Non-Profits in Hackensack

non-profits in hackensack

john colon idus711 - methods of contextual research winter 2018

ethnographic research

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secondary research

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areas of research

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research matrix

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research consent form

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ethnographic research

john colon idus711 - methods of contextual research winter 2018

fly on the wall: the hackensack main street business alliance (msba) problem: The city of Hackensack, New Jersey is an up and coming cultural center. It is a site where people of many different social and economic backgrounds converge, and where the blueprints for the world of tomorrow are written and tested. As such, the residents of the city need the help of and to participate in the building and operation of new non-profit organizations that will lift them to new economic highs. Currently however, few organizations exist that work one on one with the area’s residents, businesses, and government. For this reason, the push for more and better equipped non-profits in Hackensack are the paramount issue plaguing the city. questions:

1. What are the city’s demographics of Hackensack?

2. What caused the city to develop into the cultural center it is today?

3. What are the things that afflict the city’s economy and businesses?

4. How many non-profits are aimed at fixing these ailments?

5. What do they attempt to do?

6. Are they successful or unsuccessful? Why? 7. Why are there not more of these organizations?

8. What does your average person need to do to start, help, and receive help from one of these organizations?

9. Is it even possible to change the troubles through such an organization/work?

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john colon idus711 - methods of contextual research winter 2018

ethnographic research hypothesis: Life is like a race. Everything that one’s community and oneself does will affect or afflict its outcome. If one has any advantage they can make a world of difference against those lacking such a gift. For the people of Hackensack (and everywhere for that matter) receiving help, both monetary, social, educational, etc. from local non-profits can make a world of difference. While some of these organizations currently exist, there are not enough for the entire “needing” population of Hackensack to receive a fair share of the figurative “pie.” Therefore, I propose the formation of new organizations so that my city can grow into a more productive and healthy economic center.

observations:

“The Hackensack Main Street Business Alliance (MSBA) is a public private partnership formed as an alliance between the business community and the City of Hackensack. The mission of the MSBA is to address the issues facing the business community with the goal of improving the local economy and the overall business climate in Hackensack” (MSBA).

The work of MSBA has resulted in: • New private real estate • Lower property taxes • New residential units, stores, offices, and restaurants • New construction and permanent jobs • New parks, recreation facilities, and performing arts center • No major impact on schools or service costs • Increased public parking 2

john colon idus711 - methods of contextual research winter 2018

ethnographic research fly on the wall: the hackensack main street business alliance (msba)

brief reflection: The city of Hackensack is one of the most diverse in its county.

The city has been developing into a culture center since in influx of NYC commuters and increase in housing. This seems to be a large factor in the growth of this city’s economy and businesses.

Not many non-profits have formed to fix certain ailments. But they have attempted to emphasize the arts and culture. In fact, most attempts have been quite successful, especially with a program that put large wall murals on Main Street. There aren’t many more of these organizations because of the more successful cities surrounding Hackensack as well as the ones who need more work. I would assume that research such as this would be a great kick start or anyone wanting to approve this city’s climate, making it entirely possible to change the troubles through such organizations.

work cited:

Mission Statement. (n.d.). Retrieved January 12, 2018, from http://uppermain.org/mission-statement/

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secondary research

john colon idus711 - methods of contextual research winter 2018

area of inquiry:

Non-Profit Impact in Communities

focus area:

Economic impact of the non-profit Arts and Culture industry in Hackensack, New Jersey.

problem statement:

Many different social and economic backgrounds converge in the city of Hackensack, where the blueprints for the world of tomorrow are written and tested. Few organizations exist that work one on one with Hackensack’s residents, businesses, and government. The residents of the city need the help of and to participate in the building and operation of new non-profit organizations.

opportunity statement:

There is an opportunity for the city to grow into a more productive and healthy economic center and enhance its health, well-being, society, and education with the formation of non-profit organizations geared towards the Arts and Culture industry.

research experience:

During my secondary research, it was sometimes hard to understand the context or setting in which certain quantitative data was collected. There were also some biases within certain qualitative data that didn’t necessarily lend itself to statistical analysis and generalization. Qualitative research may include biases and does not lend itself to statistical analysis. But by combining both types of data, these weaknesses were offset. Some of my research included both observations and statistical analyses. Combing both reasonable and unreasonable thinking reduced personal biases as well.

Overall, this experience has given me a broader perspective on not only the city of Hackensack as a resident myself, but on the arts and culture of communities and its benefits.

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john colon idus711 - methods of contextual research winter 2018

areas of research

design thinking methods

strategy non-profit organizations

growing nj suburbs of nyc

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john colon idus711 - methods of contextual research winter 2018

research matrix research design: Planning my primary and secondary research using design practices and methodologies to accomplish a goal in a specfic context.

what do we need to know?

why do we need to know it?

what kind where can of data will we find the answer this data? question?

what research methods should we use?

who can we when do contact for we need access? to get a hold of this data?

what will we learn from this data?

what might we be missing?

How design and methodologies can be used to create strategies and solutions

Design strategies may not apply or lead to the right solutions for the problem

What is needed to form nonprofits or information on a non-profit and how Hackensack uses it

A lack of studies or information could lead to a small pool of information to pull from

umbrella question: How might we use design thinking to form an increase of non-profit organizations in Hackensack, NJ? sub-question 1: How might we describe ‘design thinking’ and what methods might be useful for this study?

