Measure Your Success

Step back periodically and check how well your program is working and where you can make improvements. Identify small problems and make adjustments before major problems develop. Monitor schedules and budgets. Staff, volunteers, and the rest of the community can see what has been accomplished and give you their feedback.

Some important elements for maintaining momentum and enthusiasm for your program are establishing lines of communication, avoiding competing agendas, incorporating volunteers' ideas, and keeping meetings on track.

Here are some ideas that will help you to measure the success of your activity.

• Monitor materials dissemination. Track the numbers of materials distributed to your audience. For example, how many diabetic retinopathy brochures have you distributed within the community? If the number seems low, try to make adjustments. Can you leave some for people with diabetes at local health clinics?
  
  
• Monitor your program timetable. Check periodically to ensure that deadlines are being met and resources used efficiently. Do you need to make schedules more realistic or to assign more people to a certain task?
  
  
• Track and analyze media coverage. Scan newspapers and monitor radio and television to learn how often your program receives coverage. How many articles, editorials, or letters have been published by the newspapers you contacted? If media coverage seems low, call your media contacts to remind them of the importance of your program.
  
  
• Monitor attendance. Learn whether you are reaching your audience through tracking measures that may include counting the number of people who stop by your booth at health fairs or malls, counting the number of audience members at presentations, or asking how people learned about the activity.
  
  
• Obtain feedback. Ask for feedback from cooperating organizations, volunteers, participants, and others. Find out what worked well, which areas need improvement, how improvements can be made, and what they would be willing to do next. Find out which activities they liked best and what they would suggest for new activities.
  
  
• Note future changes. To modify procedures, look for more effective ways to distribute materials or shift resources. Share your successes and lessons learned with those who help you.
  
  
• Continue efforts. Publicize and promote your successes with a press release. You could also show your appreciation to sponsors and participants through an awards ceremony. Add other types of activities and repeat those that work best. Tell potential sponsors about your successes, and ask for their help in the next phase of your program.