UGB160 Essential Study and Employment Skills: Fundraising Report

This report details a student's fundraising initiative in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust, undertaken as part of the UGB160 module on Essential Study and Employment Skills. The introduction provides context on cancer, its impact, and the rationale for focusing on teenage cancer. The report then presents an audit and evaluation of key skills, including teamwork, communication, research, planning, decision-making, problem-solving, organization, and time management. A personal development plan (PDP) is outlined, identifying areas for improvement in teamwork, research, and planning, and the report includes a SWOT analysis to assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The report concludes with a reflection on the fundraising experience and its impact on the student's skill development. References and appendices are included to support the findings and provide additional information.

1
 Module Code and Module Title
 Title of Assignment : Fundraising to support Teenage Cancer Trust
 Module Leader’s Name
 Tutor’s Name (this person will mark your work) **
 Your name (Family name underlined)
 Your Student Number
 Date of Submission

2
Contents
1.0 FUNDRAISING TO SUPPORT TEENAGE CANCER TRUST..........................................................................3
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3
2.0 AUDIT AND EVALUATION OF KEY SKILLS................................................................................................4
Teamwork................................................................................................................................................4
Communications......................................................................................................................................4
Research..................................................................................................................................................4
Planning...................................................................................................................................................5
Decision-making......................................................................................................................................5
Problem solving,......................................................................................................................................5
Organization............................................................................................................................................5
Time-management..................................................................................................................................5
Development record of accomplishment................................................................................................6
3.0 The areas for development and the avenues for improvement to be pursued in the PDP. And the
SWOT Analysis.............................................................................................................................................6
Teamwork................................................................................................................................................6
Research..................................................................................................................................................6
Planning...................................................................................................................................................7
Personal development plan.........................................................................................................................7
The SWOT analysis...................................................................................................................................8
Strength...............................................................................................................................................8
Weaknesses.........................................................................................................................................9
Opportunities......................................................................................................................................9
Threats.................................................................................................................................................9
REFLECTION.............................................................................................................................................9
4.0 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................................10
5.0 REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................11
6.0 Appendices..........................................................................................................................................12

3
1.0 FUNDRAISING TO SUPPORT TEENAGE CANCER TRUST
INTRODUCTION
Cancer is associated with over 100 disease categories, with varying features like uncoordinated
growth and spread of cells caused by a stream of genetic mutations lading to suppressed control
capability, genotypic incoordination and metastasis. Cancer has become a universal catastrophe
and a report by the American Cancer Society projections showed that there were over 1.5 million
new cancer cases in 2010. New cancer cases and types are discovered daily and researchers are
coming up with new mechanisms to detect its incidences. However, as Lumachi, Santeufemia,
and Basso (2015) notes, it has not been possible for researchers to discover the cure for all cancer
cases. Based on the above society’s analysis, over 10% of the females in the United States are
suffering from breast cancer at some point in their lifetime, making breast cancer the biggest
nightmare for the government of America (www.breastcancer.org, 2015).
According to the American Cancer Society report of 2015, many people do not know how cancer
is developed. For this reason, people normally pointing accusing fingers exclusively on lifestyle.
For instance, others may think that they will not develop cancer since they have no trace of
tobacco in their blood. However, the truth is that everybody is susceptible to the possibility of
developing cancerous cells at any point in lifetime. It is for this reason that the issue has taken
both the social media as well as the mainstream media with storm. In other words, everybody has
had an encounter with cancer pandemic, that is, you either have cancer, or your relative or you
know someone who has suffered from cancer. World Health Organization (WHO) postulates that
world cancer rates could rise by 15% to clock the 15 million people mark by the year 2020. The
only question that everyone is asking is, “what is cancer?” and “what causes cancer?”
Susarla, Ganske, Helliwell, Morris, Eriksson and Chun (2015) define cancer as an abnormal
growth of cells that undergo spontaneous mutation and spreads throughout the body of an
organism leading to body malfunctioning. The condition is caused by both internal and external
factors. The external factors responsible for causing cancer ailment include tobacco, chemicals
radiations as well as infectious microorganisms. On the other hand, internal factors include;
inherited mutants, hormones, and result from basal metabolic reactions in the body. Based on the
World Health Organization (WHO) findings, the rise in cancer cases is attributable to steady
increase in the aging population in both developed and developing nations, increased smoking
habit across the globe and adoption of unhealthy living patterns by the middle human race. Given
the magnitude and level of damage it has caused on the human race, scholars have conducted a
lot of research concerning cancer origin, forms, phases and modalities to eradicate or prevent
cancer spread (Haugen, 2017). Given the fact that this quagmire affects people of all ages, this
funds drive was intended to offer assistance to the teenage population since majority at that age
have no steady income to take care of themselves. The funds drive was to be conducted in two
phases in order for us to generate enough funds to cater for the projected population. For the
purposes of accountability, the team has appointed three signatories to ensure that they properly

