Tools for Getting Started on Your Project

Today we’ll cover… Tools and activities that can help you:  Think about what you are doing and why  Plan ahead – create structure, make a road map, increase likelihood of success  Get multiple people on the same page  Translate planning into action  Be effective with time management

The SuperVAD is an important tool!  Some context: who, what, when, why  Ways your SuperVAD can be useful  Limits of the SuperVAD

Visioning: What do we want success to look like?  What is your host site’s goal for this project?  If everything goes well, how will this project impact the community/individuals served?  Personally, what are your highest hopes and dreams for your work on this project?

One strategy for planning  Start with your goal and work backwards. What will it take to get there?

Logic models

A simple logic model InputsActivitiesOutputsOutcomes Money Staff (time, skills) Volunteers (time, skills) Curriculum Books and materials Classroom space Weekly parent/ child activities Literacy activities in OST program 3 times a week 1-1 tutoring College visits 15 children ages 3-5 participated in parent- child activities 50 children matched with a tutor Students taken on 5 college visits 81% of children who participated in at least 5 parent/child activities demonstrated increased school readiness skills 65% of children who participated in our afterschool program demonstrated increased test scores

Beyond input, activities, outputs and outcomes….  Community impact (Theory of change)

Homework  Find out – does your program already have a logic model (or something similar?)  If not, it could be a helpful to create one. Check with your supervisor.

Where does VISTA capacity- building fit in?  Improving and/or increasing the inputs And depending on the project,  Helping shape the activities  Helping to determine appropriate outputs and outcomes Inputs Money Staff (time, skills) Volunteers (time, skills) Curriculum Books and materials Classroom space

A helpful exercise  Back it up a step and create another logic model for your VISTA project and make connections to how it feeds into the program logic model

VISTA project logic model InputsActivitiesOutputsOutcomes VISTA member Site supervisor & other staff Green Book Resources from: MLC, VISTA cohort, host site, community CAPACITY BUILDING!! Build community partnerships Create a volunteer manual Write volunteer position descriptions Create training modules Develop curriculum Create marketing materials and an outreach plan Create a development calendar with grant deadlines Develop a new database for tracking Number of community partnerships established Number of volunteers recruited Number of staff and volunteers trained Amount of money leveraged Increase in volunteer engagement or retention Increase in funding Increase in number of people served Increase in services offered Increased efficiency Increased effectiveness of programs

Taking action

Getting organized  Set goals!  Break projects up into manageable tasks and write them down.  Prioritize.  Give yourself deadlines.  Review your goals and tasks regularly.

To-do lists  Tips & tricks for time management and prioritizing with to-do lists?  Get the most out of your to-do list:  If you can do it in two minutes or less, don’t write it on the to-do list. Do it and move on.  All things being equal, do the hardest, least fun thing first to get it over with.  Cut big jobs into small chunks (more on this later!)  Update your list regularly; checking things off feels great!

Time management   Flag for follow-up  Color-code similar items  Create inbox folders for sorting  Disabling features for better focus  Rule of thumb: keep up with s so you never have to scroll down to see them.  Calendar  Use it!  Set deadlines  Reminder function  Accessible on any device  Or… use a planner/paper calendar.  PassionPlanner.com

Time Management, Cont.  Apps & websites  Myhours.com  Toggl.com  Manictime.com  Todoist.com  Rememberthemilk.com  myMemorizer.com  Other suggestions?

SMART goals  Specific  Measurable  Attainable  Relevant  Time-bound

SMART goals  Bad example: “I want to get more exercise.”  Better: “I will walk for 30 minutes, 3 times a week for the next 3 months.”

Action planning 1. Identify a specific project (better yet – write a SMART goal) 2. List out all of the tasks you will need to complete (action steps). 3. Identify what resources you will need to accomplish each action step and what key people are involved. *Should some tasks be delegated to others?

Action planning 4. Identify any potential challenges. 5. Assign each action step a deadline. 6. Prioritize. Which tasks are essential, and which would be good if there’s extra time? 7. Track results. How will you know if you’re successful?

Me – We - You 1. Identify goal 2. List action steps 3. Identify resources 4. Identify challenges 5. Assign deadlines 6. Prioritize 7. Track results

Try it out! Get in a small group Pick a goal Work together to fill out your action steps, resources, challenges, timeline, priority, and marker of success on the worksheet 

Questions? Ellen Bergstrom Amy Krill