Definition of design thinking as it relates to methodology and strategy

To understand how design and methodology can be used to form non-profits

Qualitative & quantitative

Secondary research from designers and other experts

JSTOR, design studies, research papers, scholarly online journals

SCAD Library and access to the online journals

In the beginning to gain a foundation before designing possible solutions

sub-sub-questions: How might we describe design thinking? What methods are there? How are methods used to form non-profits? sub-question 2: How might we describe nonprofits and how are they used in Hackensack?

Definition of non-profits and the various ways Hackensack can use them

Provides the necessary knowledge needed to understand the problem

Qualitative & quantitative

Secondary research from designers and other experts

JSTOR, research papers, previous experiments or studies, scholarly online journals

SCAD Library and access to the online journals

In the beginning to gain insight into the issue at hand

sub-sub-questions: How might we describe non-profits? How are non-profits typically used in Hackensack? What is the relationship between non-profits and Hackensack? sub-question 2: How might we describe Hackensack and growing NJ suburbs of NYC?

Description of the population and setting for which this problem exists

Provides context for the problem and possible limitations to solutions

Qualitative & quantitative

Secondary research from designers and other experts

JSTOR, scholarly online journals, fly-on-the-wall observations, interviews

SCAD Library, access to the online journals, permission to interview

Secondly to use what has been learned and apply it to the area as it is

Learn the type of people affected, what methods can or can’t work, possible reasons for issues

A lack of formal information, skewed point of views from those interviewed

sub-sub-questions: How might we describe NJ suburbs of NYC? How might we describe Hackensack? What existing non-profits are there in Hackensack to gain data?

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research consent form

john colon idus711 - methods of contextual research winter 2018

I am a student at the Savannah College Art and Design, in the Design Management program. I am planning to conduct a research study on non-profits in Hackensack, which I invite you to take part in. This form has important information about the reason for doing this study, what we will ask you to do if you decide to be in this study, and the way we would like to use information about you if you choose to be in the study.

The purpose of the study is to find ways to use design thinking to form an increase of nonprofit organizations in Hackensack, NJ. In doing so, I will be studying methods of design thinking, uses of non-profits in Hackensack, NJ and the city itself. In the end, I hope to combine my collected data on design thinking methods, non-profit organizations, and growing NJ suburbs of NYC to form a strategy for an increase of beneficial community non-profits.

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research consent form

john colon idus711 - methods of contextual research winter 2018

I will be conducting primary research through methods such as: 1. Cultural Probes: “provocative instruments given to participants to inspire new forms of selfunderstanding and communication about their lives, environments, thoughts, and interactions” (Martin, Hanington, 2012, p. 54).

2. Diary Studies: “guiding artifacts that allow people to conveniently and expressively convey personal details about their daily life and events to design teams” (Martin, Hanington, 2012, p. 66).

3. Directed Storytelling: “allows designers to easily gather rich stories of lived experiences from participants, using thoughtful prompts and guiding and framing questions in conversation” (Martin, Hanington, 2012, p. 68).

4. Exploratory Research: “user and product studies, intended to forge an empathic knowledge base” (Martin, Hanington, 2012, p. 84).

5. Fly-on-the-Wall Observation: “allows the researcher to unobtrusively gather information by looking and listening without direct participation or interference with the people or behaviors being observed” (Martin, Hanington, 2012, p. 90).

6. Interviews: “direct contact with participants, to collect firsthand personal accounts of experience, opinions, attitudes, and perceptions) (Martin, Hanington, 2012, p. 102).

7. Observation: “attentive looking and systematic recording of phenomena – including people, artifacts, environments, events, behaviors and interactions” (Martin, Hanington, 2012, p. 120).

8. Participant Observation: “understanding situations and behaviors through the experience of membership participation in activity, context, culture, or subculture” (Martin, Hanington, 2012, p. 124).

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research consent form

john colon idus711 - methods of contextual research winter 2018

I would like to audio-record this interview to make sure that I remember accurately all the information you provide. I will keep these tapes on my iPhone and they will only be used by me. If you prefer not to be audiorecorded, I will take notes instead.

I may quote your remarks in presentations or articles resulting from this work. A pseudonym will be used to protect your identity, unless you specifically request that you be identified by your true name.

To the best of our knowledge, the things you will be doing have no more risk of harm than you would experience in everyday life.

You are not likely to have any direct benefit from being in this research study. This study is designed to learn more about environments and behavior.

The study results may be used to help other people in the future.

I may share the data I collect from you for use in future research studies or with other researchers – if I share the data that I collect about you, I will remove any information that could identify you before I share it.

Participation in this study is voluntary. You do not have to answer any question you do not want to answer. If at any time and for any reason, you would prefer not to participate in this study, please feel free not to. If at any time you would like to stop participating, please tell me. We can take a break, stop and continue at a later date, or stop altogether. You may withdraw from this study at any time, and you will not be penalized in any way for deciding to stop participation. If you decide to withdraw from this study, the I will ask you if the information already collected from you can be used.

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john colon idus711 - methods of contextual research winter 2018

research consent form If you have questions, you are free to ask them now. If you have questions later, you may contact my professor, Jennifer Light, at jlight@scad.edu If you have any questions about your rights as a participant in this research, you can contact the office at the Savannah College of Art and Design:

thank you

342 Bull Street Savannah, GA 31401 Phone: (800) 869-7223 Email: contact@scad.edu

consent

I have read this form and the research study has been explained to me. I have been given the opportunity to ask questions and my questions have been answered. If I have additional questions, I have been told whom to contact. I agree to participate in the research study described above and will receive a copy of this consent form.

participant’s name (printed)

participant’s signature

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non-profits in hackensack

john colon idus711 - methods of contextual research winter 2018