Guidelines for Successful Project Planning

Selecting a Project

You have taken the first step toward choosing, planning, and implementing a successful project by reading the information contained on this Web site. Before deciding on a course of action, here are a few things you’ll want to consider:

• Assess community needs. Because your time and resources—and those of your fellow MSS members—are extremely valuable, your next step in planning a health education program or action project is to determine what issues need to be addressed. Besides considering your community needs, you will also want to consider what other groups are doing, and how you can fill in gaps between the needs and the services that exist in your community.
• Determine a comfortable level of involvement. Not every effort has to be a multi-phased program. Sometimes even the smallest amount of funds, expertise, or resources can have a large impact.
• Research surrounding issues. Choose an issue and brainstorm about who it affects and how. This will help you isolate related issues needing attention that often get overlooked.
• Consider one person’s experience. You may be able to help an individual coping with AIDS, cancer, or another debilitating disease by providing a service that will make his or her experience a little easier. Target your audience. For projects geared toward awareness or education, think about your audience and how you’ll reach them most effectively, whether through your local media or via information posted in public places, physicians’ offices, the hospital, or local schools.

Doing Educational Programs

Planning educational programs accomplishes two goals at once—they are a great way to improve people’s awareness of health issues and they also increase the AMA's exposure in the community. Here are some planning tips:

• Choose an interesting or timely topic
• Contact your state or county medical society
• Appoint your planning committee
• Choose a date and time
• Plan your location
• Arrange your speakers
• Set a registration fee
• Invite fellow students and faculty
• Contact the media
• Consider physical arrangements

Designing Action Projects

Whether you are planning health screenings for the homeless or delivering food to the aged, the following steps will help you make certain your projects are effective in reaching your goals:

• Select a project
• Inform your fellow students and faculty
• Contact your medical society
• Appoint a committee
• Identify your resources and needs
• Establish goals
• Plan a course of action
• Evaluate the costs involved
• Gather materials
• Organize and train your volunteers
• Publicize the project

Working with Schools

MSS programs can go a long way toward meeting the health education needs of pre-school, elementary, middle, and high school students. When you plan to work with a local school, there are a few things you will need to research first. Some things to inquire about include:

• State policy on health education
• Local policy on health education
• Support from school administration
• Support from teachers
• Any possible hindrances
• Influence by groups such as PTA, teachers’ union, and other key organizations

Once you have considered these issues and developed a proposed plan of action, your committee should meet with the school administrators, and possibly teachers, to present your plans. Use this meeting as an opportunity to find out who is in charge of curriculum development and teacher training. As you formulate your program, be sure to involve all the key players, including the policy makers, school administrators, teachers, parent leaders, school health professionals, the local health department, volunteer organizations, and the local media. The most effective school-based programs are those that are supported by, and which interact with, the community.

Publicizing Your Efforts

In the world of community service, some view publicity as self-serving, see it as unnecessary, or feel that it is merely the icing on the cake of a good program. It is important, however, that publicity not be an afterthought. It should be treated as a critical component of your program, deserving of as much effort as fundraising, planning, and volunteering. Simply put, your promotional efforts to attract the media translate into wider community awareness. And more exposure to members of your community is the key to a positive image, a bigger membership, and stronger funding potential. Here are some simple steps:

• Identify your news and plan around it. If your event raises $5,000 to buy computer equipment for a local school, remember which is the real news. Set up a day at the school and invite the media to cover the children using their new computers.
• Make media contacts. Your first contact should be your school's public relations department. Each school should have a PR or communications department, or a person responsible for handling such responsibilities.
• Write and send a news release, fact sheet, or pitch letter.
• Craft a Public Service Announcement , which is a brief description (75 words or less) of the project that may be used by radio and television stations as publicity for your program. The PSA should be written in broadcast style—use short, simple, catchy yet factual sentences.
• Confirm that your media contacts received the information you sent. If they didn’t, send it again, fax it to them, or tell them about your project when you have them on the phone. Be sure to be sensitive to their deadlines—ask about them. Also consider inviting media representatives to come see your project as another way to get coverage.
• Contact agencies that may have an interest in your project. If you are working with a coalition, tap into all those organizations by issuing announcements. Develop a fact sheet and distribute it to local community service agencies, schools, churches, etc.
• Inform your fellow students and faculty about the project. Develop posters and display in prominent places on campus. Slipping announcements in each student's mailbox or sending e-mails are quick and easy ways to promote your project.

Working with the Medical Society

Sometimes, the medical society is unaware of what an asset the MSS can be. Be sure you communicate with both the members and the staff as often as possible about the projects you are doing. Here are some ways to do that:

• Report activities at meetings. Again, make every attempt to focus on the results of your efforts.
• Plan joint projects and programs. Medical professionals, a network of committed volunteers, and medical society staff form a powerful combination for developing successful programs.

Establishing Coalitions

If you are interested in targeting a specific health issue (i.e. tobacco) in your community but do not have the resources to tackle it alone, consider forming a coalition. By working with other organizations, you will have access to a greater amount of the volunteers, funds, resources, and enthusiasm needed to make a strong impact in your community. Depending on the size of the project you want to undertake, you may decide to team up with one or a small number of organizations in your community, or you may want to develop a statewide or regional network of support. Whatever your goals for forming a coalition, the necessary elements are the same—time, planning, and, of course, teamwork.