Table of Contents

Part I: Preparing for Program Development and Evaluation

Understanding Nonprofit Organizations and Programs

• Benefits of Systems View

• Understanding "System" of Nonprofit Organization

• System Direction: Mission, Goals and Strategies

• What is a Nonprofit Program?

• Organization Chart of Typical Small/Medium Nonprofit Organization

• Understanding "System" of Nonprofit Program (Logic Model)

• Understanding Life Cycles of Nonprofit Organizations and Programs

Understanding General Planning Process

• Basic Planning Process and Terms

• Guidelines to Ensure Successful Planning and Implementation

• Guidelines to Ensure Successful Program Development and Evaluation

Approaches to Program Planning

• "Build It and They Will Come"

• Seat-of-the-Pants

• Incremental

• Nonprofit Business Planning

• Nonprofit Business Development

Basics of Strategic Planning

• All Else Flows from Strategic Planning

• Basic Guidelines to Develop Strategic Plan

• New Nonprofits: Start Small, Start Simple, But Start

Part II: Program Planning

Chronology of Activities

Developing Program Framework (Logic Model)

• Assessment of Community Needs and Interests

• Vision for Program Participants

• Desired Outcomes for Program Participants

• Methods to Help Program Participants Achieve Desired Outcomes

• Outcomes Goals/Targets and Indicators Toward Hitting Aimed Targets

• Outputs/Tangibles Produced by Model

• Preliminary Program Logic Model

Market Analysis

• Target Markets and Their Unique Features

• Perceived Program Benefits to Each Target Market

• Packaging

• Unique Value Proposition

• What Name Will You Use for Your Service?

• What Price Should You Charge? How Should Clients Pay?

• Who Are Your Competitors?

• Who Are Your Collaborators?

• What Laws and Regulations Must You Follow?

• Protect Your Creation with Patents, Trademarks/Servicemarks and/or Copyrights?

• Finalize Description of Each of Your Services

• Summary of Remaining Marketing Analysis Tasks and Considerations

• Marketing Goals

Planning Program Development and Ongoing Operations

• Developing Program "From the Ground Up"

• Advertising and Promotions

• Sales and Service

• Delivery of Services

• Personnel / Staffing

• Materials and Supplies

• Facilities and Equipment

Planning Program Finances

• Key Processes and Terms

• Developing Program Budget

Part III: Program Evaluation

Understanding Program Evaluation

• Myths About Program Evaluation

• So What is Program Evaluation?

• Reasons To Do Program Evaluation

• Basic Ingredients

• Major Considerations to Design Your Program Evaluation

Common Types of Program Evaluation

• Implementation Evaluation ("What Are We Doing?")

• Process Evaluation ("How Does Program Work?")

• Goals-Based Evaluation ("Are We Achieving Goals?")

• Outcomes Evaluation ("What Are Impacts On Clients?")

Planning Your Program Evaluation

• Should You Hire Program Evaluator?

• Who Are Your Audiences of Your Evaluation?

• What Management Decisions Do You Need to Make About Program?

• What Evaluation Questions Should You Answer?

• What Information Is Needed to Answer Evaluation Questions?

• What Are Best Sources of This Information?

• What What Are Best Methods to Collect Information?

• How Will You Analyze and Interpret Your Results?

• How Will You Report Your Evaluation Results?

• Who Should Conduct the Evaluation?

• Have Your Evaluation Plan Reviewed -- Tested, if Possible

• Conduct Ethical Research -- Information-Release Form

• Pitfalls to Avoid During Evaluation Planning

Part IV: Assembling and Implementing Plans

Assembling Plans

• Sections Common to Many Plan Documents

• Assembling Program Development Plan

• Assembling Marketing Plan

• Assembling Advertising and Promotions Plan

• Assembling Operations / Management Plan

• Assembling Staffing Plan

• Assembling Nonprofit Business Plan

• Assembling Fundraising Proposal

• Assembling Program Evaluation Plan

• Assembling Outcomes-Based Evaluation Plan

Implementing Plans

• Role of Leadership (Governance and Executives)

• Tools to Track Status of Implementation

• Capture Learnings from Implementation of Plans

Appendices

Appendix A: Glossary of Useful Terms

Appendix B: Worksheets

• Assessment of Community Needs and Interests

• Vision for Program Participants

• Desired Outcomes for Program Participants

• Methods to Help Program Participants Achieve Desired Outcomes

• Outcomes Goals/Targets and Indicators Toward Hitting Aimed Targets

• Preliminary Program Logic Model

• Target Markets, Their Unique Features and Perceived Program Benefits

• Packaging

• Unique Value Proposition

• Name for Service

• Pricing

• Competitors

• Collaborators

• Laws and Regulations

• Patents, Trademarks/Servicemarks and/or Copyrights

• Description of Each of Your Services

• Summary of Remaining Marketing Analysis Tasks and Considerations

• Marketing Goals

• Program Development

• Advertising and Promotions

• Sales and Service

• Delivery of Services

• Personnel / Staffing

• Materials and Supplies

• Facilities and Equipment

• Planning Your Program Budget

• Planning Your Program Evaluation

• Planning Your Outcomes-Based Evaluation

Appendix C: Conducting Complete Organizational Assessment

• Legal

• Governance

• Human Resources (Staff and Volunteers)

• Planning (Strategic, Programs and Evaluation)

• Financial

• Fundraising

Appendix D: Basic Methods in Business Research

• Planning Your Business Research

• Overview of Data Collection Methods

• Ethics: Information Release Form

• Guidelines to Conduct Observations

• Guidelines to Developing Questionnaires

• Guidelines to Conducting Interviews

• Guidelines to Conducting Focus Groups

• Guidelines to Developing Case Studies

• Guidelines to Conducting Pilot Research

• Various Convenient Methods to Collect Information

• Some Major Sources of Market Research Information

• Analyzing and Interpreting Results

Appendix E: Resources for Nonprofits

• Free Management Library(SM)

• Free Nonprofit Micro-eMBA(SM)

• Organizations

• Free, On-line Discussion Groups

• Free, On-Line Newsletters

Appendix F: Major Methods of Advertising and Promotions

• Standard Tools and Methods

• Promotional Activities Through the Media

• Unique and Special Promotional Activities and Events