02 Oct Building an impactful and sustainable program – what you need to know

Building an impactful and sustainable program – what you need to know

Most organizational leaders dream about a way they can give back in a truly impactful way. They think about the effort involved, the planning, the causes to support, ways they can accomplish their goals and more. Often times, this is where the dream ends. Why is that? Because building an impactful and sustainable program of giving back can be hard; especially when one doesn’t know where to begin.

That’s why we are taking a few minutes to explore the idea of how organizations with signature programs, ones that nearly everyone in the nation recognizes, or their community rallies behind, year-after-year, become successful while others fall flat.

Both nonprofit and for-profit organizations can create exceptional programs that will build upon itself time-after-time or year-after-year while incorporating the main mission and adding trending or current aspects. This keeps concepts fresh and audiences engaged.

Too many times, we see organizations put a ton of effort into a one-time 5k event, fundraiser, or awareness campaign and then start from scratch again each quarter or year. Audiences may respond well initially, but these programs are missing the key component of sustainability that builds upon the momentum (and audiences experience program exhaustion). This means, they’re missing out on the potential to have an even greater impact and the worst part is, they’re putting in a lot of effort for something that is not repeatable and lacks longevity. Audiences familiar with programs mean greater ROI: involvement, funds, engagement and support.

It all starts with a roadmap. Read here for tips on building an annual road map and compare to your current planning efforts. Carefully consider your programs and their impact from the beginning and prepare to stick to the plan once developed. 

Next, make sure each initiative incorporates our Core Communications Wheel and that you’re addressing each of the areas associated. These are measurable areas to address prior to their implementation so that you have a strong foothold on what you will be doing and how exactly it will be measured.

There’s no better way to ensure impact than by actually measuring, comparing to previous years or programs and being able to communicate these results.

Last, now that you’ve planned your program with the foresight of what you are effectively measuring, you can enjoy the feeling of instituting a program that will have a lasting effect on the communities you’re helping. Sustainability is key for a truly successful program’s existence, and with the formula provided here, you can develop the right plan to sustain your vision.

For more information on strategic planning, PR and marketing for your business, give us a call at (813) 865-3093.