Community Toolbox - Do the Work<<< Back to Core Competency - Convene a planning group made up of individuals and organizations from the community affected by the problem or goal and others that are in a position to address it. Identify additional partners and invite them into your strategic planning process.
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Describe the vision for the community or initiative (their dreams for how things should be).
- In a workshop, retreat, or dialogue about the group's vision, capture:
- Dreams for the community or initiative (e.g., safe neighborhoods)
- What success would look like (e.g., healthy youth)
- How things ought to be (e.g., caring communities)
- What people and conditions would look like if things were consistent with that picture (e.g., health for all)
- Review the multiple vision statements.
List all vision statements proposed.
- Choose one or several vision statements with particular power to communicate, and consider whether they are: 1) concise, 2) positive, 3) acceptable, and 4) a clear expression of why the group has come together.
- Choose visions that are embraced by the group
- (As appropriate) Select/edit the several that are particularly effective
- Check to see that everyone's voice is heard in the final selections
Top three statements, and why.
- Select one statement that concisely expresses why the group has come together and is acceptable to all members.
What is your group's vision?
- State the mission (the what and why).
- Develop (or refine) a mission statement that includes what is to be done and why it is to be done (e.g., "Creating caring communities through education and opportunities to serve.") To do so:
- Describe the essential “what” of the organization or initiative by reviewing its core functions and current programs and activities (e.g., training, advocacy, support, partnerships)
- Explain the essential “why” of the organization or initiative by reviewing the vision statements (e.g., safe neighborhoods, healthy children)
- Frame the mission statement as a single sentence that captures the common purpose (essential what and why) e.g., “Promoting healthy families (the why) through parent training and community support (the what).”
What is your drafted mission statement?
- Review the mission statement, making sure it is:
- Clear regarding what is to be done and why
- Concise (often one sentence)
- Outcome oriented
- Robust - it leaves open a variety of possible means
- Inclusive - reflects the voices of all people who are involved
What is your final mission statement?
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State the objectives (how much of what the group hopes to accomplish by when).
- To develop (or refine) objectives, clearly describe:
- Benchmarks that would help us assess where we are now (baseline or pre-intervention) and where we would be if the initiative were successful (objectives).
What baseline markers could we access and how would we hope they would change if success were attained?
- Behavioral objectives: the changes in behaviors the group would see if the efforts were successful (What would people be saying and doing differently?) (e.g., For preventing adolescent pregnancy- “By 2012, to increase by 40% the reported level of sexual abstinence and use of contraceptives for those who are sexually active among 12-15 year olds”)
- Population-level objectives: the changes in community-level indicators the group would see if the objectives were met (How would changes in individuals’ behaviors add up to outcomes for all those in the community?) (e.g., For adolescent pregnancy-“By 2015, the estimated pregnancy rate among 12-15 year olds will be reduced by 30%”).
- Review the objectives to determine if they are: (SMART+ C)
- Specific
- Measurable (at least potentially)
- Achievable
- Relevant (to the mission)
- Timed (date for attainment)
- Challenging (requiring extraordinary effort)
- Be flexible with deadlines in creating objectives. Defining objectives is time-consuming and may require second and third considerations for completeness.
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Identify the strategies (how things will be accomplished).
- To develop (or refine) strategies, clearly describe how the effort will bring about the mission and objectives. Identify for each:
- The levels to be targeted (i.e., individuals, families and kinship groups, organizations and sectors, and/or broader systems.)
What different levels of your problem or goal will you target?
- For each strategy, consider whether it will be universal (i.e., includes all of those who may be at risk or may benefit; e.g. all children and youth) or targeted (i.e., targets those who may be at greater risk for the problem; e.g., youth with a history of violence)
- The personal and environmental factors to be addressed by the initiative
- Personal factors may include: knowledge, beliefs, skills, education and training, education and training, experience, cultural norms and practices, social status, cognitive or physical abilities, gender, age, genetic predisposition
- Environmental factors may include social support, available resources and services, barriers (including financial, physical, and communication), social approval, incentives and disincentives, time costs and delays, policies, environmental hazards, living conditions, poverty, and disparity in status
What personal factors related to your vision and mission are common among those affected by the problem and those maintaining it?
