Program Overview

The ‘Six Steps’ program is highly interactive, with significant discussion and hands-on exercises to help participants understand and apply the information to their organization’s needs. The program includes:

• ‘Organizational 360’ assessment of your organization. Prior to the face-to-face sessions, each participating group’s leaders and members will be invited to complete a confidential survey about the organization’s leadership and processes, providing you an inside view to help identify strengths and weaknesses (the results are not shared between participating organizations).
• Session 1: Understanding Your Organization.  What makes an organization effective?  Organizational Best Practices, and what your members say through your group’s ‘Organizational 360.’
• Session 2: Purposes. Get your members and leaders moving together towards desired ends.  Your organization’s comparative advantage within the community.  Reaching and maintaining agreement on common goals. 
• Session 3: Structure and Relationships.  Is your organizational and committee structure working towards desired ends?   Developing a strong Board.  Legal issues to address (and avoid).  Clarifying roles of members and leaders.  Improving internal and external communication.  Sustaining the organization in the long term.
• Session 4: Leadership.  Nurturing leadership.  Essential skills, including running effective meetings, facilitation, decision-making, and managing conflict.
• Session 5: Rewards and Helpful Mechanisms. Keeping members and leaders motivated.  Acquiring and effectively using the resources you need to be successful, including fund raising and grants.  Understanding and using information that you need to make effective decisions.  Evaluating progress and impact. 
• Session 6: Vision to Action. Engaging your organization, and putting what you learn into practice.  Develop an ‘action plan’ for your group to improve its effectiveness.
• Six-month Follow-Up. Re-gather six months after completion of the program to assess how well your organization is implementing these changes, and to develop ‘next steps’