A Proposal for Christine Zhang
Trial Path · prepared by Quisha Umemba
A staged consulting engagement to build the trust-first foundation Trial Path needs to reach — and retain — the communities you want to serve.
The real gap isn't marketing — it's trust.
Trial Path has a real gap to fill: a plain-language way for underrepresented people to find and understand clinical trials, built with trust at the center instead of pay-to-participate recruiting.
Recommendation: A staged consulting engagement, starting with foundational brand and audience work, then moving into hands-on partnership development with community organizations and CHW networks.
Expected impact: A defined target audience and message that actually lands, plus real relationships with the community organizations that give Trial Path long-term, trust-based distribution instead of one-off traffic.
Two weeks in, with funding but no foundation.
Trial Path is two weeks old. You have funding, a small team, and a working first version of the site — but no defined target audience, no brand messaging, no social presence, and no relationships yet with the community organizations and CHWs who could carry this work forward.
"I think I definitely am looking for someone who can advise on being able to scale from a community, diverse population perspective."
That's not a marketing problem you can solve with a bigger ad budget. It's a trust problem — and trust takes deliberate, relationship-first work to build.
The cost of waiting
Every week Trial Path launches without a defined avatar and messaging, it's building on sand. And the ground beneath it is already moving.
- You're already spending. Money is going out the door on your website, design, and growth hires. Those dollars compound in value only when the foundation underneath them is right.
- Rework compounds. The longer the foundation waits, the more you'll pay for later — rewritten copy, redesigned assets, re-briefed hires, re-run campaigns against the wrong audience.
- Trust can't be back-filled. Money-first recruiting brings in the wrong population and doesn't retain. Unwinding that later costs far more than getting it right the first time.
The cost isn't the investment — it's the rework.
Build it right the first time.
If Trial Path nails its avatar and brand identity now, everything downstream gets easier: what you post, who you partner with, how you talk to funders.
You already have the instinct that money-first recruiting brings in the wrong population and doesn't retain. Building trust-first messaging and real community relationships from day one means you won't have to unwind bad habits later.
Together, we'd combine your product and funding with my public health, clinical, and community health worker background — the exact expertise gap you named on our call. Now is the moment, because you're still early enough to build this right the first time, before you've spent money on outreach that doesn't land.
A three-tier approach — start where it fits, grow into deeper support.
Strategy Session or VIP Day
- Define your target avatar and audience
- Build core messaging and unique value proposition
- Timeline: 1 sitting (90 minutes to a full VIP day)
12-Month Retainer
- Build relationships with community organizations and CHW networks
- Explore Rural Health Transformation Fund alignment in relevant states
- Ongoing business development support as the platform scales
Pricing tiers
Choose one plan or more. Start where it makes sense today. You can always grow into a deeper level of support as Trial Path proves itself.
No tiers selected yet — pick one or more above.
What's included — and what's not.
What's included, by tier
- 90-Minute Strategy Session — focused work on one specific question or decision (e.g. brand identity).
- VIP Day — full working session covering avatar, messaging, brand identity, marketing plan, business workflows, and a tangible quarter-by-quarter work plan.
- Monthly Retainer — ongoing partnership development: introductions to individuals and organizational leaders, outreach strategy, and relationship-building support with community organizations and CHW networks over 12 months.
What's not included
- Website design or development
- Paid media buying or influencer payments (we'll strategize the approach together, you or your team execute the buys)
- Legal or contract review (you have counsel for this)
Flexible — one session or a full year.
Total duration: flexible, starting with a single session, scaling to 12 months.
How we'll measure progress.
- Finalized target avatar and messaging house — target: complete within the first session.
- Completed brand identity, marketing plans, and business automation for recruiting and partnership — target: complete within first month
- Community and CHW partnership introductions made — target: set once retainer scope is confirmed.
- Sponsorship or event participation secured (e.g. DID's October Summit) — target: 1 confirmed opportunity in the first 90 days.
Reporting: a written summary after each session, plus monthly check-ins during the retainer.
Who's on the hook for what.
Umemba Health will
- Lead the full 90-minute strategy session, focused on the specific question or decision Christine brings to the table
- Provide a written recap within [X] business days summarizing key recommendations and next steps
Trial Path will
- Come to the session with a clear question or decision in mind
- Designate Christine as the point of contact for the session
Umemba Health will
- Lead the full VIP working session, covering target avatar, messaging house, unique value proposition, brand identity, marketing plan, and business workflow review
- Provide a written recap and a tangible quarter-by-quarter work plan following the session
- Provide business development guidance throughout the 4-week implementation window as Trial Path puts the plan into action, available for check-ins as questions come up
Trial Path will
- Designate Christine as the point of contact for the session and the implementation window
- Commit team time to act on recommendations between check-ins
- Come to the session with existing materials ready to review (website, current messaging, funder information)
Umemba Health will
- Provide ongoing business development guidance throughout the 12-month term, adjusting recommendations as Trial Path grows and priorities shift
- Make direct introductions to community organizations and CHW networks where relationships already exist
- Maintain open communication and relationships with those partners on Trial Path's behalf, so connections stay warm over time instead of going cold after a single introduction
- Provide monthly check-ins and written recaps tracking which relationships are progressing and what's needed next
Trial Path will
- Designate Christine, or a delegate, as the ongoing point of contact for the full 12 months
- Follow through on introductions and partnership conversations as they're made
- Provide any materials or updates partners may need to evaluate the relationship (product updates, outcomes, progress data)
Why this is worth it — and why now.
You're two weeks into building something that could take years to get right if built without the right foundation. A single VIP day gets you the avatar, messaging, and work plan that would otherwise take months of trial and error to figure out alone — or from a generalist consultant without health equity expertise.
Risk reduction: you avoid spending marketing and outreach dollars against the wrong audience.
Competitive advantage: none of the platforms you mentioned — WithPower, DQ&A, Massive Bio, Inspire — pair clinical and public health expertise with hands-on CHW and community network access the way this engagement does.
A few things I'm assuming.
- Christine is the primary decision-maker and point of contact
- Trial Path's current funding covers this engagement independently of the main company's budget
- Sessions are conducted virtually
If any of this is off, we can adjust scope or scheduling accordingly.
How we get started.
- 1Christine reviews this proposal and selects a starting tier
- 2Umemba Health sends an engagement agreement for signature and invoice for payment.
- 3Kickoff session scheduled within 1 to 2 weeks of signature
- 4Ongoing work begins per the timeline above
Ready to move forward?
Email me with your selections. I'll reach out within three business days with the engagement agreement and to schedule your kick-off call.
This proposal will expire on Thursday, July 23rd