What environmental factors related to your vision and mission are common within your targeted community?
- Those who can most benefit and contribute and how they can be reached or involved in the effort
- Targets of change: those who may at particular risk or whose actions are critical for success. For you effort, whom would this include?
- Agents of change: those who may be in a position to contribute to the initiative, including targets of change. Who would this include?
- Community sectors: through which community sectors can targets and agents of change can be reached or involved?
- Behavioral strategies to be used. Approaches may include:
- Review the strategies and comment on their appropriateness to the situation and sufficiency in addressing the mission and objectives. Review the strategies for:
- Consistency with the overall vision, mission, and objectives
- Goodness of fit with the resources and opportunities available
- Anticipated resistance and barriers and how they can be minimized
- Whether those who are affected are reached
- Whether those who can contribute are involved
Any changes?
- Develop (or refine) the action plan by stating the specific community/system changes to besought that will result in the accomplishment of your goals and objectives.
- Identify action steps for one key community/system change in the action plan (who is going to do what by when). Describe:
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What specific change (e.g., in program or policy) or aspect of the intervention will occur?
- Who will carry it out?
- When the intervention will be implemented or how long it will be maintained?
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Resources (money and staff) needed/ available?
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Communication - who should know what about this?
- Evaluate critically the appropriateness of the action plan (i.e., the activities or community/system changes to be implemented). Use the criteria that follow:
- Completeness - Are all the intended activities or community/system changes included in the plan? Are a wide variety of strategies and sectors utilized?
- Clarity - Is it apparent what will be done, and who will do what by when, to bring about change?
- Sufficiency - If all that is proposed were accomplished, would it meet the group’s mission and objectives? If not, what additional changes need to be planned and implemented?
- Resources (money and staff) needed/ available?
- Currency - Does the action plan reflect the current work and situation?
- Flexibility - As the plan unfolds, is it flexible enough to respond to new opportunities, barriers, and changes in the community? Can it be modified as objectives are accomplished or goals adjusted?
Modify your proposed community and system changes and action plans based on your answers (if necessary).
- Indicate how you will use the strategic and action plans. Consider the following potential uses:
- Communicate the initiative's purpose to others.
- Indicate who should know about the group's vision, mission, objectives, strategic and action plans.
- Describe how the initiative will communicate this new framing of what it does and why.
- Check the organization's core functions.
- Indicate who should know about the group's vision, mission, objectives, and the core functions of the organization represented (e.g., advocacy, training).
- What adjustments might be appropriate to the vision, mission, and action plan?
- Find common ground and anticipate potential conflict.
- Identify potential disagreements about ends and means that the group is facing.
- Indicate how you might use this new framing of the problem or goal to build consensus.
- Plan how to detect or discern opportunity.
- Identify the criteria that will be used to judge an "opportunity". These might include qualities such as:
- Consistency with the vision
- Consistency with the mission
- Contribution to the action plan
- In light of the vision, mission, and action plan, pinpoint new or emerging opportunities for the community initiative or organization.
What steps will you take to better detect or discern new or emerging opportunities?
- Identify potential partners
- Indicate who is out there who can help the group achieve its vision and mission. List organizations that share this common work.
- In light of the vision, mission, and action plan, identify some potential partners that the community initiative or organization should collaborate with.
Who or what organizations in your community would be good partners, based on your vision and mission?
- Begin implementing action planning steps. Choose the order by considering:
- Which changes need to be completed before others can? Some changes may require other changes and relationships to be established.
- Which changes are easier or quicker to bring about? Could completing them give the organization's membership a sense of success and provide the organization with much needed media exposure?
- Which changes are the most important or key to the initiative's objectives?
- Which changes would inspire and encourage participants and build credibility within the community?
Using the list from Step 6, prioritize implementation of potential changes considering the previous considerations (e.g., ease or quickness of accomplishing, importance to meeting objectives, etc.)
- Review the action plan at regular intervals. As your coalition grows and the objectives are accomplished or conditions change, members may revise the plan.
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