Goooooooooooal Setting
Last week we wrote about defining useful goals and the general traits that a goal should include to be an effective tool for decision making and action. Since January is as good a month as any to focus on goals, we’re sticking to the theme this week.
Three Things to make your goals a more valuable part of your toolkit:
1) Some is not a number. Whatever your goal is – be it mobilizing your grassroots, raising money, educating volunteers, or winning over legislators – it should include a tangible, specific, and measurable specific number.
2) Set Deadlines. Sometimes, deadlines are difficult because there are no single dates or moments that are key. So…make one up. We’re not joking. Pick a day – it can be totally arbitrary (March 3rd because “I said so”), or it can be meaningful (March 3rd because that is the birthday of our organization’s founder) – it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that everyone has a deadline to work toward together.
Then, once that deadline is passed: set another one, lather, rinse, repeat.
3) Set Benchmarks. Once you have your number and your deadline, set “check-in” dates to help you measure progress and ensure you are on-track, as well as to let you know if your goal is reasonable and attainable. If you need 4,000 petitions signed by March 3rd, do a team check-in 6 weeks out to make sure you are on track. If you only have 15 petitions signed, that might be a sign that you need to deploy more resources to your effort…or if you’re already giving it all you’ve got, it could be a sign that your goal was too lofty and should be reset. So, rejigger a bit, then check in again 4 weeks out, 2 weeks, 1 week…until success!
Hopefully revisiting these basics will help you and your organization redefine the goals you are working toward to you ensure you are putting your time, treasure and talents to the very best use.
(And a quick plug: we’re always happy to help you take a step back and think through your strategy, define your goals, and evaluate the available tactics, so get in touch if we can be of use to you!)