4
sanction the funds before any expenditure is incurred. Besides, each member of the team kept his
or her records of the event and funds streaming in and out of the group.
2.0 AUDIT AND EVALUATION OF KEY SKILLS
Teamwork
The ability to work in conjunction with others is one of the skills that is critical to enable
people to complete their tasks successfully. Teamwork is necessary in designing policies that
are responsive to the needs of a society since it helps in ascertaining the actual problems
affecting a particular population. As recommended by Herrera, Muñoz and Salazar (2017),
the future of modern-day organization depends on the managers’ ability to measure
employees contribution towards institutional mission based on teamwork. The scholars
further emphasize that appraisals should be done with a focus on team performance.
Therefore, this skill is necessary for employees and learners who are determined to apply the
trending technology in their fields of work or learning for improved performance.
Communications
The ability to pass information to others as it is without altering meaning to give insight
into well-wishers concerning the problem. Effective communication skills are an
essential requirement to researchers and learners as it boosts confidence in their capacity
to prevail upon respondents and instructors to reach a meaningful conclusion. Apart from
providing the listeners with an understanding, it offers the sender of information an
avenue to argue his her case with confidence to prove possession of the industry-required
knowhow.
Research
Research skill is one of the instrumental resources necessary for a proper funding
proposal. It is through this avenue that an individual can get access to methods of
improving the performances of the group and come up with best practices to obtain
funds from financiers. I was able to provide the team with a combination of personal
experience and the knowledge I gained through classroom learning to put the ideas into
context. The aim was to encourage the team to take an active role in applying the
professional knowledge from their studies to serve the society. Through this effort, all
members of the society will have a soft spot for learning to motivate others to offer
significant support to fund similar organizations.
Planning
I had come up with a plan that was tailored for a first timer, to guide the team throughout
the fundraising period with insights into practical activities to prepare us for the actual
work.

5
Decision-making
The ability to be firm in terms of principles and flexible in discussion to come up with a
unanimous stand as far as the team is concerned is an effective way to gain loyalty. In
situations where people had conflicting opinions, the opinion held by the majority would
carry the day. Based on the information that I had gathered prior to this activity, I was
able to contribute actively and influenced most of the decisions that were made during
the meeting. I was able to convince the team to focus more on the outcome of the
initiative and less on the source of information.
Problem solving,
This kind of case study is a good opportunity to enable learners to conceptualize the skills
learnt in class by applying them in real-life situation. Kerr, Tsao, Nicholson, Atabe,
Wistuba, Hirsch and IASLC Pathology Committee (2015) recommend that learning is
better achieved when instructors give learners an opportunity to interact with the
problems affecting the community in real-life. Given the nature of the project, and the
experience I have had in the field of cancer, I was able to provide significant information
to the team. We were interacting with the real world, and all our efforts were geared
towards solving a problem that we were living with in the society. Since there was no
conflict of interest, all issues that came up in the team were solved to ensure successful
completion of the project.
Organization
Proper coordination was necessary to ensure careful consideration of all factors affecting
the success of the project. The team had a well-organized structure, with one chain of
command to ensure effective coordination of the group activities. All team members
strictly followed the laid down procedures and acknowledged the authority to ensure that
actions were in accordance with the team spirit. The officials were mandated to act on
behalf of the team and ensured transparency and accountability of the resources in their
possession.
Time-management
Time management skill is the ability to accomplish tasks based on pre-determined
schedule. The process begins from the planning phase where the team members set
deadlines that are measurable for each task to carry out in the organization. In deed in this
project, everybody was assigned a task to execute. The assignment that was allocated to
me was perfectly and timely done as per the set standards.
Development record of accomplishment
This phase covers the skills that made it possible for the team to accomplish the task both at
individual and team level. They were exhibited during the planning and execution phase of the
project. The course has helped me make several advances as seen below;

