Effective Projects

Boris ValkovRotaract club Sofia Balkan District 2482

Agenda

• How to implement effective project• RI Recognition of Outstanding Rotaract

Project– Integration through Employment

• Menu of Service Opportunities• The UN Millennium Development Goals

“Success is merely a function of solving one simple, manageable problem at a time.”

Henry Ford

Rotary’s Motto

• Service above Self– За безкористна служба

• They profit most who serve best – Печелят най-много онези, които служат най-добре

How can our Club put this motto into action?

• By implementing effective service projects, Clubs can benefit the community and communities around the world.

• Implementing successful service projects that address real community needs is one of the elements of an effective Club.

Effective Service Projects

• The development of effective projects will maintain enthusiasm and encourage members to initiate new projects

• Reputation• Further collaboration with our partners

The life cycle of an effective service project

1. Assessing the Situation2. Choosing a Project3. Making a Plan4. Taking Action (Implementing)5. Evaluating Success

Assessing the Situation

• Assessing the Situation • Choosing a Project• Making a Plan• Taking Action (Implementing)• Evaluating Success

• Q: What are the four phases of an effective service project?• A: Needs assessment, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation. Developing a

service project consists of conducting thorough needs assessment that can help determine the most pressing needs and concerns of a community.

• Q: What are some necessary steps in conducting a needs assessment?• A: Effective needs assessment is comprised of two parts – internal evaluation

and external evaluation.

• Q: What is the purpose of an internal evaluation?• A: An internal evaluation can help identify a Club’s strengths and weaknesses.

Determining Club strengths and weaknesses can help Clubs choose the types of service activities that can be successfully pursued.

• Q: What factors should be examined as part of an internal evaluation?• A: Club membership (number, diversity, level of involvement, etc.). Success

or failure of projects previously undertaken. Skills and talents of Club members.

• Q: What is the purpose of an external evaluation?• A: Conducting an external evaluation can help determine a community’s

greatest needs.

Community Assessment Tools

• Survey• Daily activities schedule• Seasonal calendar• Community cafe• Focus group• Panel discussion

Choosing a Project

• Assessing the Situation • Choosing a Project• Making a Plan• Taking Action (Implementing)• Evaluating Success

The challenge of choosing a service project

• This decision is usually based on – the relevant community concerns, – available resources, and – club service interests identified in the assessment.

• Choosing a project can be a difficult decision. – One project can’t possibly address all of the issues a

community faces, and clubs must determine where their work will have the greatest impact.

• Clubs approach choosing service projects– consensus-building process – debate and vote on issues, – service committees to choose

How many projects to do?

• Doing too many projects at the same time drains both financial resources and motivation of club members.

• This could result in failed projects that may hurt a club’s reputation in a community and make it more difficult for clubs to gain community support for future projects.

Project Duration

• Projects that last for long periods of time generally require more planning and involvement from club members,

• it is important to discuss how much time members are willing to commit to supporting a project.

• Try to complete within the year whenever possible.

Sustainability

• When choosing a project, think carefully about both the short term and long-term impact.

– building a modern well and water pump might solve a community’s immediate water problems. If the community cannot maintain the well, the people’s water problems will quickly return. A club could build a park, clean up litter, or paint over graffiti in an impoverished neighborhood in their community. If people from the neighborhood aren’t invested in the project, the graffiti and litter will almost certainly reappear.

• Sustainable projects take these issues into account and provide long-term solutions to chronic problems.

Community Collaboration

• Better impact if working with other organizations in the community – such as local governments, nongovernmental agencies, and

other service clubs• Rotary clubs often find that working with national and

international organizations strengthens local initiatives.– The World Health Organization, for example, frequently

works with Rotary clubs on service projects. • Many international organizations maintain field offices

in countries where they have ongoing projects and programs.

So, for Choosing a Project Consider

• Will project be supported by community and involve community stakeholders?

• Does project match your club’s pattern of community involvement?• What is your club’s community service history?• Is project attractive to your club’s members?• What financial and time commitments will be required of your club?• How long will the project last?• Will the project be sustainable?• How can you work with Rotary’s partners in service?• How will other community organizations be involved in your club’s

project?• Can your club collaborate on a community project with an organization

from Rotary’s cooperative relationships?

• Assessing the Situation • Choosing a Project• Making a Plan• Taking Action (Implementing)• Evaluating Success

Making a Plan

• A good project plan will help you manage resources more effectively, anticipate potential problems, and evaluate your project’s success.

Service Projects Committee Roles & Responsibilities

• Community assessment and analysis • Project selection• Project planning • Project fundraising and budgeting • Project implementation • Volunteer coordination • Project monitoring and evaluation • Community relations and coordination • Project public relations • Club service history

• Assessing the Situation• Choosing a Project• Making a Plan• Taking Action (Implementing)• Evaluating Success

Raising Funds

• Typical sources of funding include:– Individuals– Businesses– Foundations– Nonprofit or nongovernmental organizations– Government agencies

Funding through Rotary

• World Community Service. WCS projects begin when Rotary clubs from two or more countries collaborate on a community service initiative. – The WCS program provides Rotary clubs in search of

international assistance an opportunity to publicize their project needs to Rotary clubs in other countries that might be willing to provide funds, materials, and technical or professional assistance.

• ProjectLINK – Connect with partners to serve communities

worldwide

• Assessing the Situation • Choosing a Project• Making a Plan• Taking Action (Implementing)• Evaluating Success

Why evaluation?

• Evaluation plays an important role in carrying out service projects.

• To learn and grow from the experience, you need to know what worked and what didn’t and whether the project achieved its objectives.

Writing the Evaluation Report

• The report should be brief, appealing, readily understood, and useful.

• Feature the most important points first, and highlight key points.

• Include quotes, graphics, and photographs.• Make specific recommendations for action,

and suggestions for what similar projects might do differently.

Celebrating Success• Conduct a closing ceremony at the project site,

– invite volunteers, community partners, project donors, civic leaders, and the media.

• Recognize volunteer contributions at club meetings.• Arrange an awards reception to recognize club and

community members’ contributions to club service.• Send thank-you letters and certificates of appreciation to all

project participants.• Feature stories about project successes in club and district

newsletters and on various Web sites.• Submit to District Awards to be recognized at District

Conference.

Share Your Project with RI

• Rotary International is always looking for stories about successful club or district service projects. – use the Community Projects Database Submission

• Successful projects will be listed in the database as a resource for other clubs and districts looking for project ideas and opportunities.

• Possible coverage in The Rotarian or Rotary World or at www.rotary.org. – E-mail a brief summary of your club’s project along with

contact information to rotarian@rotary.org.

RI Recognition of Outstanding Rotaract Project

• Seven clubs are selected• Projects are evaluated on the following

criteria:1. Degree of collaboration between Rotaractors and Rotarians (20 percent); 2. Level of project promotion of Rotaract - positive impact on the Rotary/Rotaract

image (10 percent); 3. Percentage of club members involved in development and in implementation

of project (25 percent); 4. Quantitative and qualitative results of project (25 percent); 5. Project innovation (20 percent).

• Rotaract Outstanding Projects

Integration through Employment

• Istanbul- Galatasaray Rotary and Rotaract Clubs have created the project named as “Integration through Employment”– One of the biggest social problems of Turkey is the integration of

disabled people to the social life (8.5 million handicapped people)– Empty seats for disabled people are around 39.000 just in government

regulated by laws– There are many ways to accelerate integration of disabled people to

community• One of them is to integrate them through employment projects• On the other side, companies which want to give chance to the

disabled cannot find competent people in the disabled community

Integration through Employment - Solution

• Integration through employment project has three main goals:– Increasing the skills of disabled people to make them compatible to

companies’ needs– Increasing the awareness of the society concerning the employment

puzzle of disabled people– Gathering and easing the match of disabled people and firms to foster

interaction between them and making the selection process for the firms easier.

Integration through Employment - Solution

• To meet these ends, the project evolves in three stages– Call Center Training

• After completion of trainings, certifications were given to the attendees in a ceremony and members of Galatasaray Rotarct Club prepared CV’s for trainees and got in contact with several call center companies

• 15 trainees were employed by Global Bilgi in three months

– Presentations to Rotary Clubs about Disabled People’s Employment– Career Fair for Disabled People

• It is the first career fair organized for disabled community in the history of Turkey• 300 people containing 150 handicapped and their families• 4 months long organization meeting process• 32 Rotaractors and 8 Rotarians attended the event• After the end of the project we have questioned firms about how many

handicapped candidates have they hired after the event. The number was 12

– 2nd Career Fair

Menu of Service Opportunities

• Each year, more than 1.2 million Rotarians in over 32000 Clubs worldwide take part in community service projects.

• Although no two projects are exactly alike, BUT the issues they address are universal.

Menu of Service Opportunities

• The RI Board of Directors developed the Menu of Service Opportunities, a list of nine issues of global concern1. Children at Risk (Деца в риск)2. Disabled Persons (Хора с увреждания)3. Health Care (Здравеопазване)4. International Understanding and Goodwill (Междн. разбирателство)5. Literacy and Numeracy (Езикова и математическа грамотност)6. Population Issues (Демографски проблеми)7. Poverty and Hunger (Бедност и глад)8. Preserve Planet Earth (Опазване на планетата)9. Urban Concerns (Проблеми на големите градове)

The UN Millennium Development Goals

• Around the same time that Rotary adopted the Menu of Service Opportunities, the United Nations held a meeting to discuss strategies for development in the new millennium.

• In 2000, this meeting produced eight goals to help focus the world’s approach to solving some of the most critical social issues of our time.

The UN Millennium Development Goals

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.– Преодоляване бедност и глад

2. Achieve universal primary education.– Начално образование за всички

3. Promote gender equality and empower women– Насърчаване равенството между половете и овластяване на жените

4. Reduce child mortality– Намаляване на детската смъртност

5. Improve maternal health– Подобряване на майченото здраве

The UN Millennium Development Goals

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases– Борба с СПИН, малария и други болести

7. Ensure environmental sustainability– Осигуряване устойчивост на околна среда

8. Develop a global partnership for development– Създаване на глобално партньорство за развитие

What would it take to change the world?

Rotary's 1.2 million members believe it starts with a commitment to Service Above Self.

Resources• Communities in Action: A Guide to Effective Projects (605A)• Communities in Action: Menu of Service Opportunities (605-EN)

• The Rotary Foundation Quick Reference Guide (219-EN)• Club Service Projects Committee Manual – 226D-EN-(709)• Club Rotary Foundation Committee Manual – 226E-EN-(709)• Effective Public Relations: A Guide for Rotary Clubs (257-EN)• Public Relations: Make It Work for You (269-EN) (video)• World Community Service Handbook; • A Guide to Action (742-EN-(980)• Rotary Volunteer Handbook 263-EN-(1007)

Thank you!