ThinkFirst Celebrates 25 years! 1986-2011

Preliminary Steps for a New Chapter

1. Identify Resources: Begin with identifying what resources have been committed to the program. These will include both in-kind contributions (housing in a hospital, physician's office, or within an organization, use of phones, fax, copier, office staff, nursing staff, etc) and financial sources (hospital foundation, grants, salary, donations, etc). List these two sources in detail. In-kind contributions are a critical factor in securing any funding that requires "matching" costs.
2. Develop a Business Plan: There are multiple software packages available, or often many hospitals, universities, etc, will have their own formats. This planning stage requires thorough analysis of where the program is now, where it plans to go in the future, and how it is going to get there. One method for developing a formalized plan of action is by going through the strategic planning process.
3. Develop a Budget: Based on the strategies developed in the planning process, attach costs to each strategy and build an operational budget that includes short-term (one year) and long-term (3 or more years) plans/steps. A sample budget is attached. Use organizational charts with job descriptions to determine accurate human resources for accomplishing the business plan.
4. Find the Funds:


• Write grants to support your strategies.
• Get organizations such as graduate or nursing programs to donate in-kind services to accomplish some strategies.
• Hold fund raising events.
• Secure corporate sponsorship.



Among all of the ThinkFirst chapters nationwide, thousands of grants have been written that fund various "stages" and strategies. The national office can provide contact information for chapters willing to share successful grants. Many programs have received grants through their state Departments of Transportation, received corporate sponsorship from insurance companies, and collaborated with other agencies or groups such as Safe Kids to fund events.



5. Implement the Plan: Now that you have a plan on where you're going and how you're going to get there, GET GOING! But, make sure that you keep tabs on what you're doing and how much it's actually costing. You'll need to keep this information for quarterly reports, newsletters and whether you're meeting your objectives of the grants, which are tied to your strategies. This information can be collected in a data table, which is often requested in grant proposals. And, it will become the basis for an evaluation plan.
6. Evaluate Your Accomplishments: Did you accomplish what you set out to do? Where did you exceed and where did you fall short? Do you need to adjust any of your strategies based on reality? What did your customers think of your product? How can you improve what you are doing? Consider the following points when you evaluate your program: Learn how communities, schools and other customers use and apply your services and products. Identify the unmet needs. Build on meeting those needs through improving your service and/or product. Integrate this knowledge into understanding your future needs and the basis for revisiting your strategies.




Points for Strategic Planning


1. A strategic plan provides a process to determine the following:
• Focus on the organization and identify/resolve issues.
• Assess the environment both outside and inside the organization.
• Idealize a vision of the future organization.
• Provide action-oriented outcomes.
2. There are 9 steps that an organization must follow to develop a strategic plan:


• Identify who the stakeholders are in your program.
• Identify a mandate for the organization (who is going to house and be responsible for the program?)
• Clarify the organization's mission and values. These should align with the national mission, but be specific for the chapter's purpose.
• Assess the external environment (threats and opportunities.)
• Assess the internal environment (strengths and weaknesses.)
• Identify the strategic issues within the organization.
• Formulate strategies and issues.
• Create a vision for the future.
• Develop an operational plan for implementation and evaluation.