Planning & Implementing Your Activities

Why is GEHFM important to your organization?
What is the purpose of engaging in this project?
In what way(s) does it align with your company’s vision and/or mission statement
What outcomes do you envision for your employees and for your company as a result of hosting and/or participating in this project?
How will your team define and measure success?
Where are you now? Where do you want to be? How will you get there?
How will you know you and your employees have met the intended outcomes?
What data do you need to collect in order to evaluate the project’s success?
What methods will you use to evaluate the project (e.g. checklist, Survey Monkey, team reports, etc.)? Click HERE for a Sample Survey Questions
Who is the target audience you’re hoping to reach?
What activities will you choose to support the purpose of the event? Are the activities diverse enough to generate interest from employees whose talents and interests vary? Are the activities “leveled” to attract various levels of expertise or skill?
What work teams might you consider? Promotional Team: Responsible for all aspects of promotion of the project to target audience and outside media. Set-up Team: Responsible for all aspects of location set-up for the project. Event Team: Responsible for all logistics of running the project. Safety Team: Responsible for ensuring safety of participants before, during and after the project. Breakdown Team: Responsible for all aspects of break down and clean up after the project. Wrap Up Team: Responsible for summarizing results and lessons learned from the project, completing evaluation, sending thank you notes to VIPs, and submitting completion forms
What space, resources, or approvals do you need to start, continue and celebrate?
How will you promote project activities and engage people in the project? (e.g. incentives, t-shirts, intergenerational participation, individual or group teams, parent-child teams, etc.)
How will you effectively integrate the use of technology to promote the event and/or to communicate efficiently before, during and after the event.
Will employees need special instruction to use the technology?
Does your team have the technical skill to set up the technology?
Where is the best and most easily accessed location to attract the largest participant audience possible?
qWhen is the best time to hold the event to ensure maximum participation?
Are there other events being held simultaneously or immediately before or after that would diminish/enhance participation in your project?
If it is a family event, is it scheduled at a convenient time for children to be included?
Do you have a contingency plan for inclement weather or other situations? Do you have a cancellation notification process ready? For example, a phone tree, notification chain of command, media contacts, etc.
How many people will be needed to coordinate the project’s activities?
If your project is a community event, are there other organizations with which you might co-op or share marketing media?
Are special permits or accommodations (e.g. food stands, water stations, porta-potties, timers, first aid stations, ambulance onsite, police traffic control, roads blocked off, etc.) needed?
Who will be the key person(s) responsible for coordinating the promotion and project activities?
What additional teams will be necessary to ensure safety, efficiency of operation and comfort for participants?
What assets do you already have in place?
What resources are needed (e.g. financial, in-kind, and human)?
How will you ensure that your team leaders and employees can access prompt assistance and answers to their questions as needs arise?
How will you ensure that your team leaders and employees can access ongoing information as the project launches and updates occur?
How, who, and what will you celebrate when all the activities of your GEHFM project have been completed?

Review the Project Activity Ideas in this Tool Kit with your team. Decide which idea(s) might work for your organization and/or brainstorm additional ways to shape your project. Use a similar template to create your plan. You can find a template HERE. Next:

Select activities and assign responsibilities to team leaders.
Determine resources you need.
Develop your budget.
Identify potential sponsors. Prepare contact letters, phone and email scripts, etc. for sponsorship committee to use.
Develop an evaluation instrument to be used to assess the success of your project

Set your timeline

Create a master calendar for the project and be sure all team leaders have a copy.
Have team leaders copy minutes of their special meetings to the project chair(s).
Schedule regular planning team meetings for various project team leaders.
Expect team leaders to report their team’s progress at each meeting either in-person or by a designee.
Determine an advance notification system for the meetings. If possible, have a person check by email or phone on progress with the team leaders.

Manage the logistics of the project.

This is an exciting day! Remember to stay flexible and be ready to adjust. Be sure to stay hydrated and trust your team leaders to deliver.

Have you scheduled a walk-through meeting prior to the actual event to troubleshoot any potential glitches in the “flow” of the project? Remember safety first!
How many volunteers will be at each station?
Is there adequate signage for registration? For parking? For restrooms? For first aid?
How will the registration process flow?
Do you have copies of the day’s events (agenda) available and posted?
Are loud speakers required and are they working so that participants can hear?
If the event is outside, are there provisions for sun protection for volunteers?
Are tables and chairs needed?
Do you have first aid kits, personnel and stations set up?
Do you have people “running routes” to offer assistance?
Are there special “props” required (e.g. a starting horn, timing chips, numbers, safety pins for the numbers, water, etc.)?
Have the media been notified and has space been reserved for them? Are press releases, event flyers/brochures available when the media arrive? Is someone assigned to greet them and show them where they will be seated?
Do VIPs have an agenda and talking points outlining their roles/responsibilities at the event? Do they know what time they are to arrive and how long they are to stay? Do they know whom to call if they need a substitute?
Have you double-checked with local authorities as necessary regarding their roles in the event? Have you arranged with local authorities for any police traffic control or roads to be closed off for the event?
Have you prepared and distributed a cell phone number directory to team leaders and checked to be sure there is at least one charged cell phone available at each checkpoint?
Do you have adequate supplies for the volunteers (e.g. water, chairs, clipboards, etc.)?
Do you have photographers at the event to catch some candids for your future press releases? If the event is a race, are there finish line photos?
Have you arranged ahead of time parking for volunteers ahead of time? Are parking attendants, if necessary, provided to make the best use of the parking space available and ensure safe entrance and exit routes for traffic?
Is there is special or reserved seating? How is it reserved? Has consideration been given to special needs participants and/or observers who will be attending?
Do you have a breakdown team and trash pickup plan to ensure that everything is left clean after the event?
Have you scheduled a final summary meeting to review the event? While the project is still fresh in their minds, have team leaders submitted their reports about what went well and what should be changed if the project is repeated.
Has the evaluation instrument been analyzed and has a summary report been written to discuss? Could the results be used to plan future projects?
Has a list of recipients for thank you notes been made and have the notes been written and sent?

Organize a Planning Team

Design Your Project