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planning assessment

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Project Management Overview

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A good project management process is necessary if you want to support your team in reaching short and long term goals, and design and deliver excellent programs.

A good process will help keep the team organized and help them to work more efficiently.

A project is defined as an event or an endeavor with a specific beginning and end date. A successful project must be on-time, on budget, and result in deliverables (product, service, or result) as defined by a detailed scope of work.

Examples include: creating a new program, organizing an event, executing a fundraising campaign, or introducing a new membership management system.

A project manager should be assigned to make sure that the process is followed, that the team stays on track, that tasks are completed on time, and that the project stays within budget. There are lots project management tools available, but fundamentally you’ll want to begin with a Project Charter and decide on a simple way to list and track project data.

Use this Project Charter Template to define project objectives, scope, and required resources.

Then choose an application that will allow you to:

  • See all tasks, deliverables and deadlines with start and end dates

  • Track team member’s tasks and time spent, and project costs

  • Share this information with the entire team

As you are designing and executing your plan, be sure to:

  • Set SMART goals to develop a realistic project plan. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

  • Track Data from the very beginning and throughout the projects life span. You want to be able to evaluate and report on progress, performance, deliverables, time and costs.

  • Communicate expectation, progress, and risks and be available to support when necessary.


Project Management Phases

  • INITIATE: Project Charter
    summarize justification, deliverables, benefits, risks, budget, milestones and project team

  • PLAN: Project Scope
    detail scope, budget, schedule, communication plan, and risk management strategy

  • EXECUTE: Project Launch
    undertake tasks, establish tracking protocols and performance indicators, forecast outcomes

  • CONTROL: Project Monitoring
    revisit objectives, measure progress, performance, deliverables, time and costs

  • CLOSE: Project Reporting
    document the process, results, lessons learned, and report all quantifiable data

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Project Charter Template

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ABC Organization Project Charter

Project Name: “A Wonderful Winter” Fundraiser

Project Description: A one night event celebrating successes over the past year.

Justification: This project supports our goals of:

  • Increasing donations by 25% over last year

  • Encouraging stakeholders and inspiring donors through storytelling

Deliverables:

  • Fundraiser invite printed mailer

  • Landing page for ticket sales

  • Venue, decorations and meals

  • Event handouts, presentation media, entertainment and speaker lineup

Benefits:

  • Raise awareness about a cause

  • Strengthen donor relationships

  • Recognize outstanding teamwork

  • Reflect and celebrate!

Risks: 

  • We have to monitor the budget and projected income as to not spend more than we take in.

  • The team lacks experience producing events

Budget: Not to exceed $5,000

Milestones: 

  • Convene a planning team and assign tasks by August 1, 2023

  • Reserve a venue by September 1, 2023

  • Publish landing page and mail invites by September 15, 2023

  • Second round and follow up invites by October 15, 2023

  • Prepare event handouts, presentation media, entertainment and speaker lineup by November 15, 2023

  • Second round and follow up invites by December 1, 2023

  • Confirm decorations and meals by December 7, 2023

  • Event date: December TBD, 2023

Team Members:

  • Project Manager

  • Event Coordinator

  • Graphic Designer

  • Marketing Coordinator

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Finding Statistics for Nonprofit Proposals

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Logic Model Samples

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A logic model is a visual way to illustrate the resources or inputs required to implement a program, the activities and outputs of a program, and the desired program outcomes (short-term, long-term).

Logic models assist in program planning, implementation, management, evaluation, and reporting. They help define program requirements, stakeholders, activities, deliverables, goals and impacts. They are useful tool to for developing letters of inquiry and proposals, and they are essential to program assessment. Experts agree that there are connections between program success and using logic models.

source: Administration for Children and Families

Logic Model Sample

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Ready For Impact Workbook

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Through the Mastermind Program we help educational nonprofit leaders explore and embrace the knowledge, skills and mindsets needed to manage sustainable businesses, deliver meaningful programs, and prepare for valuable partnership opportunities. This easy to use workbook is designed to help you organize and prepare for funding to achieve your mission.

Here you’ll find a series of prompts and exercises to help identify and articulate personal values, organizational goals, desirable leadership qualities, brand message, program impact, and partnership opportunities.

The guiding questions are perfect for individual reflection and journaling, and can be used for board planning and team visioning workshops. Once completed, you’ll have the rationale and language to begin conversations with funders and other stakeholders.

Each section of the workbook includes:

  • Big Idea: Explains what each essential is, why it’s important and how it helps build better nonprofits

  • Key Concepts: Includes important words and phrases

  • Prompts: Open-ended and provocative questions that inspire discovery of the big idea

  • Task: An activity that reinforces the big idea and supports development of an executive summary

  • Resources: Examples, templates, videos and other media that support the big idea