6
a. Ability to participate in discussions pitching up professional organizations
b. actively participate in research and write a professional report
c. improved performance in class and in the field of work
d. ability to accomplish assigned tasks within the stipulated time
e. Satisfactorily take part in skill based training.
3.0 The areas for development and the avenues for improvement to be
pursued in the PDP. And the SWOT Analysis
Teamwork
There is need to enhance my teamwork skills. This requires that I learn to about my weaknesses
at every stage of development and learn how to make sacrifices to ensure smooth running of the
team affairs. It was realized that even when all employees in an organization have the necessary
skills to carry out their duties, people who work as a team often outperform those who operate in
solitude. For this reason, the team undertook the initiative to investigate what skill-set each
member contributed. Roles would be reassigned and every member would assume the roles that
suited them well. There is need for all learners and employees that gone are the days when
people took pleasure in being recognized for a task well done, but on the overall performance by
the entire institution (Gharaveis, Hamilton and Pati, 2018). In addition, to make this initiative a
success, stakeholders must restructure the work environment which trainers do the same to the
learning approaches given to students. Finally, working in a tam provides an opportunity for the
experienced team members to mentor the less experienced team members hence the reason for
the improved performance of the entire group.
Research
The quantity of research that was conducted in the group was not sufficient to provide enough
information about the project. This posed challenges in trying to convince outsiders to contribute
towards helping the teenagers to solve their cancer problem. Research is essential because it
helps an individual to be aware of what is taking place in his or her environment and area of
expertise on a daily basis. This encompasses changes in legislation, trends in economical setups
and improvements in technology that helps an individual to remain relevant in his or her career.
Personal development experts recommend persistent search of information for learners and
employees to gain deeper understanding of their roles in their assignments to ensure retention of
the highest level of expertise in a given career.
Planning
Planning was not done properly. Time that was allocated for every stage was not adequate to
undertake all the activities in an efficient manner. Proper research skills can be obtained formally
through vocational education where individuals become full time planners or acquired through
on-the job avenues with the motive to enhance managerial skills.

7
Personal development plan
Personal development plan 1
Date Priority Current
proficiency
Development
opportunity
Assessment
criteria for
success
8/1/2019-
11/2/2019
Communication
skills or oral
skills
Competent in
open
conversation but
often breaks
down in formal
discussions
Availability of
debate programs
in the university
and free and
voluntary
membership in
the debating
club.
To attain a
minimum of
grade B in
“Communication
Skills” course in
the third year
study.
11/3/2019-
12/4/2019
Writing skills Fluent in writing
but the message
is difficult to
comprehend due
to jargons
Presenting the
writings to
colleagues to
read and see if
they can easily
make out the
meanings of the
texts.
Colleagues to be
able to
comprehend my
message by the
end of the third
year university
studies
12/5/2019-
1/31/2020
Leadership skills Has the ability to
command respect
from the team
but extremely
rigid
Is one of the
student leaders in
the university
To develop good
rapport with the
students and see
students free to
discuss matters
affecting them
1/4/2020-
3/5/2020
Teamwork skills Acknowledges
the contributions
of all members
of the team and
shows regard for
their
contributions,
even when there
is difference in
opinion.
However, have
got trust issues
An active
member of a
study group
To be able to
achieve team
goals as set
without any
complains
3/7/2020-
5/1/2020
Event reporting
skills
Good report
writing skills but
the report
contains too
many words,
making it
To write reports
and allow group
members to read
and give
comments
accordingly.
To achieve grade
A in the final
report in the third
year of study as
this will form the
basis of my

