Why set goals?
- Goals provide a framework for an organization’s actions
- Goals establish an organization’s agreed-upon direction
- Goals are a reference point for an organization to evaluate its actions
- Goals can raise morale. If everyone understand what the group is working toward, individual participation can improve/increase
How to get started
Goal setting does not follow the same pattern as other group activities such as event planning. To set effective goals, a different approach to ‘Who, what, where, when, why’ needs to be considered. When setting goals, ask these questions in a different order.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: It is easy to look at ‘goal setting’ and think about large-scale all campus events. Goals can be large or small. Those fun group outings and small, no-business gatherings are just as important. Keep in mind, that if a goal achieves your organization’s mission, it can be successful and effective, no matter the scale.
Who are we?
This could be a mission statement, or a less formal, equally mutual understanding of an organization’s purpose and identity.
If your organization does not have a mission statement, please consider our ‘Creating a Mission Statement’ guide.
Why are we setting goals?
Here, everyone involved in the process needs to understand and agree upon why the organization is looking for direction.
What issues or challenges is the organization trying to address?
Remember: Goals should always relate back to the organization’s purpose or mission statement.
What are we going to do?
This is the part where actual goals are articulated. The issue and organization have been established. Now answer this: WHAT are YOU going to DO?
Do not forget to discuss alternative plans, if there are factors which could prevent your original plan from succeeding, such as weather, unavailable resources, etc.
Consider the following:
Is this goal realistic? Can it be achieved with the time, people, money, and resources available to your organization?
Is this goal popular? Goals most likely to be achieved are those constructed and agreed upon (therefore owned) collectively by the members and leaders of an organization, not those handed down by individual leaders.
Is this goal tangible? If a goal is achieved, will anyone be able to see the result? Here is a good place to think about what that end result is going to look like, and who it will affect, if your organization has not done so already.
[ The next four sections of this guide make up what some call an ‘Action Plan’. It is all of the specifics of how your organization can achieve it’s goals.]
When are we going to do this?
Setting time lines is essential to achieving goals. When doing so, consider everything from the planning stage to the evaluation.
Check the Block Calendar or the website Master Calendar, as well as your members’ calendars for items that may cause major conflict with the event your are planning, if applicable.
Where will this take place?
Location, location, location!
Whether it is an all-campus event, or an in-house pot luck, choose a location that will help your organization achieve its goal successfully.
Remember to reserve a space with the Worner Desk (x6607). Don’t forget, only department or CCSGA affiliated organizations are allowed to reserve spaces on campus.
Who is responsible for what?
Group goals are best achieved when everyone has a part to play. Leaders should take a role in delegating tasks needed to achieve the goals to members who can best achieve them.
Here are some tips for effective delegation.
How will we achieve this?
Resources, resources, resources. Careful planning of what resources are needed, and where they will come from are key to successful goal achievement.
Depending on the nature of the goal you are working toward, and the objective you have set to achieve that goal, you may need various resources to achieve success. Consider the following:
Funding –
Will this endeavor require funding? How much? Does the organization have enough money to cover it?
See the Campus Activities fundraising guide for more help on this.
Man-Power –
The number of people you have to work on a project is imperative to the nature of its success. If you have only three our four people, you may need to bring in some outside help to achieve your goal. Keep this in mind, and be honest with yourselves about how much each member can do, and what you can achieve as a group.
Publicity –
Whether it’s an in-house function or an all-campus event, publicity is everything. Do not underestimate the value of sending email reminders to members and expected participants. Remember: No matter the scale of your endeavor, people cannot show up if they do not know about it.
Forms –
Do you need to make reservations (on campus or off)?
What equipment might you need?
Remember that little details often require paperwork. Remember to complete all funding paperwork, facilities request forms, etc on time.
How did we do? Never forget to evaluate your achievement after the fact.
Here is a sample achievement evaluation form.
It’s not just semantics
It is important to know and understand the terms you are using when goal setting. (For example, the words’ mission’, ‘goal’ and ‘objective’ are often interchanged. What is truly meant by each?)
Consider the following key terms:
Mission: an organization’s statement of purpose and identity
Goal: general/abstract thoughts about a state or condition the group would like to realize
Objective: specific statements about what is to be done and how to do it
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