Getting To Great with The Knoxville Zoo

The Haslam College of Business prides itself on real-world learning and hands-on experience, and Amy Engstrom-Clugg’s Marketing Research and Insights course fits that mission perfectly. For the semester-long capstone, students selected a local Knoxville company or organization and were challenged to take something it already did well and make it great.

Rachel joined a team of seven classmates and chose Zoo Knoxville. Although the zoo is well known in the Knoxville community, its engagement with University of Tennessee students, particularly as volunteers, was limited.

To explore the issue, Rachel created a detailed list of questions and emailed them to the zoo’s Volunteer Coordinator. Instead of simply replying, the coordinator enthusiastically scheduled a nearly two-hour phone call. That conversation revealed a wealth of insights. For example, the zoo’s adult volunteer program requires substantial hours, which discourages many college students. The coordinator noted that “pop-up” volunteer opportunities tend to draw more help, but there isn’t a structured option tailored to student schedules.

Another hurdle: the zoo lacks direct contacts within UT’s student organizations, making outreach difficult. The coordinator welcomed the idea of closer collaboration with the university, suggesting that a student-focused volunteer fair could benefit both the zoo and other Knoxville nonprofits while helping students, especially those new to the city, get involved.

Combining Rachel’s primary research with quantitative surveys of UT students and supporting secondary data, the team designed a realistic college volunteer program featuring flexible hours and simplified scheduling.

The project culminated in a professional presentation outlining the team’s process: selecting Zoo Knoxville, conducting primary and secondary research, and proposing a plan to turn a good volunteer effort into a truly great one.