Go Beyond Implementation

As one student commented on Professor Marchman in his annual colloquium on How to Create an Impact in Your Community, “He is the teacher who can actually do”. There is a reason why his programs win grant funding continuously because they build a foundation that can sustain the hard questions, scrutiny, and difficulties to grow. It does not matter what stage of development your organization is at; we can help you create sustainability. More importantly, your organization can create a deeper impact.

It doesn’t matter if it is community prevention, victims, criminal justice, or awareness campaign, Marchman can assist programs with:

• Reality Analysis of Existing Program
• Helping Programs Identify the “Why” not just the “What”
• Collect Relevant Data and Present Observations
• Develop Goals and Objectives that win Grants
• Develop Boards and Advisory Committees
• Recruit and keep Volunteers
• Establishing data collection for continuous evaluation
• How to sell success
• How to remain flexible ad become sustainable

 

Process for Program Development

 

Reality Analysis For a Program

Reality will always trump emotional desires in program development efforts. An example occurred after the Parkland school shooting that leads to demonstrations by students in DC. The students in my colloquium mirrored similar emotions. However, after giving them the assignment to identify the leading causes of death of students, it was quickly realized that “school shootings” did not make the Top 20. Emotional ties, yes. But it is not going to make an impact. We will guide you to ensure you are making a positive impact in your community. However, a key ingredient is an ability associated with critical thinking. Critical thinking is the foundation for all the segments presented.

Helping Programs Identify Their “Why”

Simon Sinek succinctly demonstrates that programs must start with “Why” before developing the “who and what”. This initiative can begin with the development of the organization’s values, mission, and vision statements. Marchman Consulting can provide guidance and inclusive guidelines to develop these statements to identify the “why” for the community and staff.

Collect Relevant Data and Present Observations

Numbers and narrative data sets can validate the efforts to develop the mission and vision statement. The data will identify the problem, the extent of the problem, provide a voice to the problem, provide a basis for determining evidence-based practices, and ease the development of Goals and Objectives that have a purpose. This information with innovative thinking will allow for a solid foundation within grant proposals.

Develop Goals and Objectives for Award-Winning Grants

Goals and Objectives must be data driven, emphasize evidence-based practices, and measurable. Grants should address a designated problem and not focused on receiving funds, travel, training, and creating jobs. Goals and objectives must address the stated problem, expected tasks to address the problem, with a timeframe, and measurable outcomes that also reflect the goal of the funding agency. Marchman Consulting can provide you additional guidance to develop successful goals and objectives.

How To Develop Boards and Advisory Committees

Board member composition should reflect a diversified perspective of the community, expertise, and gifts. Good community boards do not allow for individuals desiring to elevate their community resumes. Marchman Consulting can assist with a recruitment process to meet the needs of the board members, orientation and training for board members, relationship guidelines with staff, and creating succession plans. These efforts will demonstrate a perception of sustainability within the community.

How to Recruit and Keep Volunteers

Passion is not enough. Again, passion is not enough. While good volunteers are difficult to recruit, and develop, bad volunteers, are easy to find and difficult to remove. Marchman Consulting can provide a structure for recruiting, interviewing and orientation techniques, training, integration, and strategies for evaluating the volunteer. These methods will help keep great volunteers that reflect the values of the organization while eliminating the volunteers who do not.

Data Collection for Continuous Evaluation

A common phrase for many community initiatives is “Looks good on paper”. Looks without the ability to articulate success will not create sustainability. Data collection is a process that begins immediately and is continuous. But the collected data must be analyzed and utilized by programs to identify what is working, what needs revision, what needs to be eliminated and are gaps-in-service addressed. Marchman Consulting can assist with initiating the data collection process, developing annual evaluation reports, and facilitating year-end reviews.

How to Sell Success

A program that can validate being successful must move to the “Looks good on paper and works” stage. While successful news is easy to tell board members and the community, it is not the basis of a solid marketing strategy. Marchman Consulting can help develop a plan to identify supportive and required populations (government leaders) and “spoon-fed” the work of the organization continuously. In addition, develop a tracking process of communication initiatives for the annual evaluation to ensure the target market is reached and identify new, expanding markets.

Remain Flexible and Sustainable

Identifying the purpose, the vision, goals and objectives, board leadership, volunteers, data collection, and the communication plan are elements within a successful organization or movement. However, the ability to establish an innovative environment to encourage “out of the box” thinking, “why not” questions, and not become complacent is the sign of a healthy, growing organization. With data and the ability to eliminate the comfort of the status quo, programs can remain flexible and allow for the trust of donors and funding agencies to establish sustainability. Marchman Consulting can assist with the development of this process.