As you work on your particular topic or area of concern, you find that you need to provide information or skills, encourage a change of behavior, raise awareness, or encourage participation in solving a problem. How do you get from the situation you have identified to the outcomes you hope for?

The PLAN segment of this website offers resources in 7 areas that are helpful for organizing and delivering an outreach initiative that makes use of Best Practices to ensure success. These are:

• Identify Target Audience
• Understand Community
• Refine Goals
• Inventory Resources
• Design Program
• Implement
• Evaluate

Depending on where you are in the process you may find it helpful to begin your exploration with one of these website resources:

Water Outreach: Setting up a Program – for an introduction to website resources: from getting started; to improving; to evaluating

Get Started: a New Program – if this is your first program, or you want to revise an existing program, this page helps you decide what questions to ask and where to find answers, including: general questions about education; what do you want to accomplish;  planning strategies that engage the target audience; how to employ best education practices

QUICK TIPS – outlines 9 steps to program planning, with links to more detailed information about each step

The Logic Model (PDF, 1 pp., 10KB) worksheet provides a simple way to begin. Print out the worksheet and jot down notes about your situation and what you plan to do. Once you’ve completed your notes, look across categories to see if the outputs you chose will lead to the outcomes you are hoping for. For more information and ideas about each of the parts of the Logic Model, review Design Program.

For more background about the principles that underlie planning, see Education Planning and related topics in BEP Research.

Defining Successful Water Programs offers a discussion of the importance of good planning in Cooperative Extension programs and suggests parameters of success.

BEP Website Resources walks you through the wide collection of theory, advice, and recommendations available on this Website.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES

There are a number of resources available to help natural resource professionals plan their outreach or training initiatives. Here are a few examples:

• Best Practices Workbook for Boating, Fishing, and Aquatic Resources Stewardship Education – also available from the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, at www.rbff.org

• Educating Young People About Water. A Guide to Planning and Evaluation – also available from the University of Wisconsin, at http://eypaw.uwex.edu

• Environmental Education on the Internet (NAAEE), eePRO – Learning
  • Nonformal Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence – available from the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)

• Getting In Step, A Guide for Conducting Watershed Campaigns – available from U.S. EPA:
  • Getting in Step. A guide for Conducting Watershed Outreach Campaigns, 3rd edition, Nov 2010
  • Other EPA water guides, documents, and programs, http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/outreach/documents/

• A Guide for Growing Volunteer Monitoring Programs directs program coordinators to resources for building successful programs. See the USA Volunteer Water Quality Network website, and especially:
  • Getting Started: Finding Resources in the Guide for Growing CSREES Volunteer Monitoring Programs
  • Building Credibility: Quality Assurance and Quality Control for Volunteer Monitoring Program