Did You Create a Programming Plan Yet?
NO! What do you mean by “no”?! Huh? You said you didn’t understand what I was talking about. Oh…my bad! Okay, well…kick off your shoes and relax your feet. Because I have A LOT to fill you in on. I’m going to highlight what things are needed in your nonprofit’s logic model.
But, not too fast! Make sure you check out my last post, 3 Reasons Your Organization Needs A Logic Model. I shared reasons why your organization needed a programming plan! If I were you, I would have run and jumped on creating one.
What is a Programming Plan?
A programming plan for an organization is like a road map. Sort of like a strategic plan. It helps you to maintain clarity about your organization’s “why” and allows you to measure various areas of operation and management. Many people in the industry tend to call programming plans another name…logic models to be precise.
These plans (or models) are typically found in grants because you are more likely to hear about organizations scrambling to create one to get money from someone else’s wallet. I kid…I kid (but…no, seriously).
I believe that you should have a plan in place to ensure that your organization is evolving with your target audience AND enhancing the level of services or programs you offer to the community.
You may be noticing that your programs are not very popular or no longer needed by your target audience. Having a logic model in place will provide the steps you need to evaluate your programs and provide a window of opportunity to adjust your community outreach efforts.
Okay…okay, I am going to dive into some MAJOR elements your organization should include in your programming plan. I’m not going to lie and say that creating a programming plan is not time-consuming.
But the truth of the matter is…that it will take some time to truly create a plan that communicates your organization’s community outreach efforts. Your programming plan should be able to provide clarity on the following:
Measurable Goals
In your programming plan, you should create a list of goals that you would like your program to fulfill. These goals must be something you can measure. Hold on…let me grab my megaphone. Your goals should be measurable.
I have noticed this mistake made by many organizations. For example, an organization wants to help young girls to become more confident and well-rounded. Well…how can you measure that? What tangible things can you assess to prove that these girls are evolving due to being involved in your program? Do you see what I mean?!
A good example of a goal would look like:
Improved mental health behaviors or Improved grades by a whole grade level.
Clear Objectives With Action Steps
After creating a list of short-term, mid-term, & long-term goals, you need to create action steps. By creating your goals, you understand the final destination that you want to reach through your organization’s programs and services. Raioni Madison-Jones shared her experience with creating a plan to help her organization achieve its goals on the Nonprofit Sistas podcast.
But…how are you going to get there? Using the example from above, the goal that focuses on improving grades by a whole grade level requires action.
- So…what are you doing to do?
- Are you going to offer to tutor?
- If so, where will you find these tutors?
- Will your organization pay these tutors or recruit volunteers?
- Should the volunteers have a background in a certain subject?
- And so on…and so forth.
Do you see what I mean? When you develop this mindset of having a final destination, then you gain more insight into what things are needed in your nonprofit’s logic model.
Clear Desirable Outcomes
With your objectives, you want to gather information from the individuals who are involved in your organization’s programs or services. It’s great that you have written down your organization’s goals and objectives, but where is the data to show proof of how well your program is doing (or NOT doing)?
I tell organizations regularly to share relevant data with their donors to prove that their contributions are needed to help their programming efforts.
If you can’t prove this to your donors, then they will see no value in the work you are doing nor will they desire to give. Many small, startup organizations do NOT possess this information and it is not their fault.
Out of the 2 million nonprofit organizations in existence…I would say a very, small percentage possess the industry knowledge and business mindset to operate an organization like the pros.
Let’s Avoid Those Unwanted Mistakes
To help you avoid making mistakes, I did when I started as a nonprofit founder.
I am a HUGE advocate of the power of programming. This is why I shared what things are needed in your nonprofit’s logic model. I strongly believe that communicating your programming efforts will lead to an increased level of trust amongst your donor base and target audience.
These two factors will aid in your ability to successfully scale your organization and obtain more funding without relying on grants. If you haven’t already created your logic model, check out our logic model template here!