yield along three areas:
• First and Second Tier Growth
• Return on Third Tier and No Tier Coverage
• Increased clarity and consistency with strategic contacts
• Beliefs regarding correlation between regional visits and
Third Tier individual nomination yield are inconclusive
• Opportunity for alternative recruitment activities to
increase coverage yield while saving resources
• Multimedia communication methods
• Increased usage of strategic contacts
Current Inhibitors
• Low Third-Tier-Yield-to-Cost ratio
• Second-Tier Untapped Growth
Potential
• Unrecognized coverage potential
How effectively are we using our resources?
Relatively
productive
second-tier
application yield
relative to
resources spent
Highly productive
first-tier
application yields
relative to
resources spent
Unproductive
third-tier
application yield
relative to
resources spent
Inefficient
usage of
resources in
producing
application
yield
*Schools with strategic contacts are excluded
How effective are regional visits per tier?
Strong correlation
was found between
second-tier regional
visits and application
yields
After running
regression, weak
correlation was
found between thirdtier regional visits
and application
yields
No statistically
significant difference
between virtual visits
and actual visits
Suggests more
effective
utilization of
resources could
be used while
maintaining
applicant yields
Solutions to Inefficiency
Eliminate Third-Tier,
Airplane Travel Visits
Replace with
Multimedia Virtual
Calls and Student
Ambassadors
Save estimated
nearly $6,000 in reinvestment capital
while maintaining
applicants’ yield
Multimedia Conferencing versus Regional Visits
Virtual Conference
• $330 per session
• No trip costs
• Maintains facial
consistency and
familiarity
• Promotes similar
nomination yield
Regional Visits
• $1000 per session
• Overnight stay and
airplane trip costs
• Time-to-travel hinders
coverage
Integrate with
nichë
community
service
organizations
Compensation
plan based on
stipend and
number of
referralnominations
Prepared to
answer
questions
about
program yearround
Student
Ambassadors
in Third-Tier
Schools
Market virtual
information
sessions on
campus
General
support at the
virtual
information
sessions
Untapped Growth Potential
• Amongst Second Tier, strong correlation
was found between frequency of visits and
number of nominations
• If all recovered capital were redirected
towards campaigns to Second-Tier
schools
• Increase yield of Second-Tier schools by
over fifteen percent
• Create stronger synergy between SecondTier schools and recruiters
Solutions to Inefficiency
Eliminate Third-Tier,
Airplane Travel Visits
Replace with
Multimedia Virtual
Calls and Strategic
Contacts
Increased Campaigns
to Second-Tier
Schools
15% Increase in
Second-Tier Yield
Production
Save estimated
nearly $6,000 in reinvestment capital
while maintaining
applicants’ yield
Coverage Potential
• If recovered capital were redirected towards expansion of third-tier
schools
• Increased spheres of influence in no-tier schools
• Exposure to 17 more schools if video-conferencing tools were expanded
upon
Coverage Growth
Eliminate Third-Tier,
Airplane Travel Visits
Replace with
Multimedia Virtual
Calls and Strategic
Contacts
Increased Campaigns
to Second-Tier
Schools
21% Increase in
Third-Tier Coverage
Save estimated
nearly $6,000 in reinvestment capital
while maintaining
applicants’ yield
Contingency Plans
• Objectives:
• Increase recruitment
versatility without
affecting yield or
overall efficiency
during low-budget
times
• Maintain a Peace
Corps presence with
fewer Peace Corps
recruiters
• Outcomes:
• A model that
minimizes traveling
costs and replaces
third-tier high-cost
schools with student
ambassadors and
virtual conferences
• Assign virtual
schools to recruiters
with less ground to
cover
With 16 Recruiters
• Redistribution:
• Bowling Green and Toledo moved to KAS and OH FBR team
• University of Chicago/DePaul under IL and MO Team
• Virtual school third-tier, high cost teams to MI and WI/ND teams
• Results:
• IN/KY and IL/MO teams have relatively more physical universities and
student population to recruit.
• MI and WI/ND teams would have both physical and virtual campaigns to
run
With 15 and 14 Recruiters
1 Less…
• Transfer WI Team physical university responsibilities to MI and
redistribute the virtual, student-ambassador contracts
2 Less...
• Combine the two IN teams physical campaigns and redistribute their
virtual campaigns evenly
Conclusion:
• Contingency plans become more flexible by splitting the
physical responsibilities across FBRs and evenly distributing the
virtual campaigns across the remaining recruiters