Starting a new program

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Abstract

The potential success of a new service program is often decided before the program even begins. The Catholic Network of Volunteer Service outlines five steps for new program directors to establish a strong program: know the Corporation's rules, explain your mission, develop organizational systems, orient everyone, and build a support network. Excerpted from the Spring 2001 edition of The Resource Connection, Vol. 5, No. 2.

Issue

As a new program director, you are probably very optimistic about the potential success of your project. But many programs set themselves up for problems or even failure before their first member or participant is ever enrolled.

Action

All national service programs, no matter what stream, face common challenges. You can successfully meet these challenges — and avoid most mistakes — with the proper starting procedures, which will maximize your new program's chances for success.

There are five basic steps to take before you are ready to begin your program. Each of these areas must be addressed and procedures put in place before your program begins. Otherwise, you will end up fighting your own lack of organization for months to come.

1. Know the Corporation's Rules

It sounds obvious, but your first task is to know, inside and out, the rules that govern the type of program you are starting. For example, Education Awards programs have different reporting requirements than traditional AmeriCorps programs. Traditional AmeriCorps members emphasize direct service while AmeriCorps*VISTA members focus on capacity building. The Senior Service Experience Corps can use skills other streams don't have access to, and many Learn and Serve America programs deal with the unique aspects of working with young people. Know the schedule and reporting requirements for required hours of service, evaluations and any other relevant paperwork. Know exactly what benefits members receive, and what the requirements are for receiving those benefits. Know the activities in which your members may and may not engage. This knowledge is essential as you plan the details of your program.

Grant provisions and regulations are available on the Corporation's website, or from your state commission or Corporation for National and Community Service state office.

Manage Current Grants and Projects http://www.nationalservice.gov/for_organizations/manage/index.asp

Corporation State Offices, State Service Commissions, and State Education Agencies http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/volunteering/states_offices.asp

2. Explain Your Mission

Articulating your mission is not as easy as it sounds. You probably had a variety of personal reasons for initiating the program, from dissatisfaction with what you were doing before, to the desire to address a local community need while accessing a larger support network. However, your reasons may not be ones that will motivate anyone else to pursue program goals. You need to come up with a clear, concise mission statement that will compel other stakeholders — members, participants, volunteers, site supervisors, program directors and support staff — to share your purpose and promote it effectively. Write it down! If you do not put it in writing, chances are you will vary your mission statement to suit the occasion, and different stakeholders will end up with different concepts of your organization's goal.

3. Develop Organizational Systems

The primary organizational systems that need to be in place as you begin are the methods for keeping track of member activities, your calendar, and any funds you receive from the Corporation. Make sure you know exactly what information must be kept. Review samples of reporting forms for similar Corporation-funded programs to be sure you keep track of all information you will need to report to the Corporation. Then, make sure you know when each form and report must be filed to keep your program on track for every stakeholder. The calendar needs to include dates for member enrollment, orientation, activities, reporting requirements and completion. (Financial reporting is addressed elsewhere in this newsletter.)

You should also start planning for assessment of your program. Use the goals and objectives from your grant application to determine the assessments you will need during the year. Ensuring your methods of data collection are in place from the beginning will make it easier to evaluate the results of your program at the end of the year.

4. Orient Everyone

Every stakeholder needs to be oriented to the mission and methods of your new program. Don't make the mistake of thinking that everyone else understands what you're trying to do if you haven't told them explicitly. You need separate orientations for different kinds of participants, whether they are site supervisors, staff, volunteers, members or others. Even if a category contains only one or two people, plan and execute a full orientation to maximize ownership of your program and to make sure protocols will be followed. Lack of understanding of requirements can cause people to take shortcuts into prohibited areas or leave you without information you need to report to the Corporation.

5. Build a Support Network

Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Go to as many conferences as you can and get to know others with similar programs. Join the listservs relevant to your program and participate in the discussions by asking questions and sharing your opinions and knowledge. Use the technical assistance services offered by the Corporation. Take every opportunity to make connections with other program directors. Ask them what experiences they have had and how they solved the problems they encountered. The more extensive a support network you can establish, the better chance you will have to address and correct problems in your program as they arise.

The ultimate success of your program will depend on a wide variety of factors, some of which you can control and some of which you can't. But you can get off on the right track by taking these five steps before enrolling your members or recruiting other participants. Knowing what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how to keep track of what's been done, then ensuring that the other people involved in your program know the same, are key to starting a strong program.

Citation

Doty, Edward and Margaret Hawthorne Doty. "Starting Off Right: Corporation for National Service Programs," The Resource Connection. The National Service Resource Center. Vol. 5, No. 2, 2001. pp. 1 & 4.

The Resource Center published The Resource Connection newsletter in print format quarterly from spring 1995 to fall 2002 to facilitate the exchange of training and technical assistance (T/TA) information, ideas, and resources to those in national and community service.

In March of 2003, The Resource Connection went to a digital format, continuing to highlight information and resources that help programs funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Current and archived e-newsletters can be found online at http://nationalserviceresources.org/resources/newsletters/enewsletters/index.php