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Student Organizations - Setting Goals & Objectives
Once you have registered your student organization, recruited and oriented members, and developed or reworked the group's vision, your group will want to determine the organization's goals and objectives.
Goals
These are statements describing what your organization hopes to accomplish. These goals should serve you in helping to accomplish your vision. Goals are the ends towards which your efforts will be directed. Goals often change from term to term depending on the nature of current projects of your group.
Objectives
Objectives are descriptions of what exactly is to be done, derived from the goals. They are clear, specific statements of measurable tasks that will be accomplished as steps toward reaching your goals. These are short term and have deadlines. Objectives may also be thought of as strategies.
Developing Goals and Objectives
Setting goals and objectives as a group is critical. Planning generates many positive results, because people will support and be responsible for what they create. Setting goals together also helps to gather everyone's opinions. Your outcomes will represent a group consensus rather than one person's thoughts.
The following are suggested steps for setting goals and objectives:
- Brainstorm a list of potential goals as a group.
- Choose from that list the goals your group wants to tackle.
- Prioritize the goals.
- Determine objectives for each goal and plans of action for each objective.
- Move into action and follow throughout leadership transition.