Content of the Goals and Objectives Component
Organization goals, including program and operating goals, are often written as part of a nonprofit’s strategic planning process. Your organization’s goals may already be developed and therefore ready for you to use. A funder will want to know the goals that relate directly to the stated need, so those goals should be included in this section of the proposal.
Definition
Goal. “A goal is a focus of accomplishment supported by a series of objectives needed to realize it or a broadly-stated subsidiary result.”
For example, one goal of the Senior Latino Community Outreach Pilot Project is“to be the most inclusive, responsive, and culturally competent center for seniors in all of the communities who need our services.”
Like goals, objectives are tied to the need statement.
Definition
Objectives. “An objective is a significant step toward a goal; or a precise, measurable, time-phased result.” Objectives are much narrower than goals. There are two types of objectives. An outcome objective demonstrates an impact or result. A process objective focuses on a process to achieve the impact. Here are two examples from the Senior Latino Community Outreach Pilot Project:
Outcome objective example. “Ensure that a minimum of 75 Spanish-speaking seniors with Type II diabetes who complete our disease management classes maintain stabilized blood sugar levels for three consecutive months.”
Process objective example. “The number of monolingual Spanish-speaking seniors who access the services of our center for the first time within the grant period will increase by 50%.”
The exercises in this workbook focus specifically on outcome objectives.
As you prepare the objectives component of the proposal, keep the following in mind:
• Objectives should be stated in quantifiable terms.
• Outcome objectives should be stated in terms of outcomes, not activities or process. (Program activities and process are covered in Step Five, methods.)
• Objectives should specify the result of an activity.
• Objectives should clearly identify the target audience or community being served.
• Objectives should be realistic and capable of being accomplished within the time frame indicated, which is typically the grant period (most often one year in duration).
Do not fret; everyone struggles in the beginning with the differences between goals and objectives. Use this side-by-side comparison as an aid.
If you look at the writing of outcome objectives from an ends-and-means perspective, these objectives are the ends, whereas the methods (Step Five) are the means of reaching those ends. When developing each objective, answering the following five questions will help you clearly articulate the result your organization expects to accomplish:
1. What is (are) the key area(s) your organization is seeking to change?
2. What segment of the population will be involved in the change?
3. What is the direction of the change (an increase or improvement, or a decrease or reduction) your organization will be looking for?
4. What is the degree or amount of change your organization will be looking for?
5. What is the deadline for reaching that degree of change?
Definition
Methods, also known as strategies. “The methods that the organization will use to deliver services and implement activities in order to achieve its goals.”
Remember the logic models briefly introduced back in Step One? Well, this step further illustrates the usefulness of incorporating a logic model in the program design. Applying the logic model in Resource C of this Workbook to the goals and objectives of the Senior Latino Community Outreach Pilot Project:
• The process objectives are in the outputs component.
• The outcome objectives are in the outcomes component.
• The goals are in the impact component.
Helpful Hint
Use the following phrases to assist you in framing your organization’s program objectives appropriately: To reduce To increase To decrease To expand
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.