8
difficult to
understand.
career.
6/10/2020-
7/8/2020
Emergency
awareness
Interested in
helping others in
times of
accidents but
lacks the first aid
skills.
Identify and
registered with
an organization
dealing with
emergency cases
and complete a
course in the
same.
To participate in
assisting during
minor cases in
the compound
and at home
8/8/2020-
9/9/2020
Presentation
prowess
Possess basic
skills but lacks
courage to face
multitudes
Learning is
student centered
in the university
and students are
offered
opportunities to
present as one of
the requirements
for course
completion.
To attain a
minimum of B
plain in the
presentation unit
10/30/2020-
12/5/2020
Arithmetic skills Have basic
knowledge in
computation of
non-complex
problems but a
lot of difficulty
handling more
demanding tasks
Satisfactory in
critical thinking
ability and shows
evidence of
interest in
learning
To attain grade B
in the third year
final computation
skills.
The SWOT analysis
Strength
Possession of multi-disciplinary knowledge as far as cancer is concerned enabled the team to
come up with a better proposal for the project. Working in groups benefitted the team, as it was
easy to set milestones, timelines and checkpoints to ensure smooth running of the project (Séin-
Echaluce, Blanco, García-Peñalvo and Conde, 2015, August, Ryke, van Eeden, Koen and Bain,
2015). Based on the feedback annexed at the end of this report, the customer rating of the
project was very encouraging and a surety that underlying research was correctly done.
Weaknesses
The whole team had an improperly designed career development plan. The team should be
trained to acquire the capabilities for planning, organizing and setting priorities for the activities
based on their order of significance. Besides, it was established that all the members of the team
possessed almost similar, limiting the possibility of availing different talents.

9
Opportunities
One of the opportunities that the team could benefit from was the presence of common
challenges which team members are aware of. Given that all members of the team had at one
point in their lifetime had an encounter with a cancer victim, it was easy to forge a common
ground when it came to choosing projects and setting priorities.
Another opportunity is the availability of experts in the industry with information about the
current state of cancer in the society (Topor, Dickey, Stonestreet, Wendt, Woolley and Budson,
2018). This can help in solving the dilemma of rewarding top performers in the organization
while maintaining the institutional culture that the firms uses as a unique identity.
Threats
The group had limited resources that could not be enough to execute the activities of the team
within the set deadlines. There was need for public awareness and proper public participation for
the society to own the project. However, given the time constraint and the limited access to
resources, the campaigns were not properly conducted and this acted as draw-back towards
acquisition of funds. The final threat that was eminent in the team was the difficulty in
establishing the correlation between the input of the team members and the output per
contribution.
REFLECTION
Working in this group was the most enjoyable experience I have had over time immemorial. The
achievements, the challenges and the opportunities that the group offered me were just
unforgettable. Some of the most unforgettable episodes were;
1. Project description: the manner in which the group members described the project was
astonishing. Every group member seemed so perplexed that when it came to time for
decision-making, all members approved the project for its potential contribution in the
society.
2. The feelings of the society: during public participation to ascertain what was actually
ailing the community, we realized that people were happy, saving and investing in
development activities. As soon as the plight struck the community, there were cries all
over, the marginal propensity to consume decreased, people started spending on drugs
and chemotherapies.
3. The evaluation phase: I would not be able to accomplish the task had it not been for the
professional assistance from our supervisor. We made several errors during the initial
stages of the project proposal but the instructor tirelessly helped us to correct the mistakes
until the manuscript was perfect.
4. Conclusions: based on the findings from the community opinion leaders and contribution
from the members of the society, all members agreed to come up with a project that was
intended to help a particular group of the society that had been overlooked by most
organizations.

10
5. Call to action: after evaluating all the possible ways to assist the community, the team
settled on the teenagers who seemed vulnerable to cancer attack but oblivious of the fact.
The funds collected were to conduct public awareness to ensure that every member of the
society at the teenage is aware of their cancer status. As seen in appendix B, the
activities yielded enough fruits and the funds received surpassed our target by £ 52.
4.0 CONCLUSION
Writing proposal for charity requires a deeper understanding of the problems affecting the
society. Effective project design also requires a deep insight into the problems affecting the
community in the ground. Based on the information obtained from the literature review during
the project planning, cancer is an international disaster and affects people across ages and
gender. It therefore requires the efforts of all members of the society to participate in removing
the stigma for the victims to be victorious in the fight. Moreover, the results from the funds drive
proved that people are willing to lend a hand to the victims, hence the recuperation process is
bound to be successful.

11
5.0 REFERENCES
Haugen, B.R., 2017. 2015 American Thyroid Association management guidelines for adult
patients with thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer: what is new and what has
changed?. Cancer, 123(3), pp.372-381.
Kerr, K.M., Tsao, M.S., Nicholson, A.G., Yatabe, Y., Wistuba, I.I., Hirsch, F.R. and IASLC
Pathology Committee, 2015. Programmed death-ligand 1 immunohistochemistry in lung cancer:
in what state is this art?. Journal of thoracic oncology, 10(7), pp.985-989.
Lumachi, F., Santeufemia, D.A. and Basso, S.M., 2015. Current medical treatment of estrogen
receptor-positive breast cancer. World journal of biological chemistry, 6(3), p.231.
Susarla, S.M., Ganske, I., Helliwell, L., Morris, D., Eriksson, E. and Chun, Y.S., 2015.
Comparison of clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction in immediate single-stage versus two-
stage implant-based breast reconstruction. Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 135(1), pp.1e-8e.
Séin-Echaluce, M.L., Blanco, Á.F., García-Peñalvo, F.J. and Conde, M.Á., 2015, August. A
knowledge management system to classify social educational resources within a subject using
teamwork techniques. In International Conference on Learning and Collaboration Technologies
(pp. 510-519). Springer, Cham.
Gharaveis, A., Hamilton, D.K. and Pati, D., 2018. The impact of environmental design on
teamwork and communication in healthcare facilities: a systematic literature review. HERD:
Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 11(1), pp.119-137.
Herrera, R.F., Muñoz, F.C. and Salazar, L.A., 2017. Perceptions of the development of
teamwork competence in the training of undergraduate engineering students. Global Journal of
Engineering Education, 19(1).
Topor, D.R., Dickey, C., Stonestreet, L., Wendt, J., Woolley, A. and Budson, A., 2018.
Interprofessional Health Care Education at Academic Medical Centers: Using a SWOT Analysis
to Develop and Implement Programming. MedEdPORTAL: the journal of teaching and learning
resources, 14.
Ryke, E.H., van Eeden, E.S., Koen, V. and Bain, E.G., 2015. Application of SWOT Analysis to
Explore Impressions of Researchers involved in an Integrative Multidisciplinary Health and
Wellbeing Study. Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (1947-2900), 7(3).

12
6.0 Appendices
Appendix A 1
TEAM AGREEMENT FOR TEAM ``THE HOPE``
Team members (full names) Contact details- e.g. mobile, email
Angela BARCARI 07413764364 [e-mail]
Gabriela MACOVEIU 07424512955 [e-mail]
Cristina SURUGIU 07400440060 [e-mail]
Ecaterina MITREANU 07586431795 [e-mail]
INFORMAL COMMUNICATION
We have decided:
1.to use English whenever we are in group discussions and for emailing each other;
2.to be available on Thursday evenings for a weekly MSN chat;
3.to use our university VLE group discussion board.
MEETINGS
We have decided:
1.to hold a weekly meeting after our Marketing lecture on Tuesday morning, meeting up in the Library
discussion area;
2.that everyone must be present at the meeting – if they cannot be there they should inform us in
advance if possible;
3.that we will take notes (minutes) of each meeting.
MAKING DECISIONS
We have agreed:
 If a decision goes to a vote , the majority view will be taken;
 We will give everyone a go at chairing our meeting;
 We will choose a group spokesperson;
 We will choose someone to edit our individual contributions
SANCTIONS
We hope to all work in harmony together. We all have different strengths. We accept that this is a group
piece of work and we are all responsible for doing our best. However, we agree now that:
 If individuals have problems in working in the group or on the task, we will try to sort them out
promptly by talking to each other;
 We will seek advice-as soon as possible- from our tutor for those serious problems we cannot
resolve ourselves

13
SIGNED: Angela BARCARI, Gabriela MACOVEIU, Cristina SURUGIU, Ecaterina MITREANU
Team targets Appendix B
TOTAL INVESTMENT £31.5
TARGET £60
ACTUAL AMOUNT £102
THE TEAM WELCOMES ANYBODY WITH FINANCIAL AS WELL AS EXPERTISE SUPPORT TO HELP ERADICATE
THE STIGMA AND STING OF CANCER IN OUR SOCIETY

14
feedback one 1

15
feedback one 2
Personal development plan Appendix C
Personal development plan 2
Date Priority Current
proficiency
Development
opportunity
Assessment
criteria for
success
8/1/2019-
11/2/2019
Communication
skills or oral
skills
Competent in
open
conversation but
Availability of
debate programs
in the university
To attain a
minimum of
grade B in

16
often breaks
down in formal
discussions
and free and
voluntary
membership in
the debating
club.
“Communication
Skills” course in
the third year
study.
11/3/2019-
12/4/2019
Writing skills Fluent in writing
but the message
is difficult to
comprehend due
to jargons
Presenting the
writings to
colleagues to
read and see if
they can easily
make out the
meanings of the
texts.
Colleagues to be
able to
comprehend my
message by the
end of the third
year university
studies
12/5/2019-
1/31/2020
Leadership skills Has the ability to
command respect
from the team
but extremely
rigid
Is one of the
student leaders in
the university
To develop good
rapport with the
students and see
students free to
discuss matters
affecting them
1/4/2020-
3/5/2020
Teamwork skills Acknowledges
the contributions
of all members
of the team and
shows regard for
their
contributions,
even when there
is difference in
opinion.
However, have
got trust issues
An active
member of a
study group
To be able to
achieve team
goals as set
without any
complains
3/7/2020-
5/1/2020
Event reporting
skills
Good report
writing skills but
the report
contains too
many words,
making it
difficult to
understand.
To write reports
and allow group
members to read
and give
comments
accordingly.
To achieve grade
A in the final
report in the third
year of study as
this will form the
basis of my
career.
6/10/2020-
7/8/2020
Emergency
awareness
Interested in
helping others in
times of
accidents but
lacks the first aid
skills.
Identify and
registered with
an organization
dealing with
emergency cases
and complete a
course in the
To participate in
assisting during
minor cases in
the compound
and at home

17
same.
8/8/2020-
9/9/2020
Presentation
prowess
Possess basic
skills but lacks
courage to face
multitudes
Learning is
student centered
in the university
and students are
offered
opportunities to
present as one of
the requirements
for course
completion.
To attain a
minimum of B
plain in the
presentation unit
10/30/2020-
12/5/2020
Arithmetic skills Have basic
knowledge in
computation of
non-complex
problems but a
lot of difficulty
handling more
demanding tasks
Satisfactory in
critical thinking
ability and shows
evidence of
interest in
learning
To attain grade B
in the third year
final computation
skills