My Tip of the Week: How to Plan for a Successful Year
Summer is a great time for thinking about what you want to accomplish this year. It's important not to get stuck in the brainstorming process, though. If you want your vision to become reality, it's important to plan. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
Summ
mer
mer is a great time for thinking about what you want to accomplish this year. It's important not to get stuck in the brainstorming process, though. If you want your vision to become reality, it's important to plan. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
Plan out your entire year. Write down all the activities, programs, fundraisers, etc. that you hope to run. Include when they'll start and when they'll end. Think about how much each one will cost (or raise), and think about how many volunteers you'll need for each. You want to make sure that you have a balanced year, that you aren't caught off guard, and that you have the resources you need at the time you need them. And by the way, it's OK to change your plan along the way. Starting with a road map makes picking a new route a lot easier.
Plan to build involvement. How will you attract the volunteers you need and the participation you're hoping for? Getting people connected to the school and to your group through family events and low-key activities is an important first step. Make sure a big part of your plan for the year focuses on building involvement. The better you do that, the easier everything else will become.
Use our tools. We have lots of free planning tools on ptotoday.com. Finances are not a sexy topic, but we have two terrific articles
that walk you through the basics of creating a budget for the year and figuring a budget for a specific event, even if it's one you've
never run before. Our 2 Hour Power volunteer pledge program has proved to be a successful way to build involvement all year long. And ''9-Stress Busting Organization Tips'' offers a nice list of objectives to make your year a success.
Plan out your entire year. Write down all the activities, programs, fundraisers, etc. that you hope to run. Include when they'll start and when they'll end. Think about how much each one will cost (or raise), and think about how many volunteers you'll need for each. You want to make sure that you have a balanced year, that you aren't caught off guard, and that you have the resources you need at the time you need them. And by the way, it's OK to change your plan along the way. Starting with a road map makes picking a new route a lot easier.
Plan to build involvement. How will you attract the volunteers you need and the participation you're hoping for? Getting people connected to the school and to your group through family events and low-key activities is an important first step. Make sure a big part of your plan for the year focuses on building involvement. The better you do that, the easier everything else will become.
Use our tools. We have lots of free planning tools on ptotoday.com. Finances are not a sexy topic, but we have two terrific articles
that walk you through the basics of creating a budget for the year and figuring a budget for a specific event, even if it's one you've
never run before. Our 2 Hour Power volunteer pledge program has proved to be a successful way to build involvement all year long. And ''9-Stress Busting Organization Tips'' offers a nice list of objectives to make your year a success.
