ETEC 522

Assignment 1: Venture Analysis The Adoption Channel

Lecturer: Dr. David Vogt
Submitted: October 14, 2012

The information shared within this paper is obtain through personal involvement in this project.

ETEC 522 Assignment 1: Venture Analysis

Introduction
The #1 Online Education Network for the Adoption Community
The Adoptive Families Association of BC is pleased to announce the arrival of The Adoption
Channel - live and interactive, online education and support for the adoption community in BC.
Airing on select Thursdays every month, the Adoption Channel provides more of the on-demand
education and continuous support that the adoption community already receives from
AFABC. Come learn with us!
For more info call 1-866-900-7330 or email: adoptionchannel@bcadoption.com
Cost: $15 for members, $20 for non-members

Why choose the adoption channel? The Adoption Channel is a venture (fee for service)
project undertaken by the education department of my company within the past ten months. I had
limited involvement in this project at the time of project needs assessment, initiation and
implementation. However, I have assumed the management of this department within the past 2
months and I am very interested in assessing its feasibility would I as an Education Venture
Analyst invest in this opportunity, were I not employed by this company; and as the manager of
the education service, is this really a viable venture?
The Adoption Channel comprises of online educational offerings delivered within a
webinar environment. Many platform options and service providers such as WebEx, and open
source such as Big Blue Button are available. The AFABC made the decision to go with Adobe
Connect because it integrates well with Moodle, an LMS that the association is now developing
online courses within. These webinars are provided via the Adobe Connect platform. The
Adoption Channel is owned and managed by the Adoptive Families Association of British
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ETEC 522 Assignment 1: Venture Analysis

Columbia (AFABC), a non-profit provincial organisation with over 30 years of experience in

providing information, education offerings and supports to prospective and adoptive families and
adoption professionals. The channel was launched in February 2012 and the following message
can be seen on the companys website.

The Target
The market comprises birth families, foster families, prospective and adoptive families,
children and youth who are waiting for forever families as well as adoption professionals. The
primary target for the webinars is predominantly prospective and adoptive parents who are or are
increasingly using technology as a means of transaction. Many of these targets belong to a
demographic that is well educated and fall between the ages of 30 60. The secondary target is
adoption professionals, especially social workers within the Ministry of Family and
Development.

Pain Point and Solution

Provide convenient live and interactive as well as pre-recorded (canned) webinars for a
demographically diverse and geographically dispersed adoption community in BC. In my
opinion, this is a valid pain point. The adoptive community is a relatively small one and
geographically diverse one. AFABC has over 8,000 members in all regions of BC. However
most of its face-to-face workshops are offered at its Burnaby (Greater Vancouver area) office.
Occasionally education session are offered in centralized non-Greater Vancouver regions such as

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ETEC 522 Assignment 1: Venture Analysis

Kelowna in the Interior or Prince George in the North. The challenge is that even within the
same region, major geographical diversity is noted and families tend to be dispersed. AFABC
indicates that most of its stakeholders have expressed an interest in accessing education and
support services online, because they are unable to attend the sessions in Burnaby, or whatever
centralized location. With the increased access to technology such computers and the internet,
and with many competing interests such as work along with family commitments and challenges,
especially for new adoptive families, the idea of convenient in my home education offering is
becoming increasingly attractive. While this venture is not new, web-conferencing before the
internet with Plato in 1960s by the University of Illinois (http://www.thehistoryof.net/history-ofweb-conferencing.html), the internet and web 2.0 technologies enable its convenience and
interactivity. What makes this pain point a possibly viable is that it posits a solution to a niche
market challenge that may be feasible depending on market factors such as competition.

Differentiation Competition

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ETEC 522 Assignment 1: Venture Analysis

The AFABC is one of five organizations, except for the MCFD, that provide education
and support to the adoption community in BC. The other four are licensed agencies that provide
a service to the international adoption community mainly. AFABC provides a service to all -both local and international adoption -- and both the MCFD and the agencies send their families
to AFABCs workshops. It must be noted that the agencies also provide workshops, but the
offerings are not as extensive.

At this time, there is no other competing online training/support webinar-based program

specifically geared to prospective and adoptive families in BC. In my opinion as an EVA, this
increases the feasibility of this venture. There seems to be limited competition in BC, but what
about online. In this I find lacking is the limited attention paid to the online competition.
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ETEC 522 Assignment 1: Venture Analysis

AFABC identifies its target as well educated and technologically or becoming

technologically savvy. The adoption community exists outside of BC and is a very large one
within the Canadian borders. Many services exist in Ontario. However, AFABC indicates that
their research indicates that there are no other competing services in Canada at this time offering
webinars to the adoption community. This may be true, I have examined the site of competitors
like Waiting to Belong and Adopt Ontario and there were no online/webinar offerings. This
means that AFABCs the Adoption Channel has a huge opportunity open to it within BC as well
as within the broader Canadian adoption community.
What about competition outside of the Canadian border? In the US, the webinar model of
the Adoption Channel is more evolved and there are several organizations already integrating
webinars into their array of services. These include:

http://www.adopting.org

http://www.adoptionlearningpartners.org/

http://www.bgcenterschool.org/

However, AFABC might be paying scant regard to US- based organizations because they cater
to the US market and only a small part of it would be helpful for the Canadian and BC-based
adoption community.
I think these factors strengthen the viability of this venture and are important
consideration as I think about my venture pitch for assignment 3 an online Adoption Education
Program (AEP) that is developed in Moodle and set to launch this month. These factors of
limited to no direct competition in the online adoption related webinars in BC and Canada place
the Adoption Channel in a first mover position within this market. If this venture becomes
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successful, there may be many imitators. The challenge for AFABC will be to stave off
competition, and they do not seem to be addressing this issue at this time. This is especially so
for a technology that is relatively easy to integrate with low start up cost barrier to entry is
therefore low and not a constraint for possible competitors.

Marketing
AFABCs marketing focus centres around promotion via social media, features in its
Focus on Adoption Magazine, through e-news to its members, word of mouth and using the
network of its members. Social media includes its Facebook and Twitter feed and mommy
bloggers such as See Theo Run, Harriet Fancott http://seetheorun.com/ (Adoptive mom,
previous Focus on Adoption editor who is still very tied with AFABC and supportive of the
organization - 74k+ site visits). Word of mouth is done through its staff, especially those outside
of the Greater Vancouver area, and this includes emails. Notices are also sent to social workers
through their online networks. This is a low key low budget promotional strategy. Given the
current economic climate that is understandable. As well, given that this is a new service that is
still in its inception/evaluation stage.
As well, the organization is a non-profit with an operating budget of $1.3 million. Almost
half of which is for free support services to adoptive families through an MCFD contract. The
venture is being marketed as one of the few fee-for-service offerings by the association. Herein
may be the biggest challenge. Members may be reluctant to pay. This dampens the viability of
the venture. AFABC indicates that registration and attendance for the webinars are promising.
The numbers seems to be the same for the face-to-face and the webinars. Given the convenience
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ETEC 522 Assignment 1: Venture Analysis

factor, I would expect a higher than face-to-face registration. I am uncertain as to the success of
the marketing effort and the venture may still be too new to yield telling results.

The Team

The Executive Director is Karen Madeiros Has more than 30 years of experience in
the social service and non-profit sector. She is an adoptive mom through international
adoption.

Education Services Manager is Sophia Barton-Bucknor an educator with more than

20 years experience in the education field. Also has an MBA and is currently
pursuing an MET.

Business Systems Manager is Susan Waugh has more than 20 years of experience
in business and technical systems. She is an adoptive mom through local and
international adoption.

Communications and Development Manager is Mary Caros has more than 30 years
of experience in the communications field. Has worked in the open learning
environment at Royal Roads.

Family Services Manager is Janis Fry has more than 30 years of experience in the
social service field. She is the former manager of the education department. Has an
MSW.

Contractors include Frank Fucile an e-learning specialist. He is also a client service

specialist at BC Campus.

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ETEC 522 Assignment 1: Venture Analysis

The team comprises the staff and board of the AFABC as well as technical contractors. The
combined knowledge and experience of the team reflects a diverse mix of adoption and social
service expertise, as well as expertise in business, communications, and technical systems. For
most staff online learning environment and learning technologies are new to them and this is
very much an area of growth and as well concern. As an EVA, I would be more inclined to
support this venture if more staff were e-learning specialist.
However, the team and the associated seems committed to the venture; this commitment is
also evident is the willingness to contract with outside specialist as needed. This augurs well for
the viability of the venture. Successful ventures are often premised on the skill, dedication,
willingness and expertise of a diverse team. This team seems to embody these characteristics.

The Ask and the Return

The Ask for the Adoption Channel is premised on securing corporate sponsorship for the
channel. Corporate sponsors would receive marketing benefits including features on the
Adoption Channel, in the organizations Focus on Adoption Magazine, on its Facebook, and in
its Twitter feeds. While this seems to be the modus operandi for non-profits, it also seems to be a
reasonable approach. However, I think the adoption community may be niche market but it is
often times an influential one. Members include many powerful decision makers within business
and politics, and this may be a great vehicle for a corporate sponsor to network or get noticed.

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ETEC 522 Assignment 1: Venture Analysis

Conclusion
The Adoption Channel presents live interactive and pre-recorded webinars via the Adobe
Connect platform on adoption related issues to the adoption community in BC. The limited
impact on registration too new evaluation results and team inexperience with e-learning
diminish the viability of this venture. However, its pain point is valid to exploit the affordances
of internet and computers to bridge a gap in service for community members outside of the
Greater Vancouver area and major urban centres; as well as offer convenient access to
workshops/seminars to too busy to attend face-to-face sessions members. Limited competition
increases the viability of this venture as well as the teams commitment and overall expertise in
adoption, social service and face-to-face education offerings. As an EVA, I would support this
venture and recommend support by a corporate sponsor for a limited period of one year. This
would give the venture some time to be fully tested, results would be more reliable and validity
would be increased. Should the results prove favourable, I would recommend a recommit to this
venture for a longer period.

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