How a Nonprofit Turned to Retail to Help Fulfill Its Mission

This paper presents the results of student efforts in a Spring 2024 undergraduate Capstone course at Molloy University’s School of Business. During the semester, 15 students worked in three teams to address an opportunity for Backyard Players & Friends (BYP), a nonprofit organization based in Rockville Centre (Long Island), New York dedicated to inclusivity for people 14+ years old. To help fulfill its mission, BYP opened a retail store named Front Porch Market (FPM). As FPM celebrated its one-year anniversary, students were asked to help BYP increase store revenue by improving merchandising and marketing efforts, and by offering support to neurodiverse entrepreneurs who create most of the store’s merchandise. Students delivered their recommendations in business reports and presentations at the end of the semester. Recommendations were based on retail best practices and organizational research. Each included implementation plans, potential benefits, risks and mitigation efforts, and more. BYP joins a growing list of repeat Capstone clients—proof of the valuable work of Molloy business students. Capstone is required of all Molloy business students in their final year or semester. This culminating course involves the flipped classroom with community-based experiential learning projects to deliver a unique mixed methods approach to learning.