POLISHED PROGRAMMING

You've heard it before...  People don't support non-profits, they support people.  Gaining support falls squarely into the relationship building domain. If you're lucky, all that you'll need to enter into a great relationship is a bright smile and charming personality.  

However, relationships, both donor and volunteer, often take time to develop. Earning support for a non-profit organization should be for the long haul. The process involves earning the trust of potential stakeholders and collaborators.

In the non-profit world, the way to earn trust is to effectively respond to a cause.  The way to respond to a cause is to help people, places, or things. The way to help is to provide quality services.  The way to provide quality services to have a plan.

A plan is not an idea.  It is a guide that you put together prior to beginning program activities.  A plan includes goals, objectives, strategies, and anticipated activities.  A plan is designed to help the organization respond to the needs of the community and work towards its vision.

If you are representing a new organization or one that is expanding services, your plan should take you step by step through the programming process. Typically, there are three phases of planning:  development, implementation, and evaluation.  On paper, these steps are independent.  In real life, they often happen at the same time.

No matter what phase you are entering with your non-profit, you need a plan or a road map to success.  A plan will help you answer the who, what, when, where and why of service.  It will also help you stay focused as the chaos of choices and opportunity ensue.