Goal Setting for Your Event
Setting effective goals is an important part of training for an event and this practice extends to the planning of an event as well. Goals allow you to measure the success of your charity fundraiser.
Even if you are a small organization goals are important. In college I helped organize a Halloween race. We chose to have the race support the local Boys and Girls Club and we raised about $300 for the organization. Small potatoes, but setting goals allowed us to evaluate the good and the not-so-good improving the chances of an more successful event the next year.
When it comes to goal setting there is a bit of a catch. It is easy to make a list of things that you hope to accomplish and call them goals. However, effective goals must be SMART. Using the SMART rule of thumb in goal setting for any purpose increases the chances of success.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
Specific. Write your goals in such a way that you state exact numbers and measures. Describe exactly what the goal is and how you will reach it. You’ll want to include what you are going to do, how you are going to do it and why you are doing it.
Measurable. Goals aren’t effective when you can’t measure if you attained them. Want people to attend your event – how many? Want to raise money for a charity – how much?
Attainable. We all want to accomplish the unthinkable when it comes to benefiting a worthy cause. Set your sites high, but don’t set yourself up for failure. Make goals that are possible to attain. For example, a major corporate sponsor might not be interested in a small local event, but there are sure to be many small businesses who want to support it. Keeping goals attainable will keep your group motivated in their efforts.
Realistic. This goes along with attainable. We need to have a realistic view of what our organizations can accomplish. Concentrate on what you have control over and incorporate that into your goals. If last years event pulled in 500 participants it may not be realistic to think this year will draw 5000.
Timely. Timelines are very important for goal setting. Continuing with the importance of being specific, state when you will raise a certain amount of money or when you will have a certain portion of the planning process completed. For example, 300 people will be registered by the early-bird deadline, or $3000 will be collected 1 month before the race date.
As you accomplish your goals, reevaluate and continue to set new SMART goals. When all is said and done you will be able to take the details of your event and weigh them against the goals you had set, evaluating your success. It will give you concrete details to pay attention to for future fundraisers.
Do you incorporate SMART goals into your planning or training? How have they helped you?
Photo by Carlos Paes, morguefile.com
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Yes, good article. The athlete will acquire basic football skills, appropriate social behavior and functional knowledge of the rules necessary to participate successfully in football competitions. Thanks for your work.
More about goal setting: http://www.goal-setting-